The NCAA announced on Wednesday the completion of the state-of-business review commissioned earlier this year by new president Charlie Baker. The review identified the biggest challenges in front of college athletics and made some general suggestions for how to approach them.
The business review, produced by Bain & Company, included the following takeaways:
- Colleges and universities are facing enrollment issues, stemming from the continuing decline of the college-age population and the rising costs of college attendance, which will affect incoming revenue.
- College sports face challenges tied to viable alternate career options for athletes to be paid for playing their sport (such as the NBA G League, Overtime Elite, etc.) as well as traditional media partners experiencing “an existential threat to their business.”
- Athletes feel stress from social media, sports betting and other outside influences. The report recommended that the NCAA build on its mental health best practices and share information among schools.
- The “widening gap between different strata of Division I resources and capabilities” is notable and needs to be addressed.
- Citing the NIL landscape’s lack of accountability and lack of consumer protections for athletes, the report recommended that the NCAA…
