In this episode, Michael Horn and Jeff Selingo interview Karen Weaver, academic director of the collegiate athletic certificate program at the University of Pennsylvania. They unpack the growing commercialization of college sports and how athletic departments have evolved into financially draining “shadow universities”, operating with separate systems and processes within campuses. Weaver discusses how the transfer portal, media contracts, and revenue pressures have reshaped the student-athlete experience. She argues that the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s classification structure no longer reflects the realities of college sports and suggests that the highest-revenue programs form their own tier.
“I think the highest level should break away,” explains Weaver. “And that way, they can talk about collective bargaining, they can talk about employment, and they can even discuss whether college athletes should be full-time students… But for the vast majority of us, I think they would welcome the opportunity to get off the treadmill and say this is unsustainable for the rest of our academic enterprise.”