The recent announcement by one of our founding members to affiliate with another athletic conference is proof positive that we are indeed living in the new athletics world.

On January 11-14, Indianapolis hosted more than 2400 delegates attending the annual NCAA Convention, and although a majority of convention delegates and attendees were from Divisions II and III, much of the news and many decisions of the week centered on Division I and specifically on Division I reform.

On September 22, college commissioners gathered in Chicago.  On the same date in Providence, Rhode Island, Dave Gavitt, former Big East commissioner and one of the iconic leaders in college sports, was buried.  Amidst the irony of two charter Big East members, Pitt and Syracuse, leaving for the ACC, Dave Gavitt’s presence was felt among the commissioners in Chicago.

To say it has been a tumultuous few months for the college sports would be a statement of the obvious or perhaps better said, an understatement.  And as my summer Horizon League travels have taken me from Green Bay to Cleveland, from Atlanta to Dallas and from Chicago to Washington, D.C., I have spoken with commissioner colleagues, former and current Directors of Athletics (in all NCAA Divisions), coaches, media members, college Presidents, executives from the Knight Commission and other affiliated college sports organizations, college trustees and current and former NCAA staffers.

In a USA Today article dated Wednesday, September 22, Steve Berkowitz, Jodi Upton, Michael McCarthy and Jack Gillum write about student fees and how they quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) support college sports.

In the piece, college sports are described as “important parts of campus life and excellent vehicles for generating publicity and alumni support.” Faculty groups are cited as saying “successful sports programs adds to campus spirit and unity, provides free advertising, helps in branding and provides a link and outreach to alumni.”  Institutional representatives are quoted as saying “a strong successful athletic program is very important to the connection with alumni, donors and leaders in the state, and it magnifies the university not only in the state, but beyond the state. That’s the visibility that the athletics program can have.”

OK, stop the presses; send out a bulletin and enough already. We get it!