Schools and athlete reps from the NCAA's five wealthiest conferences on Saturday "voted 79-1 to expand what Division I schools can provide under an athletic scholarship," according to Steve Berkowitz of USA TODAY. The vote, taken during the NCAA's annual convention, "redefines an athletic scholarship so that it can cover not only the traditional tuition, room, board, books and fees, but also the incidental costs of attending college." That means a scholarship "will now be able to pay for items including transportation and miscellaneous personal expenses." The vote by 65 schools and 15 athlete reps -- three from each of the five conferences -- "allows, but does not require, all Division I schools to award these so-called cost-of-attendance scholarships in all sports." The lone vote against the cost-of-attendance proposal was Boston College, which in a statement released Saturday said it is "concerned with continuing to pass legislation that increases expenses when the vast majority of schools are already institutionally subsidized." Another measure that the schools and reps "narrowly approved" will "prevent schools and coaches from choosing not to renew an athlete's scholarship for athletic reasons." The group also voted to "allow athletes to borrow against future earnings to purchase so-called loss-of-value insurance -- policies that can help athletes if an injury while playing college sports results in an athlete getting less money from a professional contract." The schools and reps also approved a resolution under which they "pledge to, within the next two years, approve rules changes that would regulate time demands on athletes." All of the new rules "take effect Aug. 1, 2015," but scholarship agreements for the '15-16 school year "can be executed prior to that date" (USATODAY.com, 1/17). ESPN.com's Mitch Sherman wrote stipends "designed to cover the cost-of-living expenses that fall outside athletic scholarships" have "been estimated at $2,000 to $4,000 annually." The figures will be "determined by institutions under federally created guidelines." SEC Exec Associate Commissioner Greg Sankey said, "You can't miss the significance of this day. The five conferences showed the ability to use this opportunity in a meaningful and positive way" (ESPN.com, 1/17).
MID-MAJORS MARGINALIZED? In N.Y., Marc Tracy notes other than "a few top NCAA officials, the only group outside the Big 5 allowed into the ballroom" for the voting session on matters of autonomy "was the news media." Closing the autonomy meetings "to other conferences ... might have been an unforced error." American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco said, "It doesn’t create the kind of camaraderie and sense of cooperation that there should be." By allowing privileges for its richest conferences and most popular sports, the NCAA "risks confirming some of the legal theories being deployed against it." The decision in the Ed O’Bannon case, "barring the NCAA from denying athletes the right to make money off their names, images and likenesses, concerned only top football and Division I men’s basketball players." A broader lawsuit, which "seeks to establish a free market for athletes, says it targets those two sports because they are, 'combined, among the most lucrative products in U.S. sports'" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/19). In Orlando, Matt Murschel writes there is a "giant elephant in the room -- money." While the five top leagues "all benefit" from the new 12-year, $7B deal with ESPN for rights to broadcast the CFP, some of those member schools "who may not be among the league leaders in revenue voiced concern on how they would pay for it all." Budgets "are strapped," and there have been rumblings "that some schools may be forced to cut those sports that fail to generate revenue to achieve fiscal sense." The toughest job could be that of the ADs "who need to make sense of all of this" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 1/19).
STIPEND SPECIFICS: In Austin, Brian Davis reported all Univ. of Texas athletes, "regardless of sport, stand to receive between $4,500 and $5,000 annually starting next fall" for the '15-16 academic year. School officials said that the final number "has not been determined." Texas men's AD Steve Patterson said, "We have to look at what the numbers will be for next year, but it’s probably in that range." Davis notes considering UT has "more than 500 athletes, that’s potentially" a new $2.5M expense for an athletic program that had a $2.8M deficit during the '13-14 academic year (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 1/18). Purdue Univ. AD Morgan Burke said that the cost-of-attendance measure "is expected to cost Purdue an additional" $1M per year (Lafayette JOURNAL & COURIER, 1/18). Auburn Univ. AD Jay Jacobs said that the school "has added" $2M to its budget "to pay for items including full cost-of-attendance scholarships." He added that he "is concerned the increased costs might eventually lead schools to reduce resources for non-revenue sports, or even to cut them entirely." Jacobs: "There are going to be some opportunities some athletes aren't going to get on each campus. What's that going to mean? I don't know how it's going to happen. … What's happening here today will transform football and college athletics. We just don't know what the result is going to be yet" (USATODAY.com, 1/17).
LUCK OF THE DRAW: The N.Y. TIMES' Tracy wrote it "may fall above all" to newly appointed NCAA Exec VP/Regulatory Affairs Oliver Luck "to negotiate the myriad competing interests in intercollegiate athletics." There are "dozens of conferences across three divisions; a multitude of sports; university presidents, athletic directors and athletes; and even the NCAA itself." Luck is "essentially replacing" recently departed NCAA COO Jim Isch, "who was viewed as [NCAA President Mark] Emmert’s right-hand man." Luck "was sought out to provide the voice of an athletic director ... at an association dominated by university presidents." There is "some indication that Luck’s hiring may be part of a trend," as the NCAA "has lately displayed a more reformist and responsive side" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/17). USA TODAY's Berkowitz noted Luck "has long held a view on the use of college athletes' names, images and likenesses that is different" from the one the NCAA "has been defending in the Ed O'Bannon antitrust lawsuit" (USATODAY.com, 1/16).
