More than twice as many people say that the focus of college sports should be opportunities to participate (71 percent) than say that the focus should be producing the highest level of play possible (30 percent), the survey found. Asked whether student-athletes should be compensated beyond scholarships, 50 percent of Americans say they should not be further compensated, while 32 percent say they should be. Of that minority who are open to further compensation for athletes, less than half (48 percent) said athletes should be paid a stipend. Ideas such as benefiting from merchandise sales (43 percent), being allowed to work for pay while on scholarship (42 percent), or licensing (40 percent) also registered support. The public does not have much sympathy for college athletes who have run-ins with the law. Three-quarters of people (77 percent) say such athletes should be treated the same as everyone else in the eyes of the law, and 13 percent say they should face stricter punishment for infractions. As the new college football playoff system gets underway, nearly half of Americans – including 59 percent of men and 39 percent of women – say they are very or somewhat interested in the coming college football playoffs.
Changing topics…The college football season is coming to an end with the playoffs coming up. We have a number of questions for you about college football.
How interested are you in following the playoffs? Would you say…
| All respondents | M N=480 | W N=531 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 % | Very interested | 30 | 15 |
| 27 % | Somewhat interested | 29 | 24 |
| 11 % | Somewhat uninterested | 10 | 12 |
| 37 % | Not at all interested | 28 | 45 |
| 3 % | Don’t know / unsure | 2 | 4 |
In your view, besides scholarship funds awarded to student athletes, should college athletes be compensated in any other ways?
| All respondents | M | W | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32 % | Yes | 37 | 28 |
| 50 % | No | 48 | 53 |
| 18 % | Don’t know / unsure | 15 | 20 |
The following are a number of suggested ways college athletes could be compensated. In your view, which of the following would be appropriate?
| All respondents | M N=316 | W N=146 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48 % | A stipend from their college or university | 51 | 44 |
| 43 % | Somewhat compensated – a reasonable share of the profit from college team merchandise sold such as game- worn jerseys, autographs, or balls | 40 | 47 |
| 42 % | Somewhat compensated – allowed to work at a job for pay while on a scholarship | 42 | 43 |
| 40 % | Somewhat compensated – a reasonable share of the profit from the use of their photo or likeness by the college or university such as video games and jersey sales | 43 | 36 |
| 4 % | Don’t know / unsure | 4 | 3 |
Which one of the following best reflects your view on what colleges or universities should or should not provide their student-athletes?
| All respondents | M | W | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 46 % | Free tuition, room and board for all students participating in revenue-generating sports such as football or basketball as long as they maintain their grades | 50 | 42 |
| 16 % | Free tuition, room and board for only standout athlete students participating in revenue-generating sports such as football or basketball as long as they maintain their grades | 17 | 16 |
| 20 % | Student-athletes in revenue-generating sports should not receive free tuition, room and board | 18 | 22 |
| 18 % | Don’t know / unsure | 15 | 20 |
“I found it interesting that 62 percent of those polled were in favor of providing these items for all and only standout student-athletes, while 20 percent thought that student-athletes in revenue-generating sports shouldn’t receive anything,” said Fran Reidy, director of athletics at Saint Leo University. “Another way to look at it is that the all students choice was ranked first (46%), followed by no support for these sport participants (20%), and for only stand-out student-athletes was third (16%), which I found striking.”
Which of the following best reflects your opinion about the medical care a college or university should or should not provide student-athletes in revenue-generating sports?
| All respondents | M | W | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 % | All medical expenses including care related to the sports they play | 45 | 36 |
| 39 % | All medical expenses ONLY related to care while playing or training their designated sports | 36 | 41 |
| 10 % | Student-athletes should not receive college/university paid medical care | 10 | 10 |
| 11 % | Don’t know / unsure | 9 | 13 |
“Every student on campus must have health insurance when they enroll,” said Barbara Wilson, assistant athletic director at Saint Leo University. “When it comes to medical care for student-athletes, that is usually covered for injuries caused by that sport and is typically for up to one year after the injury.”
Overall, college athletics nationally can influence perceptions of and impact the culture at these institutions of higher education. Please think about, based on all you know or have heard, this influence today and five years ago. Please rate this influence as very positive, somewhat positive, neither positive or negative, somewhat negative or very negative.
| Type of Influence Today / 5 Years Ago | Very Positive | Somewhat Positive | Neither | Somewhat Negative | Very Negative | Unsure | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 13 | 25 | 26 | 21 | 7 | 10 | ||||||||||||||
| Five years ago | 10 | 35 | 30 | 11 | 3 | 11 |
Which, if any, of the following should be included in the mission of college athletics.
| M | W | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 71 % | Create opportunities for students to achieve academically while playing sports | 72 | 70 |
| 43 % | Contribute to a sense of community on campus | 40 | 46 |
| 30 % | Produce the highest level of play possible on the field | 31 | 30 |
| 25 % | Contribute to a sense of community between the institution and alumni | 22 | 28 |
| 22 % | Support marketing efforts for the college/university | 24 | 20 |
| 13% | Don’t know / unsure | 11 | 14 |
You may be aware of recent news stories about professional athletes who have behaved badly off the field and some who may have committed crimes such as child and domestic abuse. Sometimes college athletes also behave badly and face criminal charges. Which one of the following best reflects how these college athletes should be treated by authorities?
| M | W | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 77 % | Treated the same as everyone else in the eyes of the law | 76 | 78 |
| 13 % | Receive stricter punishment | 15 | 12 |
| 3 % | Receive a lighter punishment | 3 | 4 |
| 7 % | Don’t know / unsure | 7 | 7 |
“The general public says that college athletes should be treated the same as everyone else when it comes to bad behavior. Whether or not that is actually happening is open to debate,” commented Reidy.
Sometimes college sports fans may change the degree they follow or view their favorite teams when they see some team players behaving badly or even accused of criminal acts. Which one of the following best reflects how you react to players behaving badly?
| M | W | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 % | I follow and view the team less often or stop altogether | 15 | 13 |
| 15 % | I follow and view the team less often while viewing other teams more | 16 | 13 |
| 34 % | Individual player behavior does not affect my support for the teams I follow | 39 | 30 |
| 37 % | I really don’t follow any teams | 29 | 44 |
While attention to concussions and brain related injuries in sports, especially football, has been around for years, we are only now seeing the impact on many players much later in life. If at all, how has this risk of brain injuries diminished your own enthusiasm for sports in general? Please use a scale of one to ten where one means your resulting enthusiasm is greatly reduced and ten means your resulting enthusiasm is not at all reduced.
| Your Enthusiasm Given Head Injuries | Greatly Reduced Enthusiasm | Enthusiasm not at all Reduced | Unsure | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | |
| 9 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 19 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 14 | |
| Subtotals: | 19 | 44 | 24 | ||||||||
“With concussions, there seems to be an increased awareness about these types of brain-related injuries, which is a positive step,” remarked Wilson. “Better support for the student-athlete by the athletic department, athletic trainers, and coaching staff appears to be more the norm.”
The full Saint Leo University Polling Institute national survey results on politics, Pope Francis’ favorability, charitable giving, and technology, can be found here: http://polls.saintleo.edu. You can also follow the institute on Twitter @saintleopolls.
About the Saint Leo University Polling Institute/Methodology
This Saint Leo University poll of 1,016 adults nationwide was conducted between November 25 and December 6, 2014. The margin of error is approximately 3 percent +/- with a 95 percent confidence level. The Saint Leo University Polling Institute conducts its surveys using cutting-edge online methodology, which is rapidly transforming the field of survey research. The sample is drawn from large online panels, which allows for random selections that reflect accurate cross sections of all demographic groups. Online methodology has the additional advantage of allowing participants to respond to the survey at a time, place, and speed convenient to them, which may result in more thoughtful answers. The Saint Leo University Polling Institute develops the questionnaires, administers the surveys, and conducts analysis of the results. Panel participants typically receive a token incentive – usually $1.00 deposited into an iTunes or Amazon account – for their participation.
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