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Association-Wide News
The Convention's keynote speaker was Education Secretary Arne Duncan, a former captain of the Harvard University men's basketball team and an NCAA first-team Academic All-American. He didn't hesitate to criticize the poor recruiting practices and low graduation rates of athletically-successful Division I teams that have made recent headlines. But Duncan wasn't just chastising the NCAA--he offered possible solutions for some of the major issues the Association continues to battle.

"He made some interesting observations that we'll want to consider in the months ahead," Jim Isch, Interim NCAA President, told Inside Higher Ed. "The real benefit was to sit down with him and talk about what we're doing and what suggestions he might have."

One issue Duncan didn't mention was what many member institutions are calling a budget crisis. At the NCAA Scholarly Colloquium, which is held in the days leading up to the start of the Convention, scholars pushed the Association to lead the way in helping member institutions rein in spending. Some even suggested the Association seek a federal antitrust exemption that would cap coaching salaries and cut the number of football scholarships a school can offer.

"If you consider the average revenue of the top 32 [Football Bowl Subdivision] schools, it runs roughly between $40 and $70 million," Andrew Zimbalist, an economist at Smith College, said during his keynote address at the Colloquium. "But, the average revenue of the 32 teams in the NFL is $235 million. That's four times what it is in FBS football ... Under those circumstances, with coaches in college football who are in these enterprises that are generating one-fourth to one-eighth of what NFL teams are generating, how could they be worthy of the same compensation?"

Not all the news was critical, though. Convention-goers turned out in droves to see former NCAA President Myles Brand's wife, Peg, accept the Gerald R. Ford Award on his behalf. Brand himself established the award, which goes to an individual who provided long-term leadership to intercollegiate athletics, six years ago.

"He was steadfastly proud to serve you," Peg Brand said as she accepted the award. "If he was standing here today, he would be your biggest advocate ... The crowning glory of his academic career was his time spent with you."

Division I News
Perhaps the most anticipated vote at the Convention this year was a possible override of sand volleyball as an emerging sport for women in Division I. Despite the majority of members voting for the override, not quite enough "yes" votes (58 percent) were cast for it to stick (62.5 percent is required for an override). In the same breath, however, NCAA legislators decided to push back the start date one more year to 2011-12 to give members more time to hammer out the details of practice and playing season rules and a financial aid program.

Division I also approved a proposal that will allow most NCAA prospects (men's ice hockey is not included) to compete on professional teams prior to their college careers as long as they don't accept more compensation that necessary for expenses. Previously, a prospective college athlete who played on a pro team alongside athletes who were compensated--even if the prospect accepted no compensation--lost their amateur status and NCAA eligibility. To read the rationale of the Legislative Council, search for proposal "2009-22" on the NCAA's Legislative Services Database.

The Basketball Academic Enhancement Group outlined several plans aimed at helping freshman basketball players adjust to the college game--both on the court and off. One idea, being called the "retention model-summer school" proposal, would require institutions to assess incoming men's basketball players and identify those who need an academic "head start."

Those players would then have to enroll in summer school to be eligible for competition in the fall semester. The proposal would also give coaches additional summer access to the players for skill development. And a life skills requirement aimed at helping the students learn how to succeed academically, socially, and athletically while in college may also be part of the plan.

"We know with the economic downturn, we're not in a position to do this right now," Army Athletics Director Kevin Anderson, a working group member, told the NCAA News. "[But] we need to do it. We need to find the resources and make sure we are committed to supporting student-athletes and be committed to them in the classroom as well as on the court."

Also in men's basketball news, the Division I Legislative Council approved only one part of a men's basketball plan aimed at reining in recruiting practices. Colleges can no longer hire prospects' high school or AAU coaches while that athlete is being recruited and is enrolled at the institution for two years prior and two years after the athlete's enrollment at the school.

And in football, the Southeastern Conference-sponsored proposal limiting Football Bowl Subdivision coaches to signing 28 players to National Letters of Intent was approved by the Legislative Council. Football coaches came under the spotlight this past year for signing too many players to scholarships when current NCAA rules only allow for 25 scholarships to be awarded to new players each year.

Division II News
While sand volleyball almost saw its Division I hopes dashed at the Convention this year, Division II went ahead with its shaping of the sport. Sand volleyball playing and practice seasons were approved, as well as a financial aid model that won't allow scholarship athletes to participate in both sand volleyball and indoor volleyball without their financial aid counting against the sand team's limit.

Though members are going ahead with a new emerging sport for women, they are cutting back on some sports' seasons at the same time. Division II's "Life in the Balance" package shortens playing seasons for soccer, volleyball, field hockey, baseball, golf, and basketball teams division-wide. A week-long dead period over the winter break was also approved.

"I've met with a lot of our students, and they were very clear with me about the pressures they feel from coaches to do a lot of things that draw away from their opportunities to do other things and participate in other activities on campus," Stephen Jordan, Chair of the Division II Presidents Council and President of Metropolitan State College-Denver told Inside Higher Ed. "I think what we're doing is reflective of what the Knight Commission [on Intercollegiate Athletics] has said for very long time: If there is going to be meaningful reform in intercollegiate athletics, it has to be led by presidents."

Division II also voted to relax its organized competition rule, applying a much broader definition of organized competition, such as whether official score is maintained, uniforms are used and statistics are maintained. It now allows prospective student-athletes to participate on a non-scholastic team during the year in between high school and college if they choose without NCAA eligibility ramifications.

Division III News
Things were fairly quiet on the legislative front in Division III this year. But there was a lot of discussion, including members' thoughts on athlete fundraising efforts, whether limits should be imposed, and the possible expenses members might incur if the division ends up instituting a system to collect student-athlete graduation rate data.

FEEDBACK

Good review. FYI, and in case it would be of interest and
inclusion/supplement to your Convention recap:
http://www.kaburakis.com/2010/01/19/amateurism-policy-news-and-props/

Anastasios Kaburakis, Ph.D.
Attorney at Law
Assistant Professor of Sport Law and Sport Management
Director of Sport Management Graduate Program
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Abigail Funk is an Assistant Editor at Athletic Management.