National Collegiate Athletic Association

NCAA News Archive - 2010

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Jan 6, 2010 9:07:06 AM

Delegates will participate in two override votes during the Division I business session next week, marking the fifth consecutive year of override activity.

Members will vote on legislation adding a 14th week to the beginning of the baseball season and adding sand volleyball to the list of emerging sports for women.

The Division I business session is January 15 at the NCAA Convention in Atlanta. A five-eighths majority is required to overturn the legislation.

In July, the Legislative Council sustained its approval of the two proposals. The Board allowed the Legislative Council action to stand, sending the proposals to the Convention.

Intended to address concerns about the amount of missed class time for baseball student-athletes, the new baseball rule (Proposal No. 2008-46) would allow coaches to spread a maximum of 56 games over 14 weeks instead of 13. 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 institutions that requested the override are all located in the North, including all 11 institutions in the Big Ten Conference. The institutions cited concerns about having to travel South to begin their seasons and incurring increased expenses for the programs and additional missed class time for student-athletes.

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

The Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is split on the issue. Some members agree that the weather could put Northern schools at a disadvantage, but others believe that spreading the same number of contests over a shorter time (13 weeks) would likely mean more midweek contests and more missed class time. Others noted that a longer season, potentially including more travel, could take a physical toll on student-athletes. The SAAC will revisit the issue at its meeting next week before the override vote.

The sand volleyball proposal, No. 2008-59, originally came from the Committee on Women's Athletics as a way to increase opportunities for female student-athletes and  passed initially by a wide margin. Even when the Legislative Council reconsidered the proposal in July, about 65 percent of the group supported it.

Division II also supported adding the sport, and work has begun in both divisions to shape playing and practice seasons and playing rules. The legislation would become effective August 1, 2010.

Institutions objecting to the legislation cited a competitive advantage for schools with large budgets and those located on the West Coast. They also noted the additional financial, compliance and personnel burdens that could be associated with adding a new sport.

The American Volleyball Coaches Association opposes the override, as does the national SAAC.

"Wherever you can create opportunities for student-athletes to play the sport they love, it's a positive," said SAAC chair Matt Baysinger. "We understand the sentiment that it may create an advantage for the schools that offer it now, but that's a small piece of the puzzle."