WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 19, 2024) – During its meeting on Wednesday, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics announced that the Big Sky Conference, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), and the Southern Conference are the recipients of its inaugural
C.A.R.E. Model Conference Grants. The grants support their commitment to the
C.A.R.E. Model principles in their distribution and use of shared athletics revenues.
“Congratulations are due to the Big Sky Conference, MAAC, and The Southern Conference for their demonstrated commitment to the educational mission of college sports,” said Knight Commission Co-Chair Pamela Bernard, “The C.A.R.E. Champion distinction is critically important for conferences and institutions that seek to operate under a framework that truly prioritizes the educational mission of college sports. Unfortunately, in Division I sports, too many conferences and institutions aspire to run their athletic programs by those core principles but fail to prioritize or support them financially in their policies and financial framework.”
The Big Sky Conference is on track to fully implement all C.A.R.E. Model principles and will receive the
C.A.R.E. Champion distinction upon completion.
“On behalf of our membership, we are absolutely honored for the Big Sky to be one of just three NCAA Division I conferences recognized for committing to meet the Knight Commission’s C.A.R.E. Model principles,” Commissioner Tom Wistrcill said. “We take immense pride, especially in today’s ever-changing world of intercollegiate athletics, that our actions align with the words in our mission and values – specifically that we support each and every one of the approximately 3,200 student-athletes who compete in 15 conference-sponsored sports at our 12 institutions. The slogan for our league, Experience Elevated, is more than just a hashtag as so demonstrated by our equitable and progressive policies.”
The C.A.R.E. Model
(Connecting Athletics Revenues with the Educational Model of College Sports) was created to assist conferences and national entities in bolstering accountability and ensure that both the distribution and spending of shared athletics revenue prioritize supporting college athletes’ education, health, safety, well-being, equity, and opportunity. This holistic model supports the educational mission and includes four universal principles and requirements:
1. Transparency
2. Independent Oversight
3. Incentives for Core Values of Education, Gender Equity, and Opportunity
4. Financial Responsibility for Education, Health, Safety, and Well-Being
Each conference can use its $25,000 C.A.R.E. Model Conference Grant to implement the principles and educate institutional leaders, staff, college athletes, and other stakeholders about how this new framework positively impacts student-athletes’ experiences.
As C.A.R.E. Champions, the MAAC and The Southern Conference are leading the way for other Division I conferences in promoting gender equity. To earn this distinction, a conference must financially reward team success, reflected in postseason performance, equally between men and women. Our C.A.R.E. Champions will reward March Madness victories by women’s basketball teams at a dollar level equal to that of their men’s teams.
About the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics
The Knight Commission, founded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in 1989, is an independent group that leads transformational change to prioritize college athletes’ education, health, safety, and success. Knight Foundation has been its sole funder to ensure its independence. For more information about the Commission’s impact, recommendations, and reports, visit
knightcommission.org.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. We invest in journalism, in the arts and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. Our goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy. For more, visit
kf.org.
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