National Collegiate Athletic Association |
CommentOctober 13, 1997
Student-athlete view -- Right decision made on Division II age rule
BY DARREN BEERS One of the fundamental goals of the NCAA is to promote the student-athlete experience. At times, it is necessary to propose new legislation when it appears as though that experience isn't being fulfilled.
A project team was formed, and that group studied a proposal that would have used the existing Division I "21-year age rule" as a possible model for Division II. That legislation charges someone entering Division I athletics with a season of eligibility for any organized competition before enrollment in any 12-month period after the 21st birthday. "Organized competition" is any event in which the score is kept, there are referees and uniforms are used. The concern was that the experience at higher levels seemed to be giving older athletes the upper hand on young, less experienced Division II athletes. Experience, however, was not the only concern; another was that older athletes were taking scholarships away from the younger athletes in Division II. Eventually, the project team decided it could not support the change. As student-athletes, we also concluded that we could not unanimously support adopting the Division I legislation for Division II. First, the "21-year age rule" was designed for Division I. The statistics suggest that older athletes are not coming to Division II and dominating the other athletes, making the rule unnecessary. Another reason is that the legislation would be too restrictive. One of the NCAA's main objectives is to foster the student-athlete experience. How can we promote that experience if we turn away athletes because they don't fit an age requirement? Another area of concern is the part that defines organized competition outside of the athlete's institution. The concern is that trying to define "organized play" on such a broad scale could lead to more problems than solutions for Division II athletes. It also is important to remember that in trying to cut down on the number of more experienced athletes, the NCAA could deprive other student-athletes of the opportunity to play against better competition. Taking away opportunities such as these would limit a student-athlete's chance to improve on his or her game, thus failing to promote the student-athlete experience. It is great to see Division II making an effort to improve under the new governance structure. There will be proposals in the future whose approval will be important for student-athletes. There will be others, such as the "21-year age rule," that will prove to be more harmful than helpful. As these proposals arise, it will be essential to make every effort to make certain that they will improve the student-athlete experience rather than inhibit it. Darren Beers is a member of the Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and is an ice hockey player at St. Michael's College. Letter to the Editor -- Discussion needed on soccer developmentI have read with great interest in The NCAA News and other publications the latest information on Project 40, the effort to create a professional development program for top soccer players. As a collegiate coach and as one who is involved professionally in player development, I think the idea is a good one and somewhat overdue. However, some fine-tuning may be in order. Without question, the college system is not sufficient for developing high-level players. One could cite a number of reasons, ranging from poor coaching, limited playing opportunities against high-level competition to the burdensome restrictions of the NCAA. All told, it is an inefficient system that can only stifle the potential of creative growth, not allow it to flourish. This is by no means a rap against the college programs that have produced high-level players; instead, it is a "big-picture" observation of the collegiate soccer community relative to development.... There has been some concern over putting a young person in the position of making the decision of pursuing collegiate soccer or going the professional route. However, life is but a series of decisions. I would hope that Project 40 and its organizers will take the appropriate preparatory measures to ensure that those who are contemplating this decision can do so with their eyes open.... With the advent of Major League Soccer, Project 40 and the growing concern over player development, is it not time for our respective soccer powers to meet in a "soccer summit" to organize a cohesive system that puts us all on the same page? Isn't it time to rethink and reshape the developmental process in this country from top to bottom? A set philosophy on development, a definitive playing style and the organization by which to do it must be created. There's lots of soccer happening out there. Let's put it all together in a fashion that can, and should, make the United States an international soccer power.
Giovanni A. Pacini Opinions -- Calls to abandon new academic standards are off-base
Editorial "...The NCAA has promised a yearlong review to determine whether (its current) academic requirements set unfair hurdles for minority athletes -- with an eye toward possibly adjusting the standards. "But these responsive, responsible actions don't satisfy some coaches and other longstanding critics of the move to use high-school grades and test scores to determine college athletics eligibility. Their call for the NCAA to abandon its game plan is distressingly off base. "Eleven years after the NCAA began demanding better academic credentials of college athletes, it's finally sending a clear message: Student-athletes must be able to succeed as students. "Gone are the days when athletics ability alone guaranteed a college scholarship but too rarely led to a diploma. Since the NCAA began tightening academic standards in 1986, college graduation rates for athletes are up. And black athletes, in particular, now earn degrees at much higher rates than their nonplayer peers. "For athletes to perform well on and off the playing field, they must arrive prepared for university life. To that end, the NCAA has phased in stricter academic requirements for college-bound players. "Under a sliding scale implemented last fall, scholarship athletes have to field a minimum high-school grade-point average of 2.5 and score at least 820 on SAT exams. "Early reports show that, using the stricter standards, the number of ineligible college-bound athletes jumped from 11 percent to 27 percent for Blacks and from 2 percent to nearly 7 percent for whites. But there was good news, too. There were far fewer ineligibilities than predicted -- a sign students and their high schools took the new standards seriously. "Concerned officials are right to question whether some adjustments are needed as the NCAA continues to raise the bar for academic performance. "Certainly, more early intervention is needed to convince young athletes that they have to push themselves to the limit, intellectually as well as in sports. And schools must be committed to academic excellence for their athletes, encouraging them in tough, college-track courses. "As a start, The Princeton Review is offering high-school athletes free SAT-preparation classes. In April, 3,000 teens in 45 cities showed up to take practice tests and review the new rules of the college scholarship game. "Given the 1-in-7,500 odds that high-school basketball and football players will make it in the pros, it's a game where earning a college degree is the overriding goal."
Elizabeth Arnold, assistant director of athletics "We at the university level inherit educational problems that begin much earlier in the student-athlete's life. While we have instituted many programs in the past 15 years to help alleviate academic shortcomings, it is the responsibility of the student and the educators at the primary and secondary levels to make sure the student can read before they graduate him or her. "I do not see the intelligence in blaming a college or university's athletics department for students not being prepared to attend postsecondary institutions. We are left with the difficult task of educating students who were victims of the system in their earlier years. Obviously, 12 years of less-than-adequate education are difficult to make up for in only four years. "The NCAA and member schools have done an excellent job over the years in raising the level of expectations for student-athletes. In many cases, the changes made by the NCAA have caused high schools to overhaul their curricula to meet the educational demands of the upcoming 21st century. "Student-athletes at both the high-school and college levels have many more academic guidelines to follow than the average student who isn't involved in athletics. As a result, intercollegiate athletics departments such as mine have entire programs dedicated solely to academic enhancement. "I would suggest that the majority of Division I athletics departments do care about their student-athletes' educational futures. Many professionals such as myself have dedicated their lives to ensuring the success of the 'student' in the student-athlete. We spend countless hours, and dollars in some cases, trying to undo what was done in their previous 12 years of schooling. "Sports is merely a microcosm of society. "Perhaps society ought to look at what is being done for student-athletes at the primary and secondary levels before casting stones at intercollegiate athletics departments."
Player suspensions
Ted Tollner, head football coach Discussing his policy of suspending a student-athlete from playing (but permitting him to remain on scholarship) if the athlete is charged with a felony: "I know the shortcomings. A guy could miss some time and be innocent. But you've got to go one way or the other, and I'm very comfortable with that side. There's no in between. "You can philosophize all you want, but you're either going to play a guy who's been charged with a felony or you're going to make him wait for his day in court."
NCAA penalties
Jim Livengood, director of athletics "I don't know if (the current penalty system) is enough of a deterrent. We're finding that out with teams who have been on probation (and) are coming back quickly."
Joseph R. Castiglione, director of athletics "We haven't found a more effective way to deal with these issues (of NCAA violations) than the system that's in. At some point, we'll have to completely review the rule book."
Continental Basketball Association
Steve Patterson, commissioner Discussing the prospect of agents targeting high-school talent for the Continental Basketball Association: "It's already in the high schools in a big way. It's under the guise of AAU coaches. It's under the guise of street agents. You've seen 'Hoop Dreams.' These kids are getting recruited in junior high school to go to certain high schools. They're getting scholarships, athletics equipment, money under the table. Let's not pretend this isn't there, because it is."
|
At the NCAA Convention in January, delegates approved Proposal No. 150, a resolution that mandated a study of whether the competitive experience of many athletes was being adversely affected by the participation of older, more experienced competitors.