Academic aspects of American Intercollegiate athletics: history, ideology, issues, and global prospects

ABSTRACT

This article reviews academic aspects of American intercollegiate athletics, referring to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The NCAA has promoted an academic reform movement for over six decades, making endeavours to implement appropriate policies and practices to support student-athletes. Yet, it is important to recognise there is a long history of concerns related to academic integrity in the American collegiate sporting system. Therefore, this article sheds new light on the history of academic integrity and reform in the American intercollegiate athletics. This article also highlights key policy developments aimed at strengthening academic integrity in college sport and assess the effects both positive and negative aspects that various policies had on student-athletes. In turn, this article illuminates academic aspects of international student-athletes competing in the American intercollegiate athletics and global prospects. The authors anticipate this article assisting in promoting a global academic reform movement within the context of college sport.

KEYWORDS:

• National Collegiate Athletic Association
• academic reform movement
• amateurism
• student-athletes

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.