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A Reinvestigation of the Relationship Between Big-Time Basketball Success and Average SAT Scores

Author

Listed:
  • Irvin B. Tucker

    (University of North Carolina-Charlotte)

  • L. Ted Amato

    (University of North Carolina-Charlotte)

Abstract

The advertising effect argues that a high-quality athletic team creates a positive spillover beneficial to the academic mission. This article reexamines the proposition that a university having a successful basketball program improves the quality of incoming freshmen measured by their average SAT scores. If true, large expenditures of universities on big-time basketball and negative publicity from scandals might be justified. Previous literature provides contradictory evidence that is based on only 2 academic years. This article revisits the issue using data for academic years 1993-2002 and concludes there is no consistent evidence a highly successful basketball team has a favorable advertising effect on average SAT scores. Conference fixed effects reveal positive impacts from being in a major conference, a result that supports previous findings regarding the importance of being affiliated with a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) football conference.

Suggested Citation

  • Irvin B. Tucker & L. Ted Amato, 2006. "A Reinvestigation of the Relationship Between Big-Time Basketball Success and Average SAT Scores," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 7(4), pages 428-440, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jospec:v:7:y:2006:i:4:p:428-440
    DOI: 10.1177/1527002505275096
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Bremmer, Dale S. & Kesselring, Randall G., 1993. "The advertising effect of university athletic success: A reappraisal of the evidence," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 409-421.
    2. Tucker, Irvin III & Amato, Louis, 1993. "Does big-time success in football or basketball affect SAT scores?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 12(2), pages 177-181, June.
    3. McCormick, Robert E & Tensley, Maurice, 1987. "Athletics versus Academics? Evidence from SAT Scores," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 95(5), pages 1103-1116, October.
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    Cited by:

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    2. D. Randall Smith, 2008. "Big-Time College Basketball and the Advertising Effect," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 9(4), pages 387-406, August.
    3. Austin F. Eggers & Peter A. Groothuis, 2021. "The Impact of Winning an NCAA Men's Basketball or Football Championship on Academic Quality," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 41(2), pages 263-275.
    4. Steven Salaga & Rodney Fort, 2017. "Structural Change in Competitive Balance in Big-Time College Football," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 50(1), pages 27-41, February.
    5. Trevor Collier & Nancy Haskell & Kurt W. Rotthoff & Alaina Baker, 2020. "The “Cinderella Effect†: The Value of Unexpected March Madness Runs as Advertising for the Schools," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 21(8), pages 783-807, December.
    6. Devin G. Pope & Jaren C. Pope, 2009. "The Impact of College Sports Success on the Quantity and Quality of Student Applications," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 75(3), pages 750-780, January.
    7. Candon Johnson & Bryan C. McCannon, 2022. "Athletics and Admissions: The Impact of the Penn State Football Scandal on Student Quality," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 23(2), pages 200-221, February.
    8. Austin F. Eggers & Peter A. Groothuis & Parker Redding & Kurt W. Rotthoff & Michael Solimini, 2020. "Universities Behaving Badly: The Impact of Athletic Malfeasance on Student Quality and Enrollment," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 21(1), pages 87-100, January.

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