GENERAL NEWS: Interesting Article About NCAA Desire To Short Seasons, Cut Costs

The New York Times has an interesting online article about proposed legislation that would trim the seasons of several sports (legislation the Times article author says is expected to be passed at the convention).

Here is an excerpt from the New York Times article:

Now, members of Division II say they hope they have found their niche by offering a haven from the kind of big-time college athletics that are increasingly seen as overly commercial and exploitative. Under a proposal expected to be approved at the N.C.A.A. convention in January, Division II members plan to shorten the seasons in 10 sports, as well as cut back practice time in football. Supporters say the move sets Division II apart by heading in the opposite direction of Division I, which in recent years has lengthened the football season and has allowed basketball teams to play more games. Trimming seasons will ease the stress on students by having them miss fewer classes and giving them more time to participate in campus life. But skeptics say the cuts are motivated by the desire to cut finances.

“I think it’s 95 percent fueled by the economy,” said Kelly Higgins, the athletics director at Fort Lewis College in Colorado. Higgins is concerned that the loss of home basketball games — and the thousands of dollars in revenue they bring — will negate potential savings.

In addition to reducing the number of competitions in basketball, soccer, baseball and other sports, the proposal would also reduce the seasons in four sports by allowing students to report to school about a week later than they currently do.

Football would not lose any games, but players would begin their preseason practice one week later. The proposal would also establish a weeklong “dead period” around Christmas in which athletes could not participate in practices or games. Division I is also considering schedule cuts, although they are more limited. A proposal sponsored by the Atlantic Coast Conference would cut one game from the women’s basketball season, and a similar proposal is in the works for men’s basketball, although it first must be reviewed by Division I’s board of directors.

For the full New York Times article, and it is a pretty good one, visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/sports/29colleges.html?_r=1

COMMENTS: Director Higgins is on the money. I think this is clearly motivated by cutting costs more so than reducing the amount of time that is missed in classrooms by student-athletes. That's not to say that is wrong in these challenging economic times. But, it's nice to see this New York Times article does balance it by showing that not everyone is buying into the talk about this being so much for the benefit of student-athletes. In the end it might be to their benefit (to have practice time and season commitments reduced), but the main motivation behind this seems to be to save some dollars.