Sports
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…
Read MoreYouth sports fraught with risks
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…
Read MoreFood service at stadiums often riddled with health code violations
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…
Read MoreNFL has ramped up campaign donations, lobbying efforts
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…
Read MorePainkillers unregulated in college football programs
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…
Read MoreAdding up the cost of football recruits
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,…
Read MoreMany NBA players’ charities mismanaged
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…
Read MoreAthletes’ SAT scores lag at major colleges and universities
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…
Read MoreCertain majors find large clusters of student athletes
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…
Read More“Mitchell Report” for NFL shows history of drug use
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…
Read More