College Sport

Across the United States, colleges and universities are closing their doors at an unprecedented rate. Many of these schools fall within the NAIA and NCAA Division III athletics level, and have a higher cost of attendance (after scholarships are discounted) than their NCAA Division I or II counterparts. In recent years, these schools have seen a steady decline in general student body attendance (i.e. non-student athletes). This case study focuses on one strategy implemented by these schools to survive, and sometimes thrive: a reliance on intercollegiate athletics participation. Under the context of a recently closed institution, students will learn concepts such as roster quotas, discount rates, and emerging sports development, while analyzing the financial realities inherent in NAIA and DIII college athletics administration.

The landscape of college athletics is forever changing, and in July 2016 the Big 12 conference announced its intentions to explore a new round of expansion. The smallest of the 'Power Five' conferences in NCAA D1 FBS, the Big 12's quest for football competitiveness and the need for a conference championship game drive a complex and layered analysis of the best path forward. With consideration of the Big 12's national media rights, revenue sharing agreements, brand-building/recruiting opportunities, and structural dynamics, this case allows students to conduct both an internal and external analysis of the Conference's decision making process while weighing a myriad of stakeholder priorities.