Benford 2007 The faculty-driven wing of the social movement has identified several problems
with intercollegiate athletics including (1) commercialization; (2) university involvement in the
entertainment industry; (3) damage to the integrity of higher education; (4) exploitation of
athletes; and (5) harm to nonathletes most UNL athletic administrators, coaches, and athletes
valued athletics over academics.
most UNL athletic administrators, coaches, and athletes valued athletics over academics. He
made it patently clear that my values were askew if I thought that student learning was more
important at Nebraska than contending for a national championship in football.
They ushered athletes to classes and monitored their attendance, thereby contributing to the
athlete’s “learned helplessness” (Seligman and Maier 1995). While I found this pattern of
“academic support” problematic and counter to the Athletic Department’s goal of
preparing athletes for the future, I was not particularly disturbed by the process. It just seemed
like it was all part of “the game.”
When the process involved covering up academic dishonesty, I grew more concerned. Between
1991 and 1995, several women reported that Nebraska football players had sexually and/or
physically assaulted them. The victims, on the other hand, frequently found it necessary to flee
the university, their jobs, and even the state, as rabid Husker fans blamed the victims for their
gridiron heroes’ violent acts. IAC functioned to provide legitimacy to the Athletic Department,
rubber stamping virtually any decisions in support of the Husker status quo.
Growing increasingly frustrated by the charade, at the final meeting of the 1997 to 1998 year, I
proposed that we not meet the ensuing academic year, adding, “we could instead just e-mail our
rubber stamps in.” Diagnostic Framing Sports reform activists have identified a plethora of
problems associated with college sports. For purposes of the current analysis, I will focus on the
five that appear to generate the greatest heat: (1) commercialization of intercollegiate athletics;
(2) university involvement in the entertainment industry; (3) damage to the integrity of higher
education; (4) exploitation of athletes; and (5) harm to nonathletes.
Sports reformers recognize that, sociologically speaking, these are not mutually exclusive
problems. The lion’s share of the diagnosed problems is seen as a by-product of the political
economy of universities and of our sports culture. “Edutainment” For many sports reformers, the
university’s increasing involvement in the entertainment industry, or as many in the movement
sardonically refer to as “edutainment,” is yet another way college sports undermine academe’s
lofty values
At the core of sports reformers’ misgivings about sports commercialism, the
academy’s relationship with professional sports and its increasing involvement in the
entertainment business are their profound concerns regarding erosions to the very integrity of
higher education institutions. Academic scandals within athletic departments have become
commonplace. Faculty and administrators who have had the courage to blow the whistle on
academic fraud within athletic departments have frequently paid a heavy price for their attempts
to protect and preserve their institutions’ integrity.
Exploitation of Athletes According to many sports reformers, universities are not the only
victims of the college sports/edutainment industry. The athletes themselves are also portrayed as
victims.
Sports reformer Linda Bensel-Meyers’ framing is illustrative: . . . as sickening as it is to see
women on campus exploited, academic programs devalued, increasingly scarce resources
diverted to athletics and the integrity of institutions damaged, the greatest reason for dismantling
the intercollegiate athletics industry is to end the abuse of the athletes themselves. They are
brought to this educational place to play and then they don’t get equal access to education. They
are there purely for business interests. They are the most exploited of all. (
Benford 2007
The faculty-driven wing of the social movement has identified several problems with
intercollegiate athletics
(1) commercialization
(2) university involvement in the entertainment industry
(3) damage to the integrity of higher education
(4) exploitation of athletes
(5) harm to nonathletes
1. Most UNL athletic administrators, coaches, and athletes valued athletics over academics.
2. The university authorities made it clear that academic values in opposition to athletics are
considered askew if one thought that student learning was more important at Nebraska than
contending for a national championship in football.
The athletic administrators ushered athletes to classes and monitored their attendance, thereby
contributing to the athlete’s “learned helplessness” (Seligman and Maier 1995).
3. Academic support for athletes:
This is the normal pattern of “academic support”
This is the Athletic Department’s goal of preparing athletes for the future
It was accepted as part of “the game.”
Next was the process of covering up academic dishonesty
From 1991 to 1995, several women reported that Nebraska football players had sexually and/or
physically assaulted them.
The victims frequently found it necessary to flee the university, their jobs, and even the state, as
rabid Husker fans blamed the victims for their gridiron heroes’ violent acts.
IAC functioned to provide legitimacy to the Athletic Department, rubber stamping virtually any
decisions in support of the Husker status quo.
Diagnostic Framing Sports reform activists have identified a plethora of problems associated
with college sports.
Five that generate the greatest heat:
(1) commercialization of intercollegiate athletics;
(2) university involvement in the entertainment industry;
(3) damage to the integrity of higher education; (
4) exploitation of athletes;
(5) harm to nonathletes.
Sports reformers recognize that these are not mutually exclusive problems.
The lion’s share of the diagnosed problems is seen as a by-product of the political economy of
universities and of our sports culture.
“Edutainment” : the university’s increasing involvement in the entertainment industry is
yet another way college sports undermine academe’s higher values
At the core of sports reformers’ misgivings about sports commercialism:
The academy’s relationship with professional sports and its increasing involvement in the
entertainment business are of profound concerns
Erosion of the integrity of higher education institutions
Academic scandals within athletic departments have become commonplace.
Faculty and administrators’ courage to question and act against academic fraud within athletic
departments paid a heavy price for their attempts to protect and preserve their institutions’
integrity.
Exploitation of Athletes: Universities are not the only victims of the college sports/edutainment
industry. The athletes themselves are also portrayed as victims.
Sports reformer Linda Bensel-Meyers: . . . as sickening as it is to see women on campus
exploited, academic programs devalued, increasingly scarce resources diverted to athletics and
the integrity of institutions damaged, the greatest reason for dismantling the intercollegiate
athletics industry is to end the abuse of the athletes themselves. They are brought to this
educational place to play and then they don’t get equal access to education. They are there purely
for business interests. They are the most exploited of all.