September 10, 2025
Many Americans believe college sports are headed in the wrong direction and, among those who follow the news about college sports, a majority believe that recent changes are having a negative impact, according to a new study. More than seven in ten say that reforms are needed to adapt to the changing landscape.
Recent court decisions have upended college sports governance, which now permits athletes to be compensated for the use of their name, image and likeness and, most consequentially, to be paid directly by the university. These changes have the potential to force the elimination of hundreds of college athletic programs, affecting hundreds of thousands of athletes at nearly every university in the country.
That would be unwelcome news to most Americans. According to the bipartisan survey conducted by Fabrizio Ward (R) and Impact Research (D) for Saving College Sports, large majorities of Americans believe that college sports provide valuable opportunities to student athletes (86%), generate pride and enjoyment for fans (89%), and that women’s sports and the Olympic sports, like swimming and track, should be protected (87%).
Additionally, 85% of Americans say it is important to preserve the college sports programs at smaller schools, which bring value to their communities and to their athletes.
When asked about changes to the governance of college sports, Americans agreed that there should be a strong organization that hasthe authority to negotiate the best media deals possible for all conferences and schools (65%), as well as set and enforce rules nationally (69%). Only 29% of Americans had a favorable opinion of the National Collegiate AthleticAssociation (NCAA), while voters supported a new national organization that has strengthened legal authority and the exclusive rights to govern college sports by a 2-to-1 margin.
“College sports is a unique and valuable cultural American institution,” said Saving College Sports executive director David Polyansky. “At its core, college sports is not solely a business. It is a public trust for which each generation has a responsibility to preserve for the next.”
“Simple changes in the law would provide the ability for college sports to negotiate its media rights like the professional sports leagues. The result would be a bonanza for nearly all schools and programs, which is desperately needed to address the significant financial challenges that are bad now and only getting worse under the new rules.”
“These market reforms would lift all boats so every conference and school can continue to provide athletic opportunities to every athlete,” Polyansky added.
Read the survey toplines and key findings memo.