Athletic Merit vs. Academic Merit

Spending on sports scholarships outstrips other non-need-based undergraduate aid

By Douglas Lederman

Colleges have offered athletic scholarships, in one form or another, for close to 100 years. And for nearly that long, college officials have justified the awards with this argument: We give scholarships to recognize the talents of artists, musicians, and scholars, so why not athletes?

"That's balderdash!" says Charles E. Young, chancellor of the University of California at Los Angeles. "They don't do it for musicians or other students, at least not on anywhere the same