But those are achievers in big-time sports that people follow all the time, not just every fourth year.

"Probably 10 percent are at the lower end, and those are sometimes associated with the big-time sports," he said.

Several top Duke officials, including the president, argued that big-time sports was not at the heart of the problem.

We would be better off severing colleges from big-time sports.

Of the 20 Open finals played since 1968, when tennis became a big-time sport, only four have gone five sets anyway.

More to the point, what is the point of combining big-time sports and higher education?

But university officials decided after scrutinizing other public universities that big-time sports brought certain benefits.

"If not for the money available from big-time sports, we could be years behind where we are now in terms of progress."

It has come down to this: academic integrity versus big-time sports.

Young athletes are on the doorstep of many big-time sports.