College Presidents Call for Increased Disclosure of Athletics Spending
By Brad Wolverton, The Chronicle of Higher Education

By most accounts, the business of college sports appears to be as healthy as ever.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association earns more than $500-million a year from its contract with CBS to televise the men's basketball tournament, money that helps support hundreds of athletics programs. A record 64 football teams in the NCAA's top division will receive a financial lift by appearing in a bowl game this season. And corporate sponsors and generous alumni are infusing millions more into athletics programs across the country.

But escalating coaches' salaries and the long-term bonded debt required to finance new arenas, stadiums, and other capital projects have a growing number of university leaders worried that college sports might not be as
financially sound as it appears.

With those concerns in mind, Myles Brand, the NCAA's president, established a panel last year to discuss the future of intercollegiate athletics. Last week the group completed its work by releasing a report, "The Second-Century Imperatives: Presidential Leadership - Institutional Accountability," which presents more than two dozen ideas for improving college sports.

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