American Olympic Success Fueled by the NCAA
American Olympic Success Fueled by the NCAA: Will the Athlete Pipeline between College and the Olympics End with the Major Changes in the NCAA System?
U.S. athletes made an impressive showing at the Paris Olympics, winning 126 medals to lead all other nations. Much of the credit has gone to the college sports system, which has given track and field, swimming, and gymnastics athletes the opportunity to work under elite coaches in first-class facilities. However, with the likelihood of student-athlete compensation, sports programs that favor Olympic sports may be adversely affected and it may decrease the medal results. Tune in to this edition of the Sports Business Podcast with Prof. C. to learn more.
Curious about the topics covered in this episode? Listen to learn more:
- Where is College Sports Headed? The Evolution of NCAA Amateurism to NIL Rights
- The Future of the Olympics: A Conversation with Olympics Expert Richard Perelman
- The NCAA at a Crossroads: A Death Knell or a New Beginning?
- The NCAA Settlement is Not the End of the Fight for College Sports
- Did Chinese Swimmers Get a Break from Doping Enforcement?
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Mark Conrad
Hello and welcome to the Sports Business Podcast with Prof C, the podcast that explores the world of professional, collegiate, amateur, and Olympic sports. I’m Mark Conrad, or Prof. C from Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business, where I serve as Professor of Law and Ethics and the Director of the Sports Business Initiative. U.S. athletes made an impressive showing at the Paris Olympics, winning 126 Medals to lead all other nations.00;00;44;00 - 00;01;19;02
Mark Conrad
Of that total were 40 golds, tying China for first place. Track and Field athletes fared particularly well winning 34 medals, far outpacing other nations. Swimming, although not as dominant as in the past, made a very respectable showing with 28. A major reason for this year’s successes has been the pipeline from college teams to the Olympics. Because the U.S. government does not fund the Olympic movement,00;01;19;04 - 00;01;49;24
Mark Conrad
it has been left to colleges and universities to field teams in track and field, swimming and gymnastics under the NCAA system – the system many of us have come to hate. But the NCAA approach has worked well because certain universities have built first-rate facilities, hired top coaches and recruited talented athletes into their orbit. A social contract of sorts is made -00;01;49;27 - 00;02;33;20
Mark Conrad
college athletes obtain first-rate training for little or no cost in return for being student-athletes and complying with what is left of the NCAA rules. According to the Sports Business Journal, of the USA’s 594-member team in Paris, roughly 75% competed in college. They came from 169 schools across 45 conferences. Current or former collegiate athletes made up at least 80% of 21 total U.S. teams, including 15 teams that were entirely composed of collegiate athletes.00;02;33;22 - 00;03;07;29
Mark Conrad
For the U.S. Olympic team and its athletes, a win-win. Less known is the fact that U.S. colleges have helped athletes from other nations. Witness Léon Marchand, who won 4 gold medals for France in swimming while a junior at Arizona State University. The result is that NCAA schools sent more than 1,000 former, current and incoming student-athletes who represented more than 100 different countries to the Paris games.00;03;08;01 - 00;03;43;07
Mark Conrad
Of these athletes, 272 of them combined to win 330 medals for 26 countries. However, this success is threatened by the seismic shifts that are taking place in college sports. As many of you know, the NCAA system has been under attack in the courts with multiple lawsuits demanding revenue-sharing for college athletes. In addition, there are efforts to unionize college athletes as employees under the labor laws.00;03;43;09 - 00;04;22;05
Mark Conrad
The proposed settlement in what is known as the House case outlines a revenue sharing formula where students may be compensated in amounts that reach billions of dollars. This settlement, if approved by the federal judge overseeing the case, coupled with the unionization efforts of a few college teams would likely result many athletic department budget cuts. The question becomes whether such financial pressure could require the cutting of sports teams, particularly teams that were feeders to the Olympic movement?00;04;22;07 - 00;04;58;23
Mark Conrad
U.S. Olympic officials are concerned about this possibility. While much of the student compensation goals are laudable, each of the stakeholders -- the schools, NCAA and the Olympic governing bodies have to deal with a hard reality --sustaining that pipeline in the face of financial pressures that threaten it. The timing is not ideal as the United States will host the Summer games in Los Angeles in 2028 and the Winter games in Salt Lake City in 2034.00;04;58;25 - 00;05;25;14
Mark Conrad
Continuing the Olympic feeder system in an uncertain future will be the challenge, but a crucial one for those who compete in track and field and swimming. If the system collapses, it would be a sad byproduct of the college sports revolution. Any thoughts? Send them to me at [email protected], and thank you for listening. Until next time,00;05;25;18 - 00;05;40;24
Mark Conrad
this is Prof. C for the Gabelli Sports Business Initiative.