NCAA Board approves Division I autonomy proposal

[Washingtonian]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...utonomy-vote-power-five-conferences/13716349/

NDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA on Thursday approved a new governance structure for Division I that will give the five power conferences a level of legislative autonomy never seen before in the history of the organization.

The vote by the Division I Board of Directors, which took place at NCAA headquarters, is subject to a 60-day veto period before the new governance structure is official. It is not expected enough schools will to override to put the legislation in jeopardy.

 

[HoopsAdmin]

The beginning of the end of collegiate amateur athletics as we know it.

 

[Washingtonian]

A-10 has published a statement: http://www.atlantic10.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31600&ATCLID=209605812

 

[Vurbel]

This is potentially humongous news on so many levels.

 

[Plink833]

Can't believe Hewitt let this happen. Yet another mistake on his watch. i'm going to let the Patriot Club know that I am lowering my donation another 50% after hearing this news. NCAA never would have let this happen if Coach L was still here.

 

[Pablo]

A-10 has published a statement: http://www.atlantic10.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31600&ATCLID=209605812

So, the A10 will evaluate and adopt those measures (implemented by the 5 power conferences) that it deems essential to successfully compete for national championships. Again, another reason to be thankful that Mason is in the A10, particularly for men's basketball.

 

[gmujim92]

So, the A10 will evaluate and adopt those measures (implemented by the 5 power conferences) that it deems essential to successfully compete for national championships. Again, another reason to be thankful that Mason is in the A10, particularly for men's basketball.

Spot on. Even while lacking the resources from football TV contracts, the A-10 clearly has demonstrated the commitment to remain among the top basketball leagues in the country.

The "full cost of attendance" scholarships will be used as a means of further dividing the "haves" from the "have-nots."

It's pretty clear that the A-10 intends to be on the right side of that line, at least for its flagship sport. That's a much better position to be in long-term than if we were still stuck in the CAA.

 

[Walter]

I see the elimination of some sports at Mason and other A10 schools.

 

[Pikapppatri8]

I see the elimination of some sports at Mason and other A10 schools.

Or the AD will get the fundraising and budgets going to keep us competitive in the A10. I would be really more worried about this news if we were still in the CAA.

 

[Pablo]

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/s...oner-bob-bowlsby-unapologetic-power-five-vote

Tom Yeager, the commissioner of the Colonial Athletic Conference, told "The Freddie Coleman Show" on ESPN Radio that the CAA was one of those that opposed autonomy for the Power Five.

"I think the current system can address a lot of the present problems," Yeager said Thursday night. "Our presidents were really entrenched in that, coupled with the feeling also that the autonomy is not going to solve all the issues coming out. So it was more on a philosophical plane, on the absolute commitment to continue to work together to find solutions -- but that we didn't need a complete overhaul of the system to do that, we believe.

"We'll see how it all plays out. It's a little bit of, 'Be careful what you wish for.' Because you're not going to be in a position now as blaming the woes or whatever is inhibiting you from doing whatever you want with all your money. You can't blame it on us anymore. We're not even in the room."

"Nobody begrudges the fact that there are huge revenues out there and that institutions should be able to determine how they spend it," Yeager said. "A lot of the discussion that concern for the student-athlete was unique to those 65 institutions just isn't right. It's not accurate."

 

[Washingtonian]

I think this is the closest existing topic that related to this:
http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/12...egislation-would-create.html?sp=/99/102/&rh=1

A retiring Virginia congressman filed bipartisan legislation this week that would set up a presidential commission to look into several high-profile issues with college sports, including the academic fraud that spanned 18 years at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Rep. Jim Moran, a Democrat with a suburban Washington, D.C., district, said the legislation has no chance of passing in the lame-duck session of Congress. But he said he wanted to get things started.

“It may be one of the two bipartisan pieces of legislation that actually has a chance in this new upcoming Congress,” he said.

The legislation joins a handful of other bills filed in the past year or so to deal with concerns that big-money college sports have overtaken the academic missions of universities. Moran has 10 co-sponsors, three of them Republicans.

Moran, a former football player at Holy Cross, said the UNC scandal helped drive his legislation.

“It was one of those straws that broke the camel’s back,” he said. “It’s just been an accumulation of things that are very troubling, and UNC, unfortunately, is not by any means unique.”

The presidential commission of sports experts and congressional members would “identify and examine” the issues surrounding college sports, and make recommendations to try to fix them. Among the issues identified are whether colleges are sacrificing academic integrity to build winning sports teams and risking the health, safety and financial well-being of athletes who are not allowed under NCAA rules to profit from their names and likenesses.