National survey reveals public stance on NIL, transfers, more in college athletics

The landmark House v. NCAA Settlement, approved earlier this summer, helped rewrite the NCAA rulebook, effectively ended collegiate athletics’ outdated “amateur” model and ushered in direct school-to-athlete revenue-sharing that has already led to the influx of tens of millions of dollars paid out to athletes all around the country over the last month since its July 1 implementation.

But while that controversial decision still faces multiple ongoing legal battles, including several in defense of Title IX implications, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics conducted a nationwide survey of 1,500 adults during July to examine how the general public feels about some of the most pressing issues facing collegiate athletics in the day and age of NIL and the NCAA Transfer Portal.

In coordination with Elon University, the Knight Commission — whose mission is to develop, promote and lead transformational change that prioritizes the education, health, safety and success of college athletics — released the findings of its survey on Wednesday, revealing “significant splits on issues like compensation for college athletes, athletes’ potential status as employees, and who should govern the multi-billion-dollar enterprise” of collegiate athletics, according to a press release.

“It’s clear that many people are still trying to understand new rules on athletes’ compensation, transfers, conference realignments and other issues,” Jason Husser, director of the Elon University poll and professor of political science and public policy, said in the release “Many people who don’t follow college sports closely are still learning about the new environment and forming their opinions based on what they read and hear about these issues. That’s why we see much more definite views among college sports fans and more uncertainty among casual observers.”

Among the more interesting findings of the Knight Commission survey include nearly a quarter — 21% — of those surveyed believe all student-athletes should be classified as university employees, while 30% are in favor of classifying revenue sport athletes as employees. More than one-third of those surveyed — about 38% — oppose student-athletes transferring without penalties while 36% are in full support of it.

When it comes to name, image and likeness (NIL) payments, the commission’s survey found 31% held a positive view of collegiate athletes earning NIL, while 47% were “unsure or neutral” about the topic. Roughly 42% of those surveyed are in favor of schools negotiating with athletes on pay, rights and responsibilities — effectively collective bargaining — while 30% oppose the topic altogether.

As it relates to NIL, 71% of those surveyed prefer fundraising/private business support when it comes to funding sources for NIL payments and revenue-sharing, while 56% supported media/branding rights could help fund paying players. Only 35% were supportive of schools increasing game ticket prices as a way to better fund paying athletes, while only 20% were in favor of schools cutting sports.

More than three-quarters of those surveyed believe academics have a vital role in college sports, with 81% agreeing it’s “very or extremely important” for athletes to both be full-time students, actively taking classes and for athletes to graduate, while 74% believe its important for college teams to graduate at least half of its athletes to be eligible for postsason competition.

When it comes to Title IX and equitable funding for female athletes and sports, approximately 39% of those surveyed believe colleges and universities have not gone far enough, while 27% believe schools’ efforts “have been about right.”

“Americans show lots of uncertainty about the seismic shifts in Division I sports — but they are certain about two things — educational mission matters and athletic participation opportunities should not be limited to only revenue-producing sports,” Knight Commission CEO Amy Privette Perko said in the release. “Prioritizing those goals has long been a cornerstone of the Knight Commission’s work, and it is encouraging to see a clear public sentiment on these issues.