Welcome to 2021!

The Olympic program in 2024 is going to look very different. Of the 32 sports on the Olympic program, only 16 - (exactly HALF) of the 2024 Olympic sports - correlate with an NCAA-sanctioned national championships: athletics (track and field), rowing, basketball, fencing, football (soccer), golf, gymnastics, field hockey, wrestling, water sports, equestrian sports, tennis, shooting, triathlon, sailing, and volleyball. Many of these sports have a men's and women's component, which for traditionalists, is a sigh of relief. But the addition of sports like breakdancing, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing, the IOC is certainly trending towards a younger demographic that has no American collegiate tie in.

My guest is Dr. Steve Dittmore, Assistant Dean for Outreach and Innovation at the University of Arkansas. Prior to entering higher education, Steve worked for over 10 years in sport public relations and worked at two Olympic Games (Atlanta 1996 and Salt Lake City 2002),  He also worked three U.S. Olympic Festivals, a Pan American Games, an NCAA Final Four, and countless professional, collegiate, and international sporting events.

Steve and I discuss the obligation that Power 5 Conferences have to maintain their athletic status in Division I--in addition to supporting a competitive football and men's basketball programs that drives revenue, NCAA Bylaws require they provide scholarships and funding for 14 additional sports, nearly all of whom do not make money. 

We discuss whether the confluence of severe economic distress from the pandemic, alongside the International Olympic Committee's trend to move away from traditional American sports offerings (as they have with baseball and softball), might offer insight into an emerging trend in college sports.