Work-life balance

Ned Sparks, executive director
Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association
Washington Post

"In our society, traditionally starting families and raising children are things that will take females out of the athletics ranks. Putting in so much time is hard for anybody, but particularly for women who might be trying to do family things."

Anne Renninger, athletics director
Sidwell Friends High School (Washington, D.C.)
Washington Post

Discussing the lack of female athletics directors in high school and college:

"It's not even about being a role model -- it's about our perspective in athletics. It's different ... I think (women athletics directors) look out for gender equity, you look out for all the programs and you learn not to assume a program is fine just because it's winning."

NCAA and social change

Zachary Levine, sports editor
The Daily Pennsylvanian

"If the NCAA as it currently exists is a catalyst for social change, it is downright frightening to imagine where our society is headed. Perhaps it is headed toward a society like the one in which the transgressions in a program are punishable at the expense of the offender's successors -- athletes who were still in high school or even middle school when the violations took place. Or maybe we're headed to a system like the one in which the governing body can't take control of its own postseason for its highest profile sport -- football.

"This is not to say there has not been significant change to the NCAA in the last century. In 1972, Congress passed Title IX, which opened the door for thousands of women to participate in college athletics who would have never had that opportunity before. But the NCAA and its member institutions were not the catalysts for this change; rather it was the government's desire to see more women accepted at professional schools. The NCAA institutions were just the often-unwilling targets of the change.

"The postseason ban for teams with Native American mascots is a good start, but the NCAA has a lot of work to do, and 100 years of lost time to make up, before it can truly be a catalyst for social change."

Academic Progress Rate
Mike Slive, commissioner
Southeastern Conference
Gainesville Sun

"I support the concept of the APR because one of our goals is to graduate players and make sure they do well in the classroom. But I think it came along quickly. There are still some details that need to be worked out. ...

"We've always felt that retention is important for graduation, but we've always felt, even before it came in, we argued vigorously with the NCAA, that if the student-athlete is in good standing then the institution has done all it can do and really should not be penalized."

Dennis Felton, head men's basketball coach
University of Georgia
Gainesville Sun

"There's some really troubling components to (the APR). For instance, why should you be penalized for transfers? Why should you be penalized for guys who play two years, leave for the NBA, and sign a $12 million contract?

"I think they are better off with letting schools chart their own course, to have their mission and stick to that mission. We have a totally diverse group of Division I basketball schools across the country, over 300 of them, and they all have different approaches and missions. You can't come up with legislation that matches every single one."