Assessment of Colombo’s Education Argument

Recent proposals by John Colombo (2009) have important implications for athletic reform. He recommends using the tax code to effect changes in the way big-time athletic departments operate. One leg of his three-part proposal places an emphasis on the educational value of athletics. Specifically, Colombo identifies broad-based athletic participation as one condition for meeting the letter and spirit of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. In this essay, I analyze the two key components of this proposal—the requirements of participation and the nature of educational value. I review current athletic policies and practices and then speculate on changes that might be needed if Colombo’s proposal were adopted