March 2017 - NCAA Tournament, Big Business, & The Case for Student Athletes

Seton Hall Sports Poll

A clear majority of the American public believes that television revenue generated by the NCAA Basketball Tournament has turned collegiate athletics into too big a business, detracting from a university’s academic goals. 53% responded “yes” to that question in a Seton Hall Sports Poll conducted this week among 739 adults across the country. 35% responded “no.” The poll has a +/- 3.7% margin of error and is conducted with both landline and cellphone users. When asked, however, how much importance universities place on graduating basketball players - 58% said they believed the schools placed either a high or medium importance on graduation. This is about even (59%) from a similar Seton Hall Sports Poll taken five years ago. Both the NBA Commissioner and the president of the NCAA have suggested raising the minimum age for eligibility in the NBA draft from 19 to 20. That essentially raises the commitment to college basketball from one year to two years. 19% thought it should remain at one year, but 41% favored two years. 26% said there should be no limits. When asked this question two years ago, 12% favored one year, and 56% two years with 23% saying no limits. 63% felt requiring an extra year of eligibility in college was a good thing, even if it meant losing a year of professional salary. 26% said no to the extra year requirement. When asked this question in 2014, 73% favored staying in school, a significant drop.