The Double-A Zone celebrated its birthday November 10, one year after the Web site launched with a post about college basketball, fried chicken and the NIT Season Tip-Off.

In the past year, the Double-A Zone has added features such as Mondays With Myles, Coaches’ Corner, Faces of the NCAA, Morning Coffee and On The Road. It has become a place where student-athletes feel comfortable discussing their experiences and fans of college sports can express their support or displeasure in an open and honest environment. Recently, the blog added video content.

Reaching nearly 30,000 unique visitors each month, the Double-A Zone has established itself as a premier blog about intercollegiate athletics. More than 30 NCAA member institutions have submitted content for the blog, and the number is growing rapidly.

In just the past two weeks, student-athletes from the University of Maine, Orono; Middle Tennessee State University; the University of Maryland, College Park; Adelphi University; New Haven University; and the University of Southern Illinois, Edwardsville have submitted guest posts on a variety of topics. Other student-athletes have been active by adding comments in a number of posts.

The Double-A Zone’s coverage of controversial topics continued last week as NCAA President Myles Brand shared his thoughts about the Congressional inquiry into the tax-exempt status of the NCAA on a recent edition of Mondays With Myles. A spirited conversation ensued in response to the podcast, with a number of readers disagreeing with the premise that intercollegiate athletics is part of the overall educational mission.

The blog also held a discussion about the academic arms race at Division I institutions. While some don’t quite understand the need to invest in academic services personnel and vamped-up computer labs, others believe it is a step in the right direction for athletics departments.

The NCAA’s official blog can be found at http://www.doubleazone.com. To find out how to submit a guest post or a note for Morning Coffee, contact Josh Centor (jcentor@ncaa.org).