Impacts of Carnegie Commission Report of 1920 and Career of Tex Rickard on Sports

Reports and Innovations of the Early 1900s Assignment
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Early Sports Assignment
1. Describe the impact the Carnegie Commission report of 1920 and the 1951 gambling scandal had on college sports
The Carnegie Commission report of 1920 was one of the earliest and most influential reports about the state of college sports in the United States. Though the report may not have generated immediate, tangible reforms, its influence on the college sports landscape cannot be understated. By critiquing the commercialization of college sports and highlighting the negative consequences of an overemphasis on winning, the report effectively laid the groundwork for subsequent discussions about the need for change (The Carnegie Report · Follow the Money · Go Blue: Competition, Controversy, and Community in Michigan Athletics, n.d.). As such, the Carnegie Commission report remains an important milestone in the history of college sports in the United States.
While the Carnegie Commission report called attention to the need for reform in college sports, the 1951 gambling scandal arguably had an even more profound impact on public perception. The arrest of seven basketball players for point shaving was a jarring wake-up call, exposing the vulnerability of college athletes to corruption and exploitation by gamblers and organized crime (“Cheating the Spread: Gamblers, Point Shavers, and Game Fixers in College Football and Basketball,” 2013). As a result, the NCAA enacted new rules and penalties to curtail this misconduct (Shead et al., 2014). Both events shaped the conversation around college sports reform in the mid-twentieth century.
2. What was the impact of the career of Tex Rickard upon the structure of American sports?
Even though it is undoubtedly true that Tex Rickard was an influential sports promoter, it is essential to critically examine the specific ways in which he left his mark on the sporting world. According to Bunk (2015), his most significant contributions seem to have been in boxing. By organizing high-profile bouts such as the "Fight of the Century" and the "Long Count" fight, Rickard was able to generate public interest in the sport and substantial revenue. As such, it could be argued that Rickard played a crucial role in popularizing boxing in the United States during the early 20th century.
It is clear that Rickard's immediate impact was on the sport of boxing, yet, it is crucial to recognize the broader implications of his work. By promoting major sports events as mass entertainment, Rickard contr...