Thoughts on money, athletics and the economy from the Knight Commission.

Almost 20 years after the Knight Commission first convened to push for reform and a reduction of expenditures in college athletics, cost containment is still a major topic of discussion.

Zemsky ruefully told the commission: "Since you've been in business, things have gotten a lot worse. … A set of values is not present to hold athletics accountable, so the competitive pressures of the market give you what you have."

With athletic expenditures increasing by an average of about 7% a year, about double the rate of increase for non-athletic endeavors on a typical campus, athletic opportunities could be reduced as schools struggle to find revenue sources.