The College Sports Reform Movement: Reframing the “Edutainment” Industry

Evidence abounds that college sports are rife with corruption. Over a century of reform efforts have failed to bring about lasting structural and cultural changes. Drawing on interview, participant observation, and archival data, the present study examines the diagnostic and prognostic framing of the contemporary college sports reform movement. The faculty-driven wing of the social movement has identified several problems with intercollegiate athletics including (1) commercialization; (2) university involvement in the entertainment industry; (3) damage to the integrity of higher education; (4) exploitation of athletes; and (5) harm to nonathletes. Reform proposals and strategies of The Drake Group and the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics are summarized and compared.