Colleges Make Olympic Athletes. Is That About to Change?

Many of the athletes who will be headed to Paris for the Olympics this month received much of their coaching and experience playing sports on American campuses, which for decades have been a major training ground for elite fencers, gymnasts, and sprinters worldwide. But that model is under threat. That’s because the same athletic departments that sponsor many elite Olympic programs are poised to allocate more money directly to athletes. Division I institutions will be expected to contribute to a $2.75-billion settlement in a recent antitrust case, if a judge approves the terms, and a portion of those colleges will start paying current athletes in revenue-generating sports such as football and basketball as part of the same settlement.