There is nothing new about the charges raised by a trio of recent publications on college athletics: that campus sports once fostered values like teamwork and perseverance, but now promote crass commercialism while contributing to a campus atmosphere of play and partying that distracts students from academic pursuits. Yet some of the details might shock you. The number of student hours and university dollars devoted to sports are astounding, and efforts to field strong athletic teams have led to a serious degradation of academic standards for athletes, who receive an admissions "bump" far greater than alumni kids and minority applicants. In a review article in this month's Commentary, Checker explains why these problems are serious, what it would take to clean up college sports' act, and why this isn't apt to happen. Read "The Cost of College Sports," by Chester E. Finn, Jr., Commentary, October 2001 (not yet available online)
