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The bizarre origins of the NCAA: Why did American college sports take this path?
In the American sports world, the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) is a well-known name. This non-profit organization is responsible for regulating athletic activities in approximately 1,100 colleges and universities across the United States. However, the history and origins of the NCAA are little known, which is not only an interesting story, but also exposes the changes and challenges of college sports.
In 1852, which can be said to be the beginning of American college sports, the Harvard and Yale rowing teams had a challenge match. In the decades since, despite the rise of other sports such as American football and basketball, the rules of the game and the definition of players have never stabilized.
The earliest discussions focused on how to protect the safety of athletes and the legitimacy of schools. Early debates also made the higher education community realize that a unified management organization was needed to address the growing number of movement participants and conflicts between different movements.
One of the reasons for the establishment of the NCAA was the multiple fatal accidents in American football, which made the American college sports community feel a crisis. In 1905, then-President Theodore Roosevelt convened two White House meetings to bring together representatives from different colleges and universities to discuss the rules of the game. In 1906, the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS) was established, and this organization was later renamed the NCAA we are familiar with in 1910.
Since its founding, the NCAA has developed a range of sports and rules, but over time the organization has faced many challenges, including how to strike a balance between supporting athletics and maintaining academic standards.
Then, in 1973, the NCAA made a revolutionary change, dividing the league into three levels of competition—Division I, Division II and Division III. Large colleges and universities generally belong to Division I, while smaller schools belong to Divisions II and III. This structural adjustment is intended to allow colleges and universities at different levels to better participate in the competition, but it has also brought different regulations on athletes' opportunities to obtain scholarships, further sparking debate.
In further development, the NCAA began to gradually manage events for female athletes in 1983. This is because the previous women's athletic organization (AIAW) gradually lost its influence, and eventually most women's sports were transferred to the NCAA. It can be said that this process has expanded the NCAA's management scope to all college sports.
As the commercialization of college sports has increased, the NCAA's financial revenue has also increased significantly. In the 2022-23 fiscal year, the NCAA generated $1.28 billion in revenue, 74% of which came from broadcasting rights for men's basketball games.
However, this profit model has sparked heated discussions, especially on the issue of compensation for athletes. Economists generally believe that the NCAA's restrictions on athlete benefits, especially in men's basketball and American football, actually benefit colleges and universities at the expense of the rights of the athletes themselves. In 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court even ruled that some of the NCAA's restrictions violated antitrust laws.
Against this backdrop, numerous lawsuits and disputes regarding athlete benefits have begun to surface. Among them, the NCAA reached a settlement with some colleges in 2024, which saw the dawn of further reforms, allowing many Division I athletes who have participated in competitions since 2016 to receive substantial compensation.
These changes illustrate the multiple challenges facing college sports. Balancing commercial interests and academic roots is always a difficult problem.
Ultimately, NCAA history is an ongoing drama of both triumphs and challenges. How this organization copes with future uncertainty is closely linked to the fate of thousands of young athletes who are currently struggling. Will the NCAA be able to find a balance between protecting the interests of athletes and commercial interests in the future?
