intercollege sport

Intercollegiate athletics is a major segment of the sports industry, commanding an increasing amount of television time, newspaper coverage and corporate attention.

Growing in business – budget increases to be dealt with, revenue sources and funds to be developed, expenses to be controlled.
Growing in administrative details – more rules and regs, more paperwork and issues like recruiting and academic parity.

First college athletic event – Harvard/Yale rowing – was sponsored by Boston, Concord and Montreal RR. Event was held on a remote lake so people would have to take the train to get there.
Lesson: Even in the first collegiate sports event, the sponsor exerted sufficient influence to determine the location of the event.

Early on, all collegiate events were student run. Then the schools started to realize that college sports increase the visibility of schools and attract ALUMNI DONATIONS, still, the students hired their first coach and the students created th...