jason
04-29-2005, 10:02 AM
Yahoo Story (http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news;_ylc=X3oDMTBpMGxyODMzBF9TAzk1ODYyMzAwBHNlYwN0 bQ--?slug=ap-boardofdirectors&prov=ap&type=lgns)
Football teams come out big winners with NCAA board
By MICHAEL MAROT, AP Sports Writer
April 29, 2005
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Make it an even dozen college football games.
Looking to help financially strapped athletic programs make ends meet, the NCAA board of directors approved three measures Thursday, including one that adds an extra football game to the schedule beginning in 2006.
The other measures -- counting another game toward bowl eligibility and loosening requirements for teams to qualify for Division I-A -- are effective this fall.
``I think in terms of finances, these institutions need money for the commitments they've made,'' NCAA president Myles Brand said. ``I think those who voted in favor of a 12th game saw it as a way to increase revenue.''
Brand has turned his attention toward reining in athletic department-related expenses this year after spending his first two years championing academic reform.
But even with some opposing an extra game, arguing that it could force student-athletes to miss more classes, the board viewed the proposal as a way to create some new opportunities.
It passed 8-2, with one member abstaining.
``There was also a feeling that if you had another game, that it does give you some flexibility in your scheduling,'' chairman Robert Hemenway said. ``A school like Oklahoma State, for instance, could possibly play a game in Tulsa or Oklahoma City and play to that fan base.''
Some who criticized adding another football game also argued that it would extend the schedule.
That point has also been made by opponents of a football playoff system, but Brand insisted the NCAA had no intention of joining that debate.
``The season will not be elongated, it just means the bye week would be taken out,'' he said. ``Nor will it lead to any additional midweek games.
``But I seriously suggest you take up the tournament situation with the BCS.''
While the 12th game will be added to the schedule in 2006, the other big winners won't have to wait that long for their reward.
Schools can begin counting one victory each year against a I-AA school this fall, and smaller programs, such as those in the Mountain West and Mid-American Conferences, will be able to qualify for I-A status by reaching an average of 15,000 in either actual or paid attendance once in a two-year period.
Before Thursday, schools had to reach 15,000 in actual attendance.
Division I vice president David Berst said schools could also include students who are charged an athletic fee as part of their tuition if they attend the games.
``I think it's a case of fixing things,'' Brand said. ``When we went to the turnstile attendance, I think we inadvertently harmed some teams because they don't control the weather. I think that's an indication that we had the wrong rule.''
The board also adopted a resolution that strongly urged schools not to adopt the new Title IX Internet-based surveys, which the U.S. Department of Education said in March could be used to scientifically gauge whether schools must expand or create women's teams to meet demand.
``We felt that it was not true to the principles that have been in effect,'' said Hemenway, chancellor at Kansas.
The board also asked the NCAA executive committee to propose a comprehensive policy on alcohol advertising during college telecasts. Hemenway said the committee took that action after a lengthy discussion to include Division II and III events under any new standard.
On Wednesday, the American Medical Association asked the NCAA to ban all alcohol advertising. The current policy allows one minute per hour of alcohol ads and prohibits the sale or advertising of alcohol at NCAA championship events.
Other changes include giving men's basketball coaches more flexible recruiting calendars, and allowing men's and women's basketball coaches to instruct players for up to two hours per week during the offseason.
Freshmen also will be permitted to play in preseason exhibition games and keep their four additional years of eligibility as long as they do not play the rest of that season.
Also approved was an increase in the number of scholarships for women in gymnastics, soccer, volleyball and track and field. The board agreed to grant another year of eligibility to players who were academically ineligible as freshmen but completed 80 percent of their degree requirements after four years.
The committee defeated a measure that would have allowed basketball coaches to watch voluntary workouts.
Football teams come out big winners with NCAA board
By MICHAEL MAROT, AP Sports Writer
April 29, 2005
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Make it an even dozen college football games.
Looking to help financially strapped athletic programs make ends meet, the NCAA board of directors approved three measures Thursday, including one that adds an extra football game to the schedule beginning in 2006.
The other measures -- counting another game toward bowl eligibility and loosening requirements for teams to qualify for Division I-A -- are effective this fall.
``I think in terms of finances, these institutions need money for the commitments they've made,'' NCAA president Myles Brand said. ``I think those who voted in favor of a 12th game saw it as a way to increase revenue.''
Brand has turned his attention toward reining in athletic department-related expenses this year after spending his first two years championing academic reform.
But even with some opposing an extra game, arguing that it could force student-athletes to miss more classes, the board viewed the proposal as a way to create some new opportunities.
It passed 8-2, with one member abstaining.
``There was also a feeling that if you had another game, that it does give you some flexibility in your scheduling,'' chairman Robert Hemenway said. ``A school like Oklahoma State, for instance, could possibly play a game in Tulsa or Oklahoma City and play to that fan base.''
Some who criticized adding another football game also argued that it would extend the schedule.
That point has also been made by opponents of a football playoff system, but Brand insisted the NCAA had no intention of joining that debate.
``The season will not be elongated, it just means the bye week would be taken out,'' he said. ``Nor will it lead to any additional midweek games.
``But I seriously suggest you take up the tournament situation with the BCS.''
While the 12th game will be added to the schedule in 2006, the other big winners won't have to wait that long for their reward.
Schools can begin counting one victory each year against a I-AA school this fall, and smaller programs, such as those in the Mountain West and Mid-American Conferences, will be able to qualify for I-A status by reaching an average of 15,000 in either actual or paid attendance once in a two-year period.
Before Thursday, schools had to reach 15,000 in actual attendance.
Division I vice president David Berst said schools could also include students who are charged an athletic fee as part of their tuition if they attend the games.
``I think it's a case of fixing things,'' Brand said. ``When we went to the turnstile attendance, I think we inadvertently harmed some teams because they don't control the weather. I think that's an indication that we had the wrong rule.''
The board also adopted a resolution that strongly urged schools not to adopt the new Title IX Internet-based surveys, which the U.S. Department of Education said in March could be used to scientifically gauge whether schools must expand or create women's teams to meet demand.
``We felt that it was not true to the principles that have been in effect,'' said Hemenway, chancellor at Kansas.
The board also asked the NCAA executive committee to propose a comprehensive policy on alcohol advertising during college telecasts. Hemenway said the committee took that action after a lengthy discussion to include Division II and III events under any new standard.
On Wednesday, the American Medical Association asked the NCAA to ban all alcohol advertising. The current policy allows one minute per hour of alcohol ads and prohibits the sale or advertising of alcohol at NCAA championship events.
Other changes include giving men's basketball coaches more flexible recruiting calendars, and allowing men's and women's basketball coaches to instruct players for up to two hours per week during the offseason.
Freshmen also will be permitted to play in preseason exhibition games and keep their four additional years of eligibility as long as they do not play the rest of that season.
Also approved was an increase in the number of scholarships for women in gymnastics, soccer, volleyball and track and field. The board agreed to grant another year of eligibility to players who were academically ineligible as freshmen but completed 80 percent of their degree requirements after four years.
The committee defeated a measure that would have allowed basketball coaches to watch voluntary workouts.