








































Abstract: Intercollegiate sports have been around for hundreds of years. Today, intercol-
legiate sports play a huge part in many college campuses across the world. Sports not only 
bring the campus together, but the community as well. Some believe that sports are more 
prominent in deciding where to attend college than the academic aspect of the school. 
However, the controversy lies in whether the universities should realign their focus on mar-
keting themselves as highly accredited institutions or market the high rank of their winning 
sports records attracting the top athletes and coaches. The discrepancy comes from the 
many different benefits and costs of focusing solely on the athletic part of an institution. The 
institutions need to focus on what the mission and overall goal of their school is in order to 
reach a conclusion. Although prominent Big Ten schools, much like the University of Min-
nesota Twin Cities, seem to be very influential to the intercollegiate world, the benefits as 
well as the costs must be taken into account when thinking about the institution as a whole.

Aisthesis      Volume 7,  201643

The Controversy of Intercollegiate Sports
by Rachael Prozinski

I. Introduction
 Universities are in a constant debate regarding 
whether or not “brain” is more important than 
“brawn.” Football quarterback Cardale Jones clearly 
has a position on this issue, stating that football is 
more important than education (Weissmann, 2015). 
This instance shows why numerous individuals 
debate and discuss the meaning and purpose of 
college athletics and the student athletes themselves. 
Many college universities choose to advertise and 
market themselves heavily as either an athletic or 
academic school. There are often two ways that 
individuals recognize a campus or university: their 
impeccable academic reputation or their terrific 
athletic achievements. For example, the Harvard 
School of Business is a strongly accredited academic 
institution much like the other Ivy League schools. 
Children and students are taught at a young age that 
these institutions are the highest goals for success in 
the world of academia. On the other hand, the Big 
10 schools such as the University of Wisconsin or 
Ohio State are highly accredited for their athletic 
accomplishments. Both types of universities 
strategically market and aim for the publicity in 
which they want surrounding their institution. 

Given this internal battle of being known for brains 
or brawn, there are also battles of what reputation 
the institutions will receive. The schools not only 
have to focus on their overall reputation, but they 
need to focus on what the goals and objectives of the 
institution really are. 
 Contrary to the popular belief surrounding 
Big Ten schools, the mission of these institutions 
is much like that of schools that focus strictly on 
their academic goals. When looking at the mission 
statements of two schools on the total opposite ends 
of the spectrum in regards to athletics, many will 
be surprised to know just how similar their overall 
goals really are. 
 This paper analyzes the many different advantages 
and disadvantages of a university with a prominent 
sports team such as a Big Ten school. High admission 
levels and various other types of attractions create the 
big hype and positive aspects surrounding Big Ten 
schools. This article also further examines the gross 
and net revenues that are brought in to these types 
of institutions, examining as well the community 
involvement that the teams put forth. This paper 
additionally assesses the different consequences these 
institutions have on the student athletes themselves. 



The Controversy of Intercollegiate Sports  

Aisthesis      Volume 7,  201644

 After further researching into the overall costs 
and benefits of college athletics, this article moves 
to assess the question of whether an institution such 
as the University of Minnesota Twin Cities should 
invest as heavily in athletics as it currently does. 
Ultimately, this article’s real question is whether or 
not Big Ten schools need to focus on their overall 
mission as an academic institution or their goals as 
an athletic program. 

II. Benefits 
 One of the very immense benefits that comes 
from being a well-known athletic school, such as the 
schools in the Big Ten, is the high admission levels for 
first year students. An obvious goal of each and every 
institution is to attract new students each year. This 
being said, one of the main benefits from a winning 
big time intercollegiate sports program is an increase 
in the enrollment of first year students (Chressanthis 
& Grimes, 1993). This increase in admissions comes 
along with a successful program. Overall, this has 
a huge impact on the institution because it deals 
directly with the number of students attending and 
paying for costs at the university.
 There is a noticeable amount of attraction to high 
performing sports teams. However, there is another 
aspect that results in an increase in admissions for 
the school. This aspect deals with the student athletes 
themselves. Many people forget that student athletes 
are as much a part of the university as are non-
athletic students. Even at smaller NCAA Division 
III schools, it is not unusual for 25 to 35 percent of 
new freshman or transfers to participate in athletics 
(Kurz, 2007). This being said, many schools raise their 
attendance by recruiting and finding more student 
athletes to propel their programs even further. The 
student athletes not only bring their athletic skills to 
the institution, they are also students who bring up 
the number of admissions to the university. 
 In addition to attracting new students and players, 
the prominent intercollegiate sports teams attract 
the community as well. Many fans purchase season 
tickets and attend every single game in order to show 
their pride for the school or state. Intercollegiate 
sports give the community an opportunity to come 
together to cheer and push for one common goal. 
There is no easy way for a community to come together 
to celebrate the academic side of the institution in 

which they support; therefore, sports teams create 
an outlet in which fans and the community are able 
to celebrate and show their pride for the school they 
love.
 The community supports and surrounds the 
team, just as the team supports the community as 
well. The University of Minnesota Duluth provides an 
example of this. The student athletes participated in 
a combined effort of over 1,000 hours of community 
service and involvement last year in 2014 (Berlo, 
2015). This shows that even in smaller, less prominent 
intercollegiate sports programs, the community 
is heavily involved with the team just as the team 
supports the community. 
 Another huge benefit that often comes along 
with being a part of the Big Ten program is the 
revenue. The Big Ten league schools are said to earn 
approximately $21 million per year (Fornelli, 2014-
2015). This is a substantial amount of money for an 
extracurricular event held by the universities. This 
source of revenue is what many people believe to be 
very beneficial. Not only do the schools bring this 
amount of money in annually, the Big Ten projects 
that its revenues will continue to grow each year, and 
with a new television deal on the way, the conference 
expects 12 of its 14 schools to bring in roughly $44.5 
million during the 2017-18 school year (Fornelli, 
2014-2015). These large amounts of money make the 
Big Ten program very favorable in the eyes of many 
supporters. 

III. Costs
 Despite these many beneficial factors of being a 
part of the Big Ten and having a prominent sports 
program, there are many downfalls to holding this 
high standard of athletic involvement. One issue is 
the success of the student athlete after their glory 
days are long gone. In prominent Big Ten programs 
across the country, much is asked of a student 
athlete. Many student athletes carry the mindset that 
their primary academic goal is to “just pass” (Cosh 
& Tully, 2014). This mindset that many athletes have 
strays away from what is expected of an average 
student when attending a university. Many wonder 
if being a college athlete is worth it: in a sense, 
student athletes sacrifice their educations toward 
future careers because of their minor involvement 
in academics. Athletes have little time to pursue a 



The Controversy of Intercollegiate Sports   

Aisthesis      Volume 7,  201645

competitive degree; therefore, many student athletes 
achieve degrees that are less notable or worthy to 
get them a job after college (Rheenen, 2013). The 
president of the University of Michigan affirms this 
belief stating, “Some universities take advantage of 
their student athletes, exploiting their athletic talents 
for financial gain and public visibility, and tolerating 
low graduation rates and meaningless degrees in 
majors like general studies or recreational life” (Van 
Rheenen, 2013).  This creates much criticism from 
many people who feel athletics have become more 
important to a university than academics. It seems 
that the main goal for a student athlete should be to 
graduate college with a degree. Because many student 
athletes pursue degrees in meaningless fields, they 
may not find a stable job after graduation. Despite 
the rising tuition and the student loan debt levels, 
the many long-term benefits of earning a college 
degree are growing substantially. Workers who earn 
a college degree earn much more and are less likely 
to be unemployed than those with just a high school 
diploma (Van Rheenen, 2013). 
 The Big Ten schools invoke many dreams in 
student athletes that may never become a reality. 
Many of these athletes hope to make the leap into the 
professional sports. They sacrifice their education 
and their social life to possibly become a professional. 
However, there is a harsh reality that only a very slim 
number of collegiate athletes make it to the next 
level. Only one sport (baseball) had more than 2% 
of a probability that their players would go on to play 
professional out of the National Colligate Athletic 
Association (NCAA) (Manfred, 2012). In the reality 
of a vast number of student athletes, they should be 
focusing first on their grades and secondly on their 
athletics. 
 Another problem with huge intercollegiate sports 
programs is that the cost is much greater than 
most people realize. The amount of revenue that 
intercollegiate programs bring in can be deceiving. If 
a sports team wants to compete at the highest level, 
it will cost that team substantial amounts of money 
to bring it to the next level(Goral 2014). Only 23 out 
of 228 Division 1 programs could cover their costs 
without subsidies. Interestingly, 16 of the 23 schools 
still got subsidies (Goral 2014). This shows how even 
some of the biggest athletic programs in the country 
still are not able to generate enough gross revenue to 

be profitable in the long run. One of the purposes of 
having collegiate sports teams is to create revenue for 
the schools themselves. If the teams are not creating 
the revenue needed, many feel that the universities 
should be putting more emphasis on academics. 

IV. Mission and Awareness
 Whether or not a school should invest in 
intercollegiate sports, therefore, does not have a 
clear-cut answer. Each school must analyze and 
weigh the costs and the benefits compared to 
the mission statement and various goals of the 
university. The University of Minnesota Twins Cities 
is one of the fourteen schools a part of the Big Ten 
division. The school has been part of the Big Ten 
since 1896 (“About”, 2015). This program is the 
oldest Division 1 college athletic conference in the 
nation (UMTC, 2014-2015). Being a part of the Big 
Ten allows the university to create vast awareness in 
audiences beyond Minnesota. With the school size 
being 52,557 people, the University of Minnesota 
Twins Cities has a large fan base (“About”, 2015). 
Yet, being a part of the Big Ten adds pressure that 
may go unnoticed. Although the sports program 
brings in awareness and admissions for the school, 
the university itself may be straying away from the 
mission that was originally created for the institution 
as a whole. The question remains as to whether or 
not these benefits outweigh the costs, especially 
considering the University of Minnesota’s goals. 
 The mission statement of the University of 
Minnesota Twin Cities reads, “We are Minnesota’s 
research university. We change lives—through 
research, education, and outreach” (UMTC,  
2014-2015). This statement does not speak of the 
university’s athletic program or goals; it only speaks 
to the school’s academic goals and ambitions. When 
comparing this mission statement to the mission of 
Yale University, an Ivy League school, anyone sees 
that they are remarkably similar: “Like all great 
research universities, Yale has a three-fold mission: 
to create, preserve, and disseminate knowledge” 
(Yale University 2015). While Ivy League schools 
are successful in achieving their missions, Big Ten 
schools often are not. Most Ivy League schools are 
known for their pristine and intense academic 
programs. The average acceptance rate for Ivy 
League schools in 2015 was a mere 9.9% (Dell 2011). 



The Controversy of Intercollegiate Sports    

Aisthesis      Volume 7,  201646

This being said, many of these schools do not have 
to advertise or market to show that they are the best 
of the best academically. These schools find a way to 
market themselves to the largest number of possible 
prospects. On the other hand, schools such as those 
in the Big Ten have to find other ways to attract 
students, and these schools often decide to use the 
athletic world to promote this attraction. However, 
if the attraction detracts from the mission, the whole 
purpose of having a university is called into question. 
Therefore, the Big Ten schools such as the University 
of Minnesota may need to readjust their marketing 
intentions and focus more on what the institution is 
all about rather than their popular sports team. 
 This being said, marketers need to consider 
the mission of the school itself. A school can easily 
market for their successful sports team. However, 
a prominent sports program may struggle more in 
marketing for their academics. This goes to show 
that, even though the emphasis may seem to be on 
the athletics, the real mission of the University of 
Minnesota Twin Cities is to strive and change lives 
through their research, education, and outreach. 
 One core value of the mission statement at the 
University of Minnesota Twin Cities is research: 
“We seek new knowledge that can change how we 
all work and live. At the University of Minnesota, 
students do research alongside top professors in 
all majors” (UMTC 2014-2015). Research is a huge 
part of the experience and knowledge that one gains 
from an institution. The University of Minnesota’s 
focus on intercollegiate sports does not benefit the 
University’s research goals.
 The second value that the University of Min-
nesota focuses on is their education. This focus is 
vastly similar to every institution’s across the world, 
whether it is a smaller community college, a state 
school, or an Ivy League school. Education is the 
main reason why schools exist. They do not solely 
exist to host or have a sports team; they exist so that 
individuals may further their knowledge and better 
prepare themselves for a future career. For example, 
the University’s statement, “We prepare students 
to meet the great challenges facing our state, our 
nation, and our world,” does not allude to sports at 
all (UMTC 2014-2015). The University of Minnesota 
Twin Cities wants it’s education to prepare students 
for anything that life throws at them. However, 

the many athletes who focus on just getting by 
educationally are not getting this preparation. Their 
time and effort is mainly put towards their sport. 
These attitudes and goals do not fully align with the 
overall mission of the school. 
 The final part of the mission for the University 
of Minnesota Twin Cities is outreach: “We apply our 
expertise to meet the needs of Minnesota, our nation, 
and the world. We partner with communities across 
Minnesota to engage our students, faculty, and staff 
in addressing society’s most pressing issues” (UMTC 
,2014-2015). While intercollegiate sports give and 
gain a certain amount of outreach through publicity 
and the different main events people attend, this 
type of outreach is not ideal outreach. The ideal 
outreach of their mission is to engage the students 
in the community on pressing issues such as the 
environment and the economy. 

VI. Conclusion
 Intercollegiate sports will always be a topic of 
debate. Whether the controversy is dealing with the 
athletes, the revenue, or the institutions themselves, 
many issues remain to be resolved. The main 
controversy lies in whether a school benefits more 
from their athletics or their academics. Although 
athletics are a major and prominent part in many 
schools, particularly the Big Ten, more focus should 
be on academics for the athletes and institution as a 
whole. Research needs to continue to further look 
into the success rate of former college athletes to 
decipher if the time and effort they put into their sport 
took away from or added to their college degrees 
and experience. After researching and analyzing the 
different goals of the University of Minnesota Twin 
Cities’ academics and athletics, this article found 
that the athletic programs fail to align with the 
University’s mission and goals. Although prominent 
sports programs may be well known and liked, many 
people forget that the main purpose for an academic 
institution is to provide students with an education 
and experience they can bring into a future career. 
This being said, the University of Minnesota Twin 
Cities’ focus should be first on academics and second 
on its athletic program. By doing so, the University 
will better work towards its mission, creating a new 
atmosphere that other large athletic schools have not 
yet experienced. 



The Controversy of Intercollegiate Sports    

Aisthesis      Volume 7,  201647

Works Cited
Berlo, J. (2015, October 20). In Class Presentation In 

Sports Marketing. Lecture presented at Sports 
Marketing Class in University of Minnesota 
Duluth, Duluth.

CBSi Advanced Media. (2015). About the 
Conference. Retrieved October 1,  2015, from 
http://www.bigten.org

Chressanthis, G. A., & Grimes, P. W. (1993). 
Intercollegiate Sports Success and First-Year 
Student Enrollment Demand. Sociology Of Sport 
Journal, 10 (3), 286-300.

Cosh, S., & Tully, P. J. (2014). “All I have to do is 
pass”: A discursive analysis of student athletes’ 
talk about prioritizing sport to the detriment of 
education to overcome stressors encountered 
in combining elite sport and tertiary education. 
Psychology Of Sport & Exercise, 15(2), 180-189. 

Dell K. (2011, March 7)Forget About Your Dream 
School. Newsweek,157, 56. 

Goral T. (2014) Escaping the athletic trap. University 
Business, 1(6), 8-10. 

Fornelli, T. (2015). Big Ten schools projected 
to make $45 million with new TV deal. 
Retrieved October 1, 2015, from http://www.
cbssports.com/collegefootball/eye-on-college-
footfall/24540002/big-ten-schools-projected-to-
get-45-million-with-new-tv-deal.

Kurz K, Scannell J, Veeder S. (2007) Admissions, 
Athletics, and Financial Aid. University Business, 
10(1), 25-26. 

Manfred, Tony. (2012) “Here Are The Odds That 
Your Kid Becomes A Professional Athlete (Hint: 
They’re Small).” Business Insider, 10.

University of Minnesota Twin Cities (UMTC). 
(n.d.). Athletics. Retrieved October 1, 2015, 
from https://twin-cities.umn.edu/athletics

Van Rheenen D. Exploitation in college sports: Race, 
revenue, and educational reward. International 
Review For The Sociology Of Sport [serial 
online]. October 2013;48(5):550-571. Available 
from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. 
Accessed September 30, 2015.

Weissmann G. Brains and Brawn in Academe: We 
Ain’t Come to Play SCHOOL!. FASEB Journal 
[serial online]. April 2015;29(4):1127-1130. 
Available from: Academic Search Premier, 
Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 21, 2015.

Yale University. (2015). Explore our campus. 
Retrieved October 1, 2015, from http://www.
yale.edu/about-yale


