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The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 2, 1996 -3
Larger schools claim a
reter share of power
y Jeff Eldridge
Daily Staff Reporter
While University students were making the post-
holiday trip back to Ann Arbor, a quiet revolution
occurred in the ranks of the National College Athletic
Ssociation. Indeed, the most enduring sports story of the new year may
not be Northwestern's Rose Bowl appearance or the
University's loss in the Alamo Bowl: A Jan. 9 restructuring of
the NCAA changes the business of college sports and the role
college presidents play in their governance.
The most significant changes give considerably more power
to college presidents and make the NCAA a confederation of
separate divisions, rather than a single-body alliance.
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Division I, Division II and Division III programs will each
be given more independence in their op-
eration, but the overall leadership of the
association is centered on a 16-member
executive committee-- 12 of whose mem-
bers come from Division I schools.
The changes will be fully implemented
following an 18-month transition process
that will end in August 1997.
"In the end, presidential control is the
key to intercollegiate athletics," said Uni-
versity President James Duderstadt, chair
Duderstadt of the board of the Big Ten conference.
Michigan Athletic Director Joe
Roberson said the concentration of power in college presi-
dents is a positive move.
"There's a pretty significant concentration of power that's
made up of the CEOs of the Division I schools," Roberson
said. "They're the people that are institutionally responsible
for everything at their institutions."
Rick Turner, president of the Student Athlete Advisory
Council and member of the men's track team, said he hopes
athletics are taken into consideration in searching for a new
University president.
L
The NCAA Evolution
Changes that will take effect in
August 1997:
3 Division 11 and lii schools receive
increased funding from the NCAA.
* A group of 16 presidents, 12 from
Division I schools, will have
?ersight power over the NCAA.
Each division will gain more
autonomy in deciding their policies
and procedures.
* Smaller schoo will have less
power In Influenc g the direction of
the entire NCAA.
U Women and minorities will play a
larger role In governing.
"It's interesting the NCAA has given
more power to the presidents during our
search for a president," Turner said. "I'm
not sure what effect that will have."
Merrit Norvell, athletic director at
Michigan State University, also said he
supports the increased role presidents
will play in the association.
"All CEOs should have a role in deter-
mining the direction of their institution,"
Norvell said. Norvell also said a more
business-like structure in college sports
will be beneficial to the association.
"I come from a corporate environment,
and I think that's good," Norvell said.
Duderstadt predicted the University
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T he old man stood on the field
where he had learned so
much, looked at the 100,000
faces pointed at him, and accepted the
highest honor his former team could
bestow upon him.
After that day in 1994, no other
Michigan football player would wear
No. 38. It was reserved forever for
Gerald Ford, a Wolverine whose
accomplishments in life dwarfed
anything he ever did on the gridiron.
As president of the United States,
Ford used the skills he had refined on
Ann Arbor's fields and in its class-
rooms.
Teamwork. Perseverance. Leader-
ship.
There may be another Michigan
football player to go on and lead the
free world, but the chances of that
decrease every time the NCAA
transforms itself into more of a business
than an educational institution,
The recent restructuring of the
NCAA will help produce more famous
professional football players than it will
prominent businessmen, politicians or
writers. Of course, this would probably
have happened if the association had
stayed the same. But that is not the
point.
The NCAA has once again distanced
itself from the very institutions it is
supposed to serve - the universities.
Behind a facade of policies and
agendas that look and sound like they
have education in mind, Division I
schools are calculating their future
profits.
Giving Division II and Division 111
schools more control over their leagues
and teams sounds wonderful. Yes, they
will be able to better manipulate their
schedules, leagues and teams. Yes, they
can make their own rules. Yes, they can :
look after their own interests.
But the reality is that it shuts them
out of their big brothers' affairs.
Division 11 and Division III schools will
no longer be able to have any say in
what the big universities are doing.
The Michigans, Ohio States and
Southern Cals can do what they wish.
They can drift away from the simple,
competitive spirit their athletic programs
were founded upon, and the small
schools can say nothing. The Albions,
Almas and Wesleyans have swallowed
their voices for a little more money.
The freshman ineligibility idea
sounds great too. Let the new kids get
accustomed to college, the argument
goes, so they can perform better later.
What that really means is: We can
ignore all of the problems with
recruiting academically-challenged
athletes. We can sign them and then get
them eligible, while the competition
does the same.
The opposition to a college football
playoff tournament is good. But don't
misunderstand the motives here, either.
Michigan Athletic Director Joe
Roberson and the other ADs know
that, if there is a playoff, then the
bowl system is basically worthless.
And if that goes, then there will be
fewer bowl games. And if that goes,
there will be smaller and smaller
profits for teams that don't make the
final game.
Marketing. Bureaucracy. Profit.
They seem far from the principles
Ford learned while he captained his
Michigan team. The teamwork,
perseverance and leadership the NCAA
demonstrates these days aren't the
same. Unfortunately for us all, other
things are in mind.
Not retired numbers. Only those on
the bottom line.
NicholasJ. Cotsonika can b
reached over e-mail at
cotsonik@umich.edu.
ysy x
"will see some significant changes" coming from the restruc-
turing. He would not say what the specific changes might be
or when they will occur.
But one possible change might include the eligibility status
of freshmen athletes. "I think everybody's got to make the adaptations," Potts
While previous attempts have failed, the restructuring could said. "It's being alert for school and being ready to give your
help make freshmen ineligibility a reality. In the past, smaller all in practice."
schools voted down resolutions supporting this position be-
cause the size of their programs often requires the participa- '
tion of every athlete.
Under the restructuring, Division I schools could make The changes in the relationship between large Division I
freshmen ineligible while Division II and Division III schools universities and smaller colleges will also include a shift in
could allow them to play. the distribution ofmoney. Financial issues will be entirely in
Don Canham, former University athletic director, said he does the hands of Division I schools. Division II and III schools
not expect the larger schools to make freshmen ineligible. chose to cede their voting power in exchange for a constitu-
"The reason it is not going to pass is tionally guaranteed percentage of the
financial reasons," Canham said. "There association's operating funds,
will be an economic vote not to outlaw ,,, e deYi isDuderstadt said these changes will al-
freshmen." low schools like the University to have
Canham said that 20 years ago, the always ifo le more influence on the association, "rather
Big Ten introduced proposals to make than the United Nations process of one
freshmen ineligibile. "When it was first dGetails vote for each school."
voted on, we lost by three votes," The NCAA's current revenue is $221
Canham said. But as the issue periodi- - Joe Roberson million a year. Approximately 85 percent
cally came to a vote in later years, Michigan athletic director of that comes from the NCAA's $1.725-
Canham said, the margin became billion contract with CBS Television over
greater until "it was never even close." seven years.
Turner said freshmen eligibility has both benefits and This year, Division 11 schools received $8.3 million, an
drawbacks. "Depending on the sport it can be an advantage or amount that will increase to $9.6 million under the restruc-
disadvantage," Turner said. "Some freshmen are more moti- turing. Division III schools will go from $5.4 million this
vated, and for them competition is a positive factor." year to $7 million in 1997.
Freshman swimmer Andy Potts said finding a balance of
academics and sports is an inevitable process. - P
Larry Marfise, athletic director at Ferris State University,
Oney in the NCAA said there are some potential dangers in the rewrites. Ferris
e NCAA's yearly revenue is $221 million. Under the restructuring, Division State, a Division I1 school, was one of the 22 Michigan
it schools will receive $9.6 million annually and Division Ill colleges that voted in favor of the restructuring.
schools will get $7 million, an increase from previous "The drawback is the smaller schools have lost some
years. The NCAA gets most of its funds from a seven-year, control," he said. But Marfise said the association's changes
$1.725-billion contract with CBS Television, are better than the possible alternatives.
Photos by MARK FRIEDMAN and NOPPORN KICHANANTHA (right middle)/Daily
"The Division I schools could have formed their own federa-
tion and leave us out with no funding and no support," he said.
Roberson also said potential problems could arise.
"The principle has been established and the devil is always
in the details," Roberson said. "At this
point in time everything I see tends to be
positive, but as things get sorted out
there may be some problems."
X 1
0 ;N T P N I
Marfise said he remains hopeful that
the changes will benefit everyone.3
"We're now in control of our own des- Roberson
tiny," Marfise said. He also said previous
decisions made by the entire association sometimes forced
smaller schools to act in ways that did not benefit them.
Marfisesaid the restructuring gives the different divisions
more flexibility in scheduling games to meet their own needs.
Marfise also pointed out the differences in entrance standards.
"Eligibility and admission requirements are geared toward
Division I schools," Marfise said. "Our academic require-
ments are a little different."
Norvell said the rewrites might lead to a greater role for
women and minorities in the leadership of the NCAA. As one
of three African American athletic directors at Division I
schools, Norvell said he has been particularly watchful of this
issue.
The changes require that specific attention be paid to the racial
and gender composition of the decision-making committees.
Along with the shifts in money and voting power resulting
from the restructuring, the process also illustrates the increas-
ingly different goals of the larger and smaller schools.
"We compete for completely different reasons," Marfise
said. "(At Ferris State) it's a laboratory, like the classroom is
a laboratory.
"We're not driven by the dollar or the national title."
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