The Game of Life: College Sports and Educational Values » (New Edition)

"College athletics have changed dramatically over the past fifty years. The authors present insightful research that is far more credible than the usual anecdotal commentaries on such topics. They document the increasing specialization by athletes, the effects of the relatively rapid evolution of women's participation, and the way that college sports are deeply intertwined with the ways that secondary and primary schools approach athletics. The Game of Life captures how these dynamics have had a profound effect on the current relevance of athletics to the academy and places these issues of significance squarely on the fifty yard line for college presidents and trustees. The question is will they be willing (or able) to accept the challenge?"--Richard W. Kazmaier, Jr., 1951 Heisman Trophy Winner, Member of the Knight Commission in Intercollegiate Athletics

"This is an excellent addition to the sports-education literature and will have a broad appeal. The set of issues Shulman and Bowen lay out are important and timely. That they base their conclusions on solid empirical work from an excellent database and provide both contemporary and longitudinal perspectives are added bonuses."--Allen Sanderson, University of Chicago

"This path-breaking study of intercollegiate athletics is rich in detail, long on perspective and enlightening in insights and conclusions. Shulman and Bowen have tested-and refuted-many of the popular assumptions concerning intercollegiate athletics with a pervasive body of empirical data spanning over twenty years. They document the increasing tensions, if not conflict, between athletics and the academic mission of institutions of higher education. Moreover, the study reveals that many of the same issues that bedeviled 'big time' intercollegiate athletics are now manifested in women's athletics and the programs of Ivy League and smaller, liberal arts institutions. No starry-eyed idealists, the authors recognize the complexity and sensitivity of the issues involved but offer a set of propositions to begin the task of restoring balance between academic values and the appetites of intercollegiate athletics. This book should command the attention of university presidents and trustees and all those fans and alumni who hope to cheer their teams to victory."--Arnold R. Weber, President Emeritus, Northwestern University

NPR Morning Edition - Frank Deford

Their book is no anti-athletic screed, either. It's written dispassionately, but the conclusions are truly depressing and significant. Indeed I would suggest that The Game of Life is the most important sorts book written in years, at least since Andrew Jennings' Lord of the Rings, which gave the lie to the Olympic movement.

List of Figures vii List of Ta61es xiii Prelude: Four Snapshots xv Preface xxv Chapter 1. The Institutionalization and Regulation of College Sports in Historical Perspective 1
Chapter 2. The Admissions Game: Recruiting Male Athletes and the Implications of Selection 29
Chapter 3. The College Game: Academic Outcomes for Men 59
Chapter 4. Men's Lives after College: Advanced Study, Jobs, Earnings 87
Chapter 5. The Development of Women's Athletic Programs 113
Chapter 6. New Players: The Recruitment and Admission of Women Athletes 126
Chapter 7. Women Athletes in College 141
Chapter 8. Women's Lives after College: Advanced Study, Family, Jobs, Earnings 157
Chapter 9. Leadership 182
Chapter 10. Giving Back 205
Chapter 11. The Financial Equation: Expenditures and Revenues 227
Chapter 12. Key Empirical Findings 258
Chapter 13. Taking Stock 268
Chapter 14. Thinking Ahead: Impediments to Change and Proposed Directions 289
Appendix A: Scorecards 311
Appendix B: Supplementary Data 355
Notes 375
References 423
Index 431