Operation Varsity Blues and Vulnerabilities in College Admissions: Examining Athletic Recruitment in the Wake of Scandal

• In Event: Race, Recruitment, and Power Dynamics: Exploring the Role of Coaches, Stereotypes, and Scandals in High School Sports

Abstract

In Operation Varsity Blues, the largest college admission scandal in US history, Rick Singer bribed university officials to admit his clients’ children as recruited athletes. Singer deemed this the “sidedoor” as athletic admissions provided a near-guarantee of acceptance, as opposed to other special admits. Following the scandal, colleges and universities pledged to reform their athletic admissions practices. In a novel research study, interviewing admissions officers across NCAA Divisions I, II, and III and varying academic selectivity, we consider the extent to which higher education has learned from OVB and changed its practices. Our findings suggest the sidedoor persists as Institutions continue to utilize clandestine and irregular processes of athletic admissions and remain vulnerable to the tactics utilized in OVB.

Authors

• Kirsten Hextrum, Oregon State University

• Carlos E. Vega, Massachusetts Institute of Technology