National Collegiate Athletic Association |
CommentDecember 15, 1997
Guest editorial -- North Carolina didn't 'just do it'
BY MICHAEL HOOKER Andrew Young probably wishes he had never heard of Nike. The former U.N. ambassador and human-rights champion has been lambasted by Nike's critics for delivering what they label a white-washed report on the company's practices at its manufacturing facilities in Asia. I am acutely sensitive to issues related to Nike because the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, recently negotiated a five-year, $11 million contract renewal for sponsorship of our athletics program. Popular condemnation of Nike and media criticism related to our contract are emblematic of the kinds of tough moral issues university presidents and governing boards face today. We live in a world of moral ambiguity and complexity. Although few moral issues are simple, there is a natural human tendency to want to make them so, to see the world in black and white rather than shades of gray. The media often pander to this tendency, determined to identify the good guys and the bad in any controversy. In doing so, they sacrifice opportunities for analytical examination; instead, sound-bite journalism caters to our desire to avoid the challenge of thinking clearly. We want the solutions to our problems, like those in TV dramas, neatly and simply packaged. Boards and campus chief executives must have the moral courage to resist such oversimplification. We have an intellectual and civic duty to force our campus communities to contend with these complex moral issues. We must be willing to engage in difficult dialogues with our students, faculty, alumni and state legislators on such issues as preferential admission of minority students and corporate sponsorship of athletics programs. These issues often involve deeply held values and elicit strong emotional responses. It falls to us to separate emotion and reason, acting on the latter while honoring the former. The Nike contract is a case in point. UNC's athletics program is one of a handful nationwide that are fully self-supporting. Corporate dollars are vital to keep that status intact. Under our contract, Nike will equip our teams, supplement the salaries of our coach- es, and provide a large annual cash payment to support our athletics and academic programs. In exchange, we agree that our teams and coaches will wear only Nike apparel and that we will permit the company, subject to our approval, to publicize its ties with UNC in its advertising. From a purely business perspective, this is a good deal for UNC. The practices of a university, however, cannot be evaluated solely from a business perspective. We are expected to be moral exemplars in the conduct of our affairs. It is not enough for our board members to feel confident entering into the Nike contract; we must be willing to publicly defend it. Doing so requires untangling complex moral issues, as well as responding to obvious criticism. The latter includes the charge that requiring our players to wear the Nike "swoosh" turns them into little more than human billboards. That criticism overlooks the fact that all manufacturers of athletics apparel display their logos on every team's uniforms, regardless of whether they pay an institution to outfit its teams with the company's apparel. That's one of the easier arguments to refute. It is more difficult, however, to answer to criticism for supporting a company that outsources its manufacturing to nations where working conditions and wage rates are appalling by U.S. standards. Critics often fail to recognize that Nike is not unique in this regard -- all of its competitors manufacture in developing countries, often in the same factories with which Nike contracts. American consumers would be bereft of goods if they purchased items made only in the United States. Nevertheless, responding to such criticism requires that we educate our publics about the economies of developing countries. We must be able to explain that countries can ultimately benefit by using their own low-cost labor to ratchet up their economies and standards of living. Our contact with Nike is a prime example of the morally intricate issues many boards and presidents face. We owe it to students and constituents to address questions surrounding such issues and to take advantage of the opportunity to educate the broader public, as well. Michael Hooker is chancellor of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. This article first appeared in Trusteeship (Copyright 1997, Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges). Letter to the Editor -- SWA-type position needed for minoritiesI am writing in response to the guest editorial by Fitzgerald Hill of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, that appeared in the November 24 issue of The NCAA News. This is the first time I have seen the News bring to light such an important issue as equal access for African-Americans in college athletics. I commend both Dr. Hill and the News for getting the word out about this extremely important matter. At the same time, I need to point out what I see is the real concern that must be addressed if there is ever going to be ethnic-minority representation in both Division I-A head coaching and athletics department administration. As an African-American who is a former college assistant football coach and current athletics department administrator, I have had the opportunity over the years to look very closely at this issue of fairness for ethnic minorities in intercollegiate athletics. What should be addressed is the support for ethnic-minority representation in the area of recruitment and retention. By that I mean that the NCAA should be accountable for supporting increased efforts targeted at member institutions to hire more African, Latino/a, Asian and Native American (ALANA) athletics department administrators. I think it's great that there is a senior woman administrator (SWA) position supported by the NCAA. I believe that this position is necessary, and I also believe that ethnic minorities, especially African-Americans, would benefit from a position such as a senior ALANA administrator. The NCAA has done a great job in promoting the SWA position, and member institutions have followed this lead. I would argue that if the NCAA would promote and support a similar position for ethnic minorities, that it would give equal and fair access the same way the SWA position has recently helped white women advance to power positions within many athletics departments. There also would be a considerable increase in minority representation in both head coaches and athletics department administrators. My main argument for an NCAA-supported ALANA administrator position is that the hiring practices for Division I-A athletics departments across the nation lack an extremely important element, which is that they have limited or nonexistent ethnic-minority representation. Once there is a fair amount of athletics administrators in power positions, then and only then will there be equal access and opportunities granted for Blacks and other underrepresented groups in intercollegiate athletics. There has to be a balance of power, fairness and responsibility by both the NCAA and the member institutions to recruit and retain ethnic minorities as head coaches and administrators in intercollegiate athletics. The data are overwhelming: They point to the fact that while there are thousands of ethnic minorities participating in college athletics each year, actual opportunities for ethnic minorities in the areas of coaching and administration are not fair or equal. I would argue that stereotypes and societal labels have created a firm barrier and have linked the myth of intellectual incapability to ethnic-minority coaches and administrators. These myths and perceptions have become an excuse for many in the world of intercollegiate athletics to continue to marginalize ethnic minorities and keep them from athletics department power positions. I welcome a dialogue that promotes an appreciation for diversity. I have created many programs at my institution that clearly show that if there is commitment, accountability and responsibility, positive things can and will happen.
Sean T. Frazier Opinions -- Academic advisors' role has changed over last 15 years
Ron Brown, athletics academic advisor Discussing the role of athletics academic advisors: "Our ethics have to be above and beyond reproach. As we seek to better our reputations on campus, we have to be able to go to the academic side and be seen as consummate professionals. "It's a little bit different than 15 years ago, when retired coaches and former coaches were doing this just to be involved. We take our profession very seriously.... "Everybody walking in the door doesn't understand how to work in a tutoring position. You have to coach the kids -- the athletes as well as the tutors -- to know what is within the limitations of NCAA, university and academic policies. "If you don't do that, you're leaving yourself wide open. You have to put it in writing, so it's in black and white, because you could have to take action. It could be that a tutor has to be reported to academic authorities or terminated. For student-athletes, there are suspensions or academic penalties or NCAA penalties. Those things can happen. We find it helpful to have a handbook."
Competing with disabilities
Ron Sirak, golf writer Discussing Casey Martin, a professional golfer who gained a injunction from a federal judge to use an electric cart to compete in PGA Tour qualifying school because of a leg disability: "Is the stamina needed to walk four or five miles part of the physical challenge required of a professional golfer? "Is walking, and the strain that can result, as much a part of the total package of a pro as rhythm, touch, power and the nerve to make a four-foot putt with a championship on the line? "Based on the memory of Ben Hogan trodding the course on shattered legs after his car crash, on the image of a dazed Ken Venturi finishing the 1964 U.S. Open in 100-degree temperatures near heat stroke and the return of Jose Maria Olazabal from crippling foot problems, the answer is yes. "Walking is part of the essential nature of competitive golf. "While Martin should be allowed to pursue a career in golf -- in fact, it should be ensured that every barrier that might obstruct his pursuit of a career in golf be removed -- he is not entitled to the right to be a competitive golfer under a different set of rules. "He should no more be allowed to ride a cart during competition than someone with a problem with depth perception should be allowed to use a sighting device to help judge distances even though USGA rules prohibit use of any aid beyond one's senses. "There are about 25 million golfers in the United States. More than 23,000 of those golfers are PGA of America professionals eligible to teach the game, sell equipment and run pro shops. "But only 291 players had PGA Tour cards in 1997. That is about one-thousandth of one percent of all American golfers and one percent of all professional golfers. "Clearly, touring pros are a highly select group possessing a rare combination of abilities. "Does the issue that Casey Martin raises demand a rethinking of outdated and overly purist attitudes about the game, or does it require such a radical change in competition so as to alter the basic nature of the sport? "The latter seems to be the case. "The Americans With Disabilities Act, under which Martin sued, covers disabled individuals discriminated against in employment, by state and local government or in public accommodations. "The court will first decide if Martin's case fits one of those three categories. The court will also decide if Martin's ailment is a disability that affects a major life function, entitling him to coverage under the act. "Martin, 25, played on Stanford University's 1994 NCAA championship team and was runner-up in the second round of the PGA Tour qualifying tournament despite a progressively worsening muscle and bone condition in his right leg that causes him pain when he walks. "The PGA Tour allowed the use of carts in the first two rounds of qualifying to expedite play but bans them in the grueling 108-hole final stage of qualifying to simulate PGA Tour tournament conditions. "There is no question Martin is a good golfer and he likely possesses the shot-making ability of a professional. But is he entitled to the aid of a cart to compensate for his physical disability? "That is something the courts will decide.... "Should the window of opportunity be opened as wide for the disabled as for any other American? "Yes. "Is Casey Martin a talented athlete with a ton of courage? "No doubt about it. "Would the introduction of carts on the PGA Tour radically change the nature of the competition? "Yes. "The words written by Grantland Rice after Hogan lost an 18-hole playoff to Sam Snead in the 1950 L.A. Open less than a year after his car crash seem to fit here. "'His heart,' Rice said, 'was simply not big enough to carry his legs any longer.' "Walking is part of the mix of championship golf." |