Those of us who have been in the business a long time know of the probable crisis in college athletics. In my opinion, this is Higher Ed’s mortgage bubble. When it bursts the results will be widespread and long lasting.

Please read: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/10/27/knight

Over chicken wings at the famous Anchor Bar prior to the first and second rounds of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships in Buffalo, Ron Bertovich, Deputy Commissioner/Basketball at the Colonial Athletic Association, told me the MAAC Conference was doing it right. He said that our conference resisted the “Arms Race” better than any other conference he knew.

The trouble, as I see it, is there are few schools and conferences that will stand up to the madness. I am particularly proud of the MAAC Conference because we have been facing the issues collectively for years. When the NCAA Agreed-Upon Procedures were announced several years ago they were nearly identical to those our conference put in place back in the late 90’s.

How do we do it? By having a group of Presidents who recognize the perils of the “Arms Race” and by having conference leadership guide us to accountability. The NCAA Agreed-Upon Procedures are minimum standards. As Emeril, the famous chef, would say, we take it up a notch.

I would love to hear your reaction to this article as athletic administrators and folks who have a vested interest in the business of athletic finance.

Jude Russo Caserta
Your AthleticBudgetCoach.com
Follow me on Twitter: AthleticBudget

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