National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News and Features

October 6, 1997

Cabinet supports standing committee for pro sports issues

Strategic planning group recommends re-establishing Association-wide panel

The nature of the NCAA's relationship with professional sports is such that an Association-wide standing committee is merited, the NCAA Division I Strategic Planning Cabinet concluded at its September 23-24 meeting.

The cabinet heard a report from the previous governance structure's Professional Sports Liaison Committee, which maintained that a standing committee is necessary because of:

  • The significant ad hoc issues that arise relating to professional sports.

  • The need for continuity in dealing with professional sports leagues and issues.

  • The need for specific expertise in topics such as professional drafts, Major Junior and Junior A ice hockey, summer baseball leagues and sponsorships of youth leagues by professional sports organizations.

  • The desirability of formally involving coaches in discussions in this area (in general, coaches do not hold seats on the Division I Management Council or any of the cabinets).

    The committee noted a logical link between it and the Olympic Sports Liaison Committee, which has been maintained as a standing committee in the new structure. Both have a specialized purpose with agendas of activities that occur outside the NCAA structure.

    The cabinet concluded that although the Professional Sports Liaison Committee should be made up primarily of Division I representatives, it should be Association-wide, given that Division I is not uniquely affected by professional sports issues. In addition, the cabinet agreed that issues relating to sports agents -- currently handled by the Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet -- would be more appropriately dealt with by the Professional Sports Liaison Committee.

    The matter has been returned to the Division I Management Council, which is expected to consider the issue at its next meeting.

    Other business

    In other business, the cabinet supported three proposals, one from the Committee on Women's Athletics and two from the Research Committee.

    The women's athletics committee proposal would extend the timeline allowed for a national championship to be developed in emerging sports from 1998-99 to 2003-2004. The change would be consistent with an April 1997 NCAA Council guideline of permitting an emerging sport to be so classified for 10 years before a national championship must be established.

    The Research Committee recommended dropping student-athlete academic majors from the Division I Graduation-Rate Report. The committee believed the information was not valuable and that it increased the reporting burden on member institutions.

    The Research Committee also sought to clarify that the collection of data related to partial and nonqualifiers should be used for NCAA informational purposes only and not included as a separate graduation-rates column on the two-page reporting document.

    The Strategic Planning Cabinet also continued its ongoing examination of its role in the new governance structure. In that regard, it heard reports from a pair of committees that were subsumed in the new structure -- Communications, and Review and Planning.

    The cabinet noted that its responsibilities as outlined in NCAA Bylaw 21 include such matters as public relations, promotion, television and publications. It discussed the extent to which involvement in those areas would be appropriate and how to become involved.

    In addition, although the Division I Board of Directors has indicated its intent to handle strategic planning for the division, the cabinet noted that it desired to assist the division in developing a planning process.

    The cabinet will continue to define its role at its February meeting.