The NCAA annual convention begins today in Nashville
with two main issues on the agenda, "completing a
restructuring of the organization's system of governance and
voting on a number of issues concerning amateurism,"
according to David Nakamura of the WASHINGTON POST. Among
issues to be discussed at the four day conference include
whether athletes should be able to work during the year
while on athletic scholarships; whether "elite" athletes
should be allowed to borrow money against future potential
earnings as a professional to buy anything they want
(currently, they can borrow only to purchase disabling-
injury insurance); and whether to keep in place a rule that
allows men's basketball players to declare themselves
eligible for the NBA draft and return to school within 30
days if they do not like their draft position and have not
signed with an agent (WASHINGTON POST, 1/11).
NCAA TAKES ON USA TODAY: The NCAA has formally
contacted USA Today and other publications informing them
that unless they stop publishing ads for gambling tip
services they will not be issued credentials to cover the
Final Four of the NCAA men's and women's basketball
tournaments, according to Bonnie DeSimone of the CHICAGO
TRIBUNE. A letter advising media outlets of the policy will
be included in the credentials applications. NCAA Exec Dir
Cedric Dempsey: "Is this (measure) symbolic? Yes. But it
helps change consciousness" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1/12). USA
Today said they will have a response soon, and Paul Bowker,
President of AP Sports Editors, noted that commercial speech
is protected by the First Amendment (L.A. TIMES, 1/12).
