NCAA, Schools Concerned About Growth Of Networking Web Sites

NCAA Taking Up Issue Of Athletes’ Social Network Web Sites

The NCAA has yet to adapt rules regarding networking Internet sites like Facebook.com and MySpace.com, but that “soon might change,” as the sites have “been the subject of discussions at recent NCAA student-athlete leadership conferences,” according to Jonathan Abrams of the L.A. TIMES. The sites are a “growing concern for college athletic programs and coaches,” and they are a “technological headache for school officials charged with protecting student-athletes and the image of their universities.” USC SID Tim Tessalone said, “We’ve told [athletes] that we don’t want to limit their participation on these sites, but we want to educate them on appropriate and positive uses. It would be wise to limit personal information for security reasons.” Abrams reports some schools are concerned the sites “negate the buffer between student-athletes and agents, gambling associates and overzealous fans, leaving programs vulnerable to NCAA violations.” USC LB Oscar Lua is one of several Trojans to be “contacted over their sites by agents looking to gain an edge over competitors.”

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY: A number of pictures on networking sites show athletes “engaged in hazing and underage drinking,” and a search of USC football players on Facebook “turned up photographs of players in seemingly compromising situations.” While most colleges have no policy on what can or cannot be posted, some “are concerned enough to have asked student-athletes to remove indecent messages or photographs.” UCLA Senior Associate AD Petrina Long: “It’s a very serious topic and one we are just now delving into.” Long added that UCLA athletes “are fully aware that the university is watching such sites” (L.A. TIMES, 8/8).

TRAINING DAY: ESPN.com’s Lauren Reynolds wrote a growing number of ADs are “employing sports media trainers to educate their staffs, coaches and athletes about the pitfalls and advantages of life in the limelight.” Incidents like the Duke lacrosse scandal “cost universities millions of dollars in alumni donations, hurt admissions and recruiting, and tarnish an image that decades were spent building.” MVP Sports Media Training President Kevin Long said, “Media training is something every school is going to need to do.” Sports Media Challenge President Kathleen Hessert added, “Sports media training is a staple of most of the best programs. But it has clearly trickled down to midtier and smaller programs as well.” While some schools have banned athletes from posting information on social networking Web sites like MySpace, Hessert said that is a “losing battle.” Hessert: “Social networking sites are not a fad, and administrators need to acknowledge that. They need to teach accountability.” New Mexico AD Paul Krebs said of media training, “You pay for it on the front end or on damage control. In the Internet age, there is so much information out there” (ESPN.com, 8/7).