<p>originaloog</p>
<p>Athletic scholarships make up just over $1,039,888 of RPI's total. $780k for men's scholarships. $260k for women's. These must be for DIV I sports (hockey).</p>
<p>There are several schools that surely have abberations on this DIV III list. For example, I'm sure there is a "story" behind Christopher Newport University.</p>
<p>Originaloog:</p>
<p>As I understand it, all college sports were run by independent organizations of alum or boosters until the 1920s or so. These started to becomre more of a professional model where the sports clubs hired players for teams to represent the college. The excesses got out of hand and university presidents took control of sports under the colleges' direct control. The NCAA was formed in attempt to put some controls in place and make college sports more oriented to student-athletes.</p>
<p>Actually, I think the big time DIV I revenue sports would be better off returning to the independent professional team model. At least that would acknowledge the reality that the athletes are hired to play and in many cases have no business being admitted to a college for a sham academic career. Plus, the schools could pay the athletes directly instead of being complicit in a convoluted system of under the table payments (leased SUVs, houses for the athletes' parents, etc.)</p>
<p>Back in the days of leather helmets, football players would sometimes wear face masks to hide their identities so they could play for more than one college.</p>