Are college athletes' travel schedules too demanding?
College athletes are traveling more miles than they ever have before. Is it becoming too much?
The professionalization of college sports has taught schools and players to follow the money. Sometimes, the money isn't all that close to campus. The powers that be have always used financial motivations to determine how conferences are shaped, created and realigned.
That brainstorming exercise continues to the present day, and will probably persist for as long as college sports exist in the United States. With that said, geographic considerations used to be factored in so proximal rivalries could develop and for student-athletes to be able to compete without logging too many frequent flyer miles. That's no longer the case, as schools like UCLA travel the length of the country multiple times to compete within conference these days.
Programs are even traveling to different continents overseas to play games, as Villanova and Notre Dame will participate in a men and women's basketball showcase in Italy this November. Hoops season starts in Rome🇮🇹 The Eternal City Tip-Off is set @NDmbb & @ndwbb will open the 2026–27 season vs. Villanova in Rome, Italy 🗓 Nov.
1, 2026 → https://t. co/haU4dibwcn #GoIrish ☘️ pic. twitter.