Bowlsby describes doomsday scenario for men’s programs

Legal issues facing collegiate athletics could trigger a doomsday scenario for many men's sports programs, Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby told reporters Monday at Big 12 media days in Dallas, Texas.

Bowlsby, the former Iowa athletics director, said college athletics' financial structure will change when schools begin spending millions of dollars to increase scholarships to the full cost of attendance. The league commissioner believes the adjustments are necessary, but the cost of settling legal issues combined with providing athletes with stipends will force schools to choose between fully funding sports like football and eliminating nonrevenue-generating sports.

'I think you'll see men's Olympic sports go away as a result of the new funding challenges that are coming down the pike,” Bowlsby said. 'I think there may be tension among and between sports on campus and institutions that have different resources.

'I think it's really unknown at this point what the outcomes will be. But generally speaking, I thinking those are the things you should watch for.”

Bowlsby said providing the full cost of attendance is a positive step. He added the five power conferences already would have enacted the increase if they weren't outvoted by the NCAA's current Division I structure.

Sixty-five schools from the nation's most powerful conferences - Big 12, Big Ten, ACC, SEC and Pac-12 - want to create an autonomous governing structure under the NCAA umbrella. That division would grant those schools the ability to enact legislation unique to that structure - prominently financial issues - and not affect postseason tournaments or regular-season games.

'It may be viewed as self-serving to have a structure that favors the five high-visibility conferences,” Bowlsby said. 'But the fact is we have some challenges at our level that other institutions in Division I don't have. And this system, as much as it may create additional separation among the 350 schools we have undertaken at all levels the belief of the bedrock in all this is everybody gets to share the Division I brand, everybody gets access to the championships, everybody gets access to the revenue sharing and we get some prerogatives that will allow us to better manage and to better meet the needs of student-athletes.”

Bowlsby also declared NCAA enforcement 'is broken” and the infractions committee hasn't had a hearing in almost a year.

'I think it's not an understatement to say that cheating pays presently,” Bowlsby said.

The commissioner added that he doesn't believe cheating is rampant. But he said the NCAA lacks subpoena power and cannot compel outside individuals to participate in an investigation.

'Right now if you want to cheat, you can do it and you can get away with it,” Bowlsby said. 'And there are benefits for doing that.”

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