Study: The More College Donors Give to Athletics, the Less They Give to Academics

Speaking of big-time college sports, two University of Arkansas researchers looked at 2000-2009 data from 29 National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division I-A schools. They found that for every $1 increase in athletic giving, spending on academic purposes decreased by $1.40, Inside Higher Ed says:

All athletics-related variables that Koo and Dittmore looked at (football and basketball winning percentages, and athletic giving) were negatively associated with academic giving, while the opposite was true for non-athletic variables such as school ranking and personal income.

A rise in athletic giving equals a decrease in academic operating dollars (academic giving minus deferred gifts), the researchers say, indicating that athletic giving crowds out academic giving.