Athletes Greatly Benefit from Participation in Sports at the College and Secondary Level

The recent Supreme Court decision NCAA vs Alston (June 2021) has heightened interest in the benefits and costs of participation sports for student athletes. Anecdotes about exploitation athletes were cited opinion. This paper uses panel data two different cohorts that follow students from high school through college into their post-school pursuits to examine generality these anecdotes. On average, athletes’ benefit- often substantially so—in terms graduation, post-collegiate employment, earnings. Benefits social mobility disadvantaged minority are substantial, contrary anecdotes play media courts.