The Division I Women's Basketball Issues Committee continued its work in three primary areas -- quality of the game, recruiting and student-athlete welfare, and marketing and promotion -- at its most recent meeting September 8-9 in Indianapolis. The group also reviewed several important proposals making their way through the Division I legislative cycle.

The committee received a summary presentation on the television ratings for women's basketball, which indicated that 83.5 million viewers were exposed to women's basketball on CBS, ESPN and ESPN2 last season. The summary also included ratings information about the women's basketball selection show, the preliminary rounds and the Women's Final Four games.

In an effort to improve even further upon those results, the committee is encouraging ESPN to broaden its coverage and expand its focus relative to its programming efforts to expose more programs throughout the country. The group also requested a more diverse pool of former players and coaches to serve as television talent who have keen knowledge of the game.

Committee members also reviewed marketing issues, including results from a recent institutional marketing survey that addresses the number of staff members at Division I institutions devoted to marketing women's basketball. Survey results indicated that while some schools employ a full-time staff member whose job is to market only women's basketball, on average, schools are more likely to assign women's basketball marketing duties to part-time staff members or to full-time staff who already have other marketing assignments.

In that vein, the committee is developing a list of "best practices" that are used to market and promote women's basketball. Committee members hope this information will assist institutions in focusing their women's basketball marketing efforts. In addition, committee members also want to establish a relationship with the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators to assist in gathering additional marketing data and developing a network to disseminate information.

In a related matter, the group agreed to survey conferences regarding their efforts to promote women's basketball.

Legislation

In addition to marketing and promotions issues, the committee reviewed proposed legislation, including two proposals that committee members believe work better in tandem than separately.

The two concepts were couched originally in Proposal No. 03-53, which adjusts the dead period surrounding the Women's Final Four to Friday before the semifinals through midnight the Thursday after the championship game, and increases from two to three the number of coaches allowed to recruit off-campus during the April contact period.

The original intent of Proposal No. 03-53 was to permit Division I women's basketball coaches to attend the entire Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) national convention and the Women's Final Four championship game without conflict with the recruiting calendar. To compensate for the shortened April recruiting period, the proposal advocated an increase in the number of coaches allowed to recruit and evaluate prospects during that time. The idea was to allow coaches to stay through the WBCA convention and the Women's Final Four without negatively impacting the April recruiting period.

Proponents of the proposal, including the Women's Basketball Issues Committee, believe the concepts work in tandem and not separately. When the Management Council considered that proposal in July, it separated the items, approving the dead-period adjustment but tabling the increase in coaches to allow more time for examination and discussion. When the Board of Directors considered the proposal two weeks later, however, it was uncomfortable with the concepts potentially conflicting as separate items and voted to table Proposal No. 03-53.

Now, the Women's Basketball Issues Committee has asked that the Management Council reconsider the concepts as a tandem measure that would either be voted up or down together. In fact, the committee has stated that it supports both items being defeated if they are separated. The Championships/Competition Cabinet supported the committee's request at its September meeting.

The cabinet also agreed with the committee's request to ask the Management Council to amend proposals Proposal Nos. 2003-61 and 2003-62 to include Division I women's basketball in the suggested changes to the recruiting calendar.

The amendments would allow an institutional coaching staff member in women's basketball to have telephone contact with a prospect's high-school coach (or high-school administrator) while the prospect is participating in a summer certified event, provided the high-school coach or administrator is not in attendance at that summer certified event.

The amendment also would modify the current July evaluation period to establish a six-day dead period between two 10-day evaluation periods. The Women's Basketball Issues Committee, while noting a preference to establish 10-day periods from July 6-15 and July 22-31, also would support establishing 10-day evaluation periods from July 8 to July 17 and July 24 to August 2.