By Allie Grasgreen
Unfavorable public attitudes about the way Pennsylvania State University officials handled a scandal alleging sex abuse of children may be influencing their overall judgment of college athletic programs and the institutions that house them, according to a new poll.
Forty percent of poll respondents said that, if they had a child preparing to go to college, they would be either likely (23 percent) or very likely (17 percent) to discourage him or her from choosing a Division I institution “that places a strong emphasis on sports.” That’s just fewer than the number of people who said they’d be somewhat unlikely (22 percent) or very unlikely (19 percent) to do so. Nineteen percent were unsure.
A full 72 percent of respondents said Division I college athletic programs have “too much influence over college life.” Only 3 percent said programs have too little influence; 16 percent said they have “about the right amount” and 9 percent were unsure.
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