Investigation shows MAC athletic programs profit from academic fees

Students at Kent State University's School of Journalism and Mass Communication investigated student fees in an effort to illuminate how those fees are spent on Mid-American Conference (MAC) campuses. A series of stories and graphics bring to light how the campuses athletic departments are funded by academic student fees.  Of the campuses that responded to the investigation, only the University of Buffalo discloses athletic fees as a line-item on tuition bills.

A five-day series by The Columbus Dispatch explored the dangers of youth sports. "Little Leagues, Big Costs" found that youth sports are fraught with dangers because they lack uniform standards and oversight. Children are more susceptible than ever to injury, families spend thousands of dollars chasing elusive scholarships, and adults sometimes mar the experience with unruly and even criminal behavior. The current landscape of youth sports in the U.S. - year-round play, specialization and travel - is pocked with physical, emotional and financial minefields for the estimated 40 million young athletes and their families. The series by Todd Jones, Jill Riepenhoff and Mike Wagner prompted Gov. Ted Strickland, Ohio State Athletics Director Gene Smith, and leaders of the Ohio High School Athletic Association to call for reforms.

A story by Paula Lavigne, of ESPN, reveals some unappetizing realities about food service at the 107 stadiums used by the MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL across the country.  Through a review of inspection records from local health departments, Lavigne revealed that at "30 of the venues (28 percent), more than half of the concession stands or restaurants had been cited for at least one "critical" or "major" health violation. Such violations pose a risk for foodborne illnesses that can make someone sick, or, in extreme cases, become fatal."

An investigation by Scripps Howard News Service sports editor John Lindsay found the National Football League has ramped up its campaign contributions and lobbying efforts, mainly trying to affect legislation on broadcasting rights and trying to preempt any move by Congress to intervene in a potential player lockout in 2011. The $3.148 million in lobbying the league spent the last three years is $500,000 more than the league spent on lobbying in the previous six years (2001-2006) combined. This goes against the national trend that saw total lobbying expenditures fall 27 percent from $3.3 billion in 2008 to $2.51 billion in 2009, Lindsay reports.

Pain is part of football. According to a series by The Post and Courier (Charleston, S.C.), so are painkiller injections on game days at college programs all over the country. Despite concerns about the possibility of increased risk of prescription painkiller addiction, the otherwise meticulous NCAA has virtually no oversight or policy regarding painkiller injections or prescription medication.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Todd Holcomb used Georgia's public records law to compare recruiting budgets for college football programs.  "It has become big business for big-time athletics programs. Each year, they spend more than $500,000 on recruiting, but they make more than $50 million in annual athletic revenue, mostly from football." The story shows the range, for example, between Valdosta State, a nationally ranked Division II program with a recruiting budget of $12,566, compared to Georgia Tech's $55,000 tab for football recruiting envelopes and stationery alone.

A Salt Lake Tribune analysis of NBA player-run charities found they face a wide range of problems, from meager funding and high administrative costs to a lack of professional staffing and oversight. Tax records indicate these 89 charities together raised at least $31 million between 2005 and 2007, but only about $14 million of that actually reached the needy causes.

An investigation by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution found that football and men’s basketball players on the nation’s big-time college teams averaged hundreds of points lower on their SATs than their classmates. The investigation involved using state open records acts to request reports that colleges must file with the NCAA disclosing SAT scores of their athletes. More than 50 colleges and universities nationwide were examined.

USA TODAY looked at the majors of more than 9,000 junior and senior athletes in football, baseball, softball, and men's and women's basketball and found high rates of concentrations of athletes in certain majors at 83% of schools. Some schools had several "clusters" and  more than half of the clusters are what some analysts refer to as "extreme," in which at least 40% of athletes on a team are in the same major. For example, all seven of the juniors and seniors on Texas-El Paso's men's basketball team majored in multidisciplinary studies. Education specialists say such clustering raises a range of potential problems, including academic fraud; certain majors and classes having dubious academic requirements; and coaches and athletics academic advisers inappropriately influencing students' decisions on majors and classes.

Using media reports, archives, public records and interviews with players and personnel, Brent Schrotenboer of the San Diego Union-Tribune compiled a "Mitchell Report" for the NFL. The list identifies 185 players linked to abuse of performance-enhancing drugs dating back to 1962. "There are no bombshell names unveiled for the first time, nor is it considered comprehensive or proportional, just the best snapshot that could be provided through those sources. It is believed to only scratch the surface of actual usage in pro football during that time, according to doping experts."