General

Could NCAA Scholarships Be For Four Years?

May 11, 2010, 9:05 PM UTC

You might be thinking “I thought they were already for four years,” but they are not. Signing a letter of intent or a financial aid agreement currently entitles you to a maximum of one year’s tuition and room and board; NCAA schools are actually forbidden from offering any longer-term commitments to student-athletes they recruit. â†µâ†µWhy? From the perspective of the schools and coaches there’s a pretty obvious reason. From the perspective of the athletes in question, not so much. The athletes’ view is also shared by the Justice Department, which has taken an interest in the NCAA for potential anti-trust action. This time it seems serious:â†µ

â†µâ†µâ‡¥â†µâ‡¥And unlike some previous antitrust challenges to NCAA policies and rules, the Justice Department’s inquiry could cut right to the heart of college sports, potentially buttressing pleas from advocates for athletes’ rights for better financial support for collegiate players.â†µâ‡¥

â†µâ†µâ†µThe NCAA’s getting it on all sides now, what with Ed O’Bannon’s lawsuit winding its way through the courts and Big Ten expansion hinting at a near future in which a smaller group of big time schools break away from the rabble, Premiership style, and go it alone without the grasping hands of the Sun Belt. Fundamental changes may be on their way, whether they are forced on the NCAA by the courts or are of a more voluntary nature. â†µ

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â†µOne of the fundamental changes would involve changing the balance of power between the athlete and the institution, and an obvious way to do that would be to remove the one-year limit. The Bylaw Blog envisions what would result: â†µ

â†µâ†µâ‡¥â†µâ‡¥Agreements which are right now made orally and stashed away would be embodied in writing. Not only would four-year scholarships be offered, but so would two-year and three-year scholarships. Student-athletes would come on and off of aid. In equivalency sports, increases and decreases would be agreed to ahead of time.â†µâ‡¥

â†µâ†µâ†µThis would “strike at the core of how financial aid is awarded to athletes.” It should be implemented yesterday. Schools should be allowed to offer up to four years of scholarship aid at the time a letter of intent is signed and should only be released from that obligation if the student releases the university. This would put kids on a more level playing field with schools who can arbitrarily decide to make you transfer at least eight hours from home or block your move to a school that’s not even on the schedule. Mid-level prospects would be choosing between full commitment from smaller schools and less complete, but at least honest, commitments from, oh I don’t know, Alabama.â†µ

â†µâ†µThe Justice department is also looking at the five-year cap; I’d be fine with keeping the eligibility requirements the way they are but allowing schools to offer a year or two of extra schooling after the player’s eligibility expires, so kids who have just figured out they aren’t going to have a pro career can get a degree they can use in the real world. â†µ

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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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