The High Court

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Criminal Intent-The NCAA

Aug. 15, 2005

 

NCAA is Majoring on the Minors.

By The Powdered Wig

 

In the past couple of weeks, much has been made of the NCAA’s decision to eliminate the use of “offensive” nicknames, logos and mascots from postseason play sponsored by the organization.  My distinguished colleague on the bench, the Chief Justice, has already presented an eloquent assessment of the insanity thrust upon us by the NCAA.  I have no desire to take that issue any further.  Instead, I openly wonder why the NCAA has picked this battle when another deserves more attention.

 

Institutions of higher education like the schools in the NCAA were founded to provide an education to those deemed worthy of admission.  Intercollegiate athletics were designed to provide student-athletes with opportunities to compete with their peers.  The student-athletes were to provide their skill to the school in order to represent the very best the school had to offer in terms of athletes.  Universities, in turn, would provide an education to these student-athletes to aid them in the pursuit of a career beyond athletics. 

 

As time has worn on, the demands upon the student-athletes in the athletic arena have grown immeasurably.  But the universities have not increased their commitments to the student-athletes in return.  And the NCAA sits idly by and allows this to happen.  If the high and mighty NCAA wants to find a cause worth fighting for it should be this – force the universities to increase their commitment to helping student-athletes graduate! 

 

See, I am really struggling with the idea that the NCAA wants to legislate morality to its member colleges when it comes to the mascot or nickname the school uses.  Why would this be more important than the fact that schools graduate scholarship athletes at an embarrassingly low rate?  Schools ask students to commit to represent their school, yet what extended effort does the NCAA ask of the schools to see to it that these student-athletes actually graduate?  Scholarship athletes graduate at a slightly higher rate than does the non-athlete student body (62% to 60%), but that is not enough.  With a scholarship it should be expected that a student-athlete would represent the school athletically and emerge with a diploma academically.  This is a cause worth pursuing for the NCAA.

 

Now, don’t misunderstand.  It’s not possible for the NCAA to get to class, complete the coursework and earn the credits for these athletes.  But neither is it possible for the athlete’s coach to make it happen.  Yet the NCAA cannot think of a more productive way to say, “We need to see more student-athletes graduate” than to take away scholarships and create more hardships for the coaches trying to remain gainfully employed.  Because everyone knows that high graduation rates don’t sell tickets.  And if you don’t sell tickets and make the school money, as a coach, you will soon be gone.

 

So you can see there is an obvious disconnect between the stated goals of universities and the reality.  It is within this culture that coaches recruit student-athletes not for who will ultimately graduate from the school, but for who can help them win games and fill seats.  Meanwhile, the NCAA ignores the hypocrisy of its member schools and chooses to focus on trivial issues like nicknames. 

 

It is high time the NCAA adhered to the Core Values that they claim govern their existence.  The values are listed on www.ncaa.org and here is a sampling:

· The pursuit of excellence in both academics and athletics.

· The supporting role that intercollegiate athletics plays in the higher education mission and in enhancing the sense of community and strengthening the identity of member institutions.

Along the way to great financial success, the marriage between the NCAA and its member schools forgot about the kids.  The family is falling apart, with the kids struggling to graduate and succeed academically, yet the parents are wrangling with the issue of what the kids should wear when they go out to play.  Consider the following statistics:

 

In a USA Today poll conducted last December, Division 1-A college football teams had a average graduation rate of 54%.  And more alarming is the fact that winning seemed to be negatively connected to graduation rates.  Of the 55 bowl teams that award athletic scholarships, 35 of them had graduation rates that fell below the 54% average.  And don’t think this was a one-time fluke.  These numbers were collected over the course of 4 years and each class was given 6 years to complete requirements for a degree.  Article may be found at http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2004-12-07-bowl-team-grad-rates_x.htm).

 

The NCAA should use its influence and resources to convince its member institutions of the need for a grass-roots effort to help kids graduate at a higher rate.  If a school is going to invest scholarships in these student-athletes, doesn’t it make sense that they would make every effort to reap the dividends in the form of graduates?  The NCAA, universities and athletic departments must use its time and energy to develop a nation-wide program that increases the chances of graduation for student-athletes who have used all of their eligibility.  Grants should be provided to ease the financial burden on these students who have spent countless hours practicing and performing their skill in the name of representing the school.  A cooperative effort between each of these entities would serve a much greater purpose than bickering over what is deemed “offensive.”

 

I don’t claim to have all of the answers, but I am certain that something is wrong in the world of collegiate athletics.  The NCAA and its member schools have too long chased the dollar to the neglect of the student-athletes that make the money possible.  Rather than wasting tons of money in legal battles over nicknames, this justice is demanding that the NCAA and its universities start caring for the investment that is most precious – the student-athletes who make all of this possible in first place.

 

It has become obvious that the NCAA and its members have as their primary intention to make money.  And I am here to call them out for this criminal attitude, which only hurts the ones they have been entrusted to help.

 

 

The Powdered Wig suggest that Myles Brand and company find a better way to spend their time.  He thinks helping student-athletes graduate might just a little more important.

(sportsline.com)