Confused about the NCAA’s Stand on College FB Fantasy Games?

Bob Frederick — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Are you confused about NCAA’s various statements about CBS Sports.com’s college football fantasy game? Join the crowd of people concerned about the future of intercollegiate athletics.

Hoping Risk Management Is On Your Mind

Bob Frederick — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500

The hot days of late July turning to even hotter August days signals the beginning of another academic sports year with the start of fall sport practices. In most regions of the country the high temperatures are accompanied by high humidity which means the risk of heat related injuries and death in all of the outdoor fall sports, but especially in football with its heavy pads and equipment complicating matters. Athletics directors at all levels need to continually assess the risks of every phase of their programs and have a comprehensive risk management program in place. Heat related accidents are but one of a multitude of issues that need to covered in the plan.

Using the Value-Added Approach to Market Your Athletics Program

Connee Zotos — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500

As professionals in the educational sport environment, we witness the value of the athletics experience every day. Utilizing sport to develop student-athletes as capable, resilient and self-confident people is something we engage in on a daily basis. However, sometimes we forget that constituents outside of our domain may not have the opportunity or the inclination to view and/or understand the personal development that takes place in an educational sports environment; especially if they have never participated in sports activities.

Managing the Cost of Gender Equity

Donna A. Lopiano — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Few athletics programs are currently fully in compliance with Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational institutions that are recipients of federal funds. What is the most sensible approach to achieving compliance without breaking the bank and how should a school handle gender equity complaints when it knows it is not yet in compliance?

College Basketball - Significant Challenges Ahead!

Bob Frederick — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0500

My initial involvement with Division I Men’s Basketball began 50 years ago this coming fall when I enrolled at the University of Kansas as a hopeful walk-on student-athlete. I had been recruited to attend the Air Force Academy by then Assistant Coach Dean Smith (yes, that Dean Smith), and decided to be a cadet after I received an appointment to the Academy. However, four weeks before I was scheduled to matriculate at Colorado Springs I received a letter from the Surgeon General of the Air Force saying that a mistake had been made in my physical examination and that due to a vision defect they were taking away my appointment.

Faculty Control and Involvement or Athletics Department Isolation?

Donna A. Lopiano — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0500

It’s time for athletics programs to invest in closer relationships with the faculty, especially with regard to the offering of academic support programs and recommendations for special admissions. Every athletics director must rethink the issue of ideal faculty relationships. The academic success of student-athletes is at stake.

Why Not Teacher-Coach?

Bob Frederick — Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500

In my March 31 post, Education is Forever,” I stated that significant academic achievement by members of an intercollegiate athletics team would not occur unless the coach made it a high priority and talked with team members on a daily basis about its importance. Regardless of what anyone else in the athletics department may say about it or the availability of a strong academic support program, if the coach doesn’t set the tone, academic accomplishment is unlikely to happen.

Identification and Development of Student-Athlete Leaders

Connee Zotos — Mon, 19 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Frequently coaches lament that they don’t have any true leaders on their teams anymore. It is important for athletics directors to address this issue and give coaches guidance on how to address this challenge.

Unintended Consequences of the APR…

Donna A. Lopiano — Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Here are several thoughts about the possible unintended consequences of the NCAA’s Division I Academic Performance Program. History shows that it is impossible to legislate moral integrity. Make a rule and there are always unanticipated impacts, those who will figure a way around it or live by walking on its gray and hazy edges. As academic progress rate (APR) and graduation success rate (GSR) pressures increase, we may very well see an increase in unintended consequences on student-athletes and academic support staffs.

United We Stand, Divided We Fall

Bob Frederick — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

In recent years athletics fundraising totals among the intercollegiate athletics programs of the six major Division I conferences have soared to record levels according to a recent survey by the Chronicle of Higher Education (October 5, 2007). It reported that these institutions raised in excess of $1.2 billion in 2006-7 for operations and scholarships and between 2002 and 2007 they had raised more than $3.9 billion dollars for capital expenditures alone. Six institutions indicated they had between 14 and 20 full-time athletics fundraisers on their respective staffs (20,19,18,16,15,14).

Ethical Recruiting Compromised by Special Admissions Slots and Early Decision Pressure

Connee Zotos — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

The vast majority of colleges and universities have limited or, in the case of Division III, no access to athletics scholarships. However, many institutions have implemented a system of special talent slots, often called ‘tips’, that allow coaches to recruit academically under prepared athletes who normally would not be admitted to their schools. Athletics administrators should heed the possibilities for abuse invited by this practice.

Equitable Assignment of Coaches: A Common Problem

Christine Grant — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Few factors are more important to the quality of the athletics experience and the retention of athletes than the provision of quality coaches who have sufficient contact time with their teams. Yet, at many institutions, it is common to observe schools assigning more full-time coaches to male teams or aggressively going into the marketplace to hire the very best coaches away from other institutions at whatever salary is required for men’s sports, and relying on submitted paper applications and less competitive salaries for coaches of women’s teams. Therefore, it’s important for athletics administrators to understand what Title IX requires.

Implementing the Mechanisms of Value Leadership

Donna A. Lopiano — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Faced with recent multi-million dollar court judgments and the potential of increased Title IX litigation, gender equity has become a more compelling issue for many institutions. But it’s easy to ‘miss the forest for the trees’. Value leadership is not about doing something because of being afraid of what might happen if you don’t. Rather, value leadership is about doing something because it is the right thing to do.

Education is Forever

Bob Frederick — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

On March 21, 2008 as the First and Second Round of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament was getting underway, Dr. Bobby Fong, President of Butler University in Indianapolis, wrote an essay entitled, “Academics and Athletics,” that was published on the Op-Ed page of the Indianapolis Star. He spoke about graduation as an issue of trust.

Challenged by the Millennial Generation

Connee Zotos — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

It has become increasingly important that athletics directors provide opportunities for coaches and staff to become better educated about the characteristics of this Millennial Generation. Who are these college students born between 1980 and 2000 and do they present different challenges for coaches and administrators?

Recent posts RSS