The NCAA national office has received enough override requests to require the Division I Legislative Council to reconsider legislation that would add a 14th week to the beginning of the baseball season and add sand volleyball to the list of emerging sports for women.

Intended to address concerns about the amount of missed class time by baseball student-athletes, the new baseball rule (No. 2008-46) would allow coaches to spread a maximum of 56 games over a 14-week period instead of a 13-week period. Conference USA sponsored the proposal.

The Championships/Sport Management Cabinet opposed the legislation because it detracted from the competitive equity between Northern and Southern institutions. The cabinet instead supported a proposal, No. 2008-48, to limit the maximum number of games to 52.

The institutions that requested the override are all located in the North, including all 11 institutions in the Big Ten Conference. The schools cited concerns about weather in the North forcing teams to travel South to begin their seasons, resulting in increased expenses for the programs and additional missed class time for the student-athletes.

“The shorter weeks of a competitive season obviously means more midweek games for Southern teams; Northern teams have always relied on midweek games to compete in 56 games,” one institution wrote in its override request. “While it places an academic burden onto baseball players to compete midweek to complete a 56-game schedule in the weeks allotted, academic success has and can be achieved.”

Many of the institutions calling for the override indicated they would support putting the additional week at the end of the season, when spring classes are complete for many student-athletes.

The sand volleyball proposal, No. 2008-59, came initially from the Committee on Women’s Athletics as a way to increase opportunities for female student-athletes and passed by a wide margin. Division II supported adding the sport as well, and work has begun in both divisions to shape the rules of the sport. The legislation is effective August 1, 2010, to give both divisions ample time to create playing rules and other regulations governing the sport.

Institutions objecting to the legislation cited a competitive advantage to schools with large budgets and those located on the West Coast. One institution acknowledged that while the legislation was permissive, it could quickly become “required” to sponsor the sport just to remain competitive in the women’s indoor game. They also noted the additional financial, compliance and personnel burdens that could be associated with adding a new sport.

“Volleyball players are more likely to choose institutions in which they can participate in both sports. In order to attract these recruits, we will be forced to add a sport that we might not normally consider,” one override request read. “Our primary goals as we analyze this topic are to preserve the quality of indoor volleyball while continuing to ensure we are providing meaningful participation opportunities for women. We believe that adding sand volleyball could impede our efforts to achieve both goals and would like the opportunity to reconsider this legislation.”

The Championships/Sports Management Cabinet opposed the proposal, expressing concerns about the uncertainty of regulations for playing and practice seasons and financial aid. The Administration Cabinet expressed a similar concern in February 2009, though it initially supported the proposal.

Kathy DeBoer, executive director of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, said her organization was “disappointed” that the proposal would be reconsidered and encouraged members to work to find a legislative solution to the issues they raise before overturning the legislation.

“Rather than making the rich richer, sand volleyball is more likely to give opportunities for national competitiveness to institutions that would never attain notoriety in the indoor game,” DeBoer said in a statement. She also said that if schools seek more time to shape the game’s regulations before implementation, the effective date could be delayed. “If more time is needed, then let us seek that time rather than impulsively attempt to eliminate an opportunity for women that has both merit and marketability.”

Some institutions requesting the override suggested that the addition of the sport would create an additional season for indoor players instead of adding participation opportunities for women. DeBoer cited statistics that challenged that theory, including a study noting that 63 percent of females under the age of 18 who played sand volleyball did not also play indoor volleyball.

The Legislative Council will reconsider both pieces of legislation during a conference call next month. If the Council reverses its positions, the proposals will be defeated and will not be sent out for further membership comment. If the Council maintains its positions, the Division I Board of Directors will have the opportunity to review the measures at its August 6 meeting. If the Board maintains the legislation as adopted, the membership will vote on the proposals at the 2010 NCAA Convention in Atlanta.

The override period for all legislation adopted at the April 30 Board meeting ends June 29. A total of 100 override requests are required to suspend legislation.

If the baseball or sand volleyball legislation goes to the Convention, it will be the fifth consecutive year that Division I has conducted override votes. For a successful override, a five-eighths majority of those Division I delegates present and voting must cast votes to overturn the legislation.