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The Blind Side of College Athletics: Examining California’s Student Athlete Bill of Rights and Athletic Expenditures

Author

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  • Mark R. Umbricht

    (University of North Carolina System)

  • Frank Fernandez

    (University of Florida)

  • Guillermo Ortega

    (Idaho State University)

Abstract

Many college athletes suffer career-ending injuries that leave them with expensive medical bills and lost scholarship opportunities. California’s 2012 student athlete bill of rights mandated that the state’s universities continue to care for college athletes by providing access to medical care and equivalent scholarships even if they were injured and could no longer participate in athletics. We analyzed publicly available data from the college athletics financial information database using multiple quasi-experimental approaches, including difference-in-differences with propensity score weights and synthetic control methods. We found evidence that Cal-Berkeley and UCLA increased medical expenditures but not student aid. Our findings were robust across both types of analyses. We discuss implications and offer directions for future research related to policy implementation.

Suggested Citation

  • Mark R. Umbricht & Frank Fernandez & Guillermo Ortega, 2023. "The Blind Side of College Athletics: Examining California’s Student Athlete Bill of Rights and Athletic Expenditures," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 64(1), pages 33-57, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:reihed:v:64:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1007_s11162-022-09697-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s11162-022-09697-5
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