Institutionalized Hypocrisy: The Myth of Intercollegiate Athletics (Article 7) (Report‪)‬

America is unique in that participation in sport has historically been linked to colleges and universities under the premise that participation serves an educational function and supplements the mission of higher education. Yet, intercollegiate athletics is seldom discussed in institutional accreditation self-studies, mission statements, or annual reports as part of higher education's primary purpose of teaching, research, and service. The irony of this silence is that when faced with criticism, athletic programs continue to be rationalized as proxies to higher education's academic mission. The purpose of this study was to revisit the educational premise that has historically defined the fundamental nature of intercollegiate athletics. In spite of the fact that athletic programs have come to be protected and promoted activities on college campuses across the country, there has been a reluctance to study the role of athletics in higher education. How do we explain this peculiar arrangement? How has this conceptualization of athletics--an extension of higher education's educational mission--become a part of the institutionalized structures of higher education? Was this educational role the organizing premise of sport in higher education?