Nation's Most Ridiculous College Mascots

Programs with poor graduation rates face sanctions

(NEWSER) - The NCAA has handed out sanctions to more than 200 college teams for poor academic performance, USA Today reports. More than a third of the 329 Division I schools had teams with subpar Academic Progress Rates, which means their players' graduation rate was lower than 60%. Twenty-six teams deemed chronic underperformers still face reductions in practice time and scholarship awards. More»

(NEWSER) - The Congressional Budget Office, eager for new sources of income, is considering taxation options for the nation’s collegiate athletic franchises, the Economist reports. Among the proposals are curtailing deductions for charitable donations to college sports programs; limiting tax-exempt bonds; and, most drastically, stripping the programs of their traditional tax-exempt status. But only the first idea will produce any real revenue. More»

(NEWSER) - A quest to play pro football might keep a Duke basketball player in school for another year, ESPN reports. Greg Paulus, who has used up his basketball eligibility at Duke, has been offered a tryout for the school’s football team—but at receiver, not quarterback, where he starred in high school. Yesterday, Paulus visited the University of Michigan, which has an uncertain quarterback situation, the Detroit Free Press reports. More»

Critics say investing in flashy, athletes-only centers is unfair to other students

(NEWSER) - Resentment is building as college athletic tutoring centers nationwide get bigger and flashier, the Chicago Tribune reports. Critics say that the multi-million-dollar, athletes-only centers should be open to all. Some suggest that, since the centers are generally funded and run by the athletic department, they create a conflict of interest; a number have been accused of giving athletes a bit too much of a helping hand with homework. More»

UT aims to cash in big time on Longhorns

(NEWSER) - In what could become the first of its kind enterprise, the University of Texas is negotiating to create its own 24-hour sports channel, reports BusinessWeek. University officials have teamed up with IMG Worldwide talent agency to negotiate programming distribution of the tentatively named Longhorn Sports Network on Time Warner, Comast, and AT&T in Texas and possibly border states. More»