College sports is 170 years old today.
1852 America's first intercollegiate sporting event takes place as the Harvard heavyweight rowing crew beats Yale by 2 lengths over 2 miles on Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire
The race is still going on.
The Harvard–Yale Regatta or Yale-Harvard Boat Race (often abbreviated The Race) is an annual rowing race between the men's heavyweight rowing crews of Harvard University and Yale University. First contested in 1852, it has been held annually since 1859 with exceptions during major wars fought by the United States and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Race is America's oldest collegiate athletic competition, pre-dating The Game by 23 years. It is sometimes referred to as the "Yale-Harvard" regatta, though most official regatta programs brand it "Harvard-Yale."
As you know, college sports is now a massive industry.
College athletics is a major enterprise in the United States, with more than 500,000 student athletes attending over 1,100 universities and colleges competing annually. The largest programs are:
Among many other sports, the most-watched competitions are college football and college basketball, though there are competitions in many other sports, including badminton, baseball, softball, ice hockey, soccer, rugby union, volleyball, lacrosse, field hockey, cricket, handball, swimming and diving, track and field, golf, tennis, table tennis, pickleball, rowing, and many others depending on the university.[citation needed] In the United States, college athletes are considered amateurs and their compensation is generally limited to athletic scholarships. However, there is disagreement as to whether college student-athletes should be paid.[2] College athletics have been criticized for diverting resources away from academic studies, while unpaid student athletes generate income for their universities and private entities.[3] Due to the passage of Title IX in the United States, universities must offer an equal number of scholarships for women and for men.
The NCAA alone is a billion dollar juggernaut.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) generated record revenues of US$1.16 billion for the 2021 fiscal year ending 31st August, marking an increase from US$519 million in 2020.
The US collegiate sports’ body suffered heavy losses during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the cancellation of the men’s March Madness basketball tournament alone costing the NCAA US$800 million in missed multimedia and ticket revenue.
If it were up to me, I’d pay the athletes and funnel more of the profits into academics.
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