Campus student-athlete advisory committees (SAACs) were mandated by NCAA legislation in 1995 to represent the voices of student-athletes on issues affecting their collegiate experience. Lately, we hear more about SAACs organizing visits to local hospitals than in taking on difficult topics with athletics administrators. At the January Summit on the Collegiate Athlete Experience, a number…
According to a story on ESPN.com, three former Division I athletes are suing the NCAA because of its rules limiting scholarships to tuition, room, board, books, and fees. The lawsuit alleges that the NCAA’s limits violate federal antitrust laws. The lawsuit, according to ESPN reporter Tom Farrey, claims that “”While big-time college sports have become…
A story making its way around print and online media concerns a tennis player at Tennessee State University whose scholarship was revoked after she attended a journalism conference instead of practice. She was also kicked off the team. Meleny Whiting says it’s unfair to force her to choose between the conference and practice; the university…
On March 31, 2006, the News Hour with Jim Lehrer cited the 2004 Knight Commission report, “Challenging the Myth” in arguing that George Mason’s entry to the Final Four probably won’t lead to greater long-term alumni contributions. Additionally, in an April 2, 2006, op-ed article in the Indianapolis Star, Knight Commission vice chairmen R. Gerald…
A new law in North Carolina will require taxpayers in the state of North Carolina to pay the difference in tuition between in-state and out-of-state college student athletes. A 2005 state law allows the University of North Carolina system to treat the cost of a full scholarship for an out-of- state student at the lower…
More women than ever before are participating in college athletics. But, the percentage of women coaching college teams for women has dropped to its lowest point ever. Researchers Linda Jean Carpenter and R. Vivian Acosta, professors at Brooklyn College, looked at the data for college sports across all three NCAA divisions. In their 2006 update…
Athletic department budgets that are growing three to four times as fast as overall university budgets and escalating coaches’ salaries have drawn the attention of NCAA officials and federal lawmakers, who are reviewing the current tax-exempt status of college athletics. Aides for the House Committee on Ways and Means are asking questions about potential tax…
Big East university presidents voted 13-3 in November to stop enrolling first-year athletes who do not meet the NCAA’s initial eligibility standards coming out of high school. There are no exceptions, which is a major change from Big East guidelines issued a year ago. The Big East became the fourth Bowl Championship Series league to…
Earlier football commitments College football coaching staffs are offering and accepting commitments from high school football prospects earlier and earlier in the recruiting process. “I worry about the early commitments,” Florida head coach Urban Meyer told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “But we are guilty as well. I worry about it with respect to their high…
Longer season impacts freshmen More Division I-A football freshmen will see increased playing time in the future simply because there will be more games. The college football schedule is set to grow to 12 games next season. Coaches’ apprehensions will grow along with it. “They are making it more difficult on football players every year,”…