April 14, 2005

ESPN hosts town hall

Stephen Anzaldi

Cable TV sports programmer ESPN hosted a town hall event at Northwestern March 14 on the topic of paying student-athletes.

The discussion featured several high profile sports personalities and authorities, including Mark Murphy, Northwestern director of athletics; John Thompson, former Georgetown basketball coach; Myles Brand, NCAA chairman; and Tony Dixon, player for the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.

The two-hour program, which aired on ESPN March 16, followed the panel’s discussion on the real life and sacrifice of today’s college athlete, the value of a college scholarship and the profound effects that paying players would have on competitive balance, national television contracts and licensing agreements, as well as the sanctity of the higher education system.