Athletics spending

John Lombardi, chancellor
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
USA Today

"You have to be clear about what you mean by return on investment. If you mean that by investing more money you're going to make a lot of money, the answer is no. But if you invest more money, you will have a better athletics program.

"It's all about competition, and money matters in competition. Sports in college is no different than anywhere else. The (New York) Yankees are good because they spend money. It's not an accident."

Donna Lopiano, executive director
Women's Sports Foundation
Atlanta Journal and Constitution

"Even though Division I-A athletics programs would like you to believe there's profit, there's really no profit. Athletics spends everything that it brings in. Nobody's putting anything back into the university."

Tom Hansen, commissioner
Pacific-10 Conference
USA Today

"It's a historical accident that at the Division III, Division II and Division I-AA levels, it's understood and accepted that the institutions will help finance the athletics programs because of the value to the students and the institutions. But somehow, in I-A, that is verboten. It's difficult, philosophically, to understand why the bigger programs shouldn't be treated the same way the other programs are -- the only exception being that we can generate a lot of money, particularly in football."

Membership requirements

Bill Greiner, president
University at Buffalo, the State University of New York
Dallas Morning News

"There are some people who are, or think they are, the haves. And for reasons that escape me, they intend to do their damnedest to beat on the have-nots.

"They want to drive people out of competition at the Division I-A level. That, I think, is just plain, flat-out wrong."

Malcolm Gillis, president
Rice University
Texas Monthly

"There are two scenarios for the future. Scenario number one is increasing commercialization until, over a period of 10 to 15 years, the teams in the big conferences will be semi-professional, with athletes getting paid. Scenario number two is that presidents and boards come to their senses and institute some reforms.

"Do you know how much I am willing to bet that never happens?"