Change is never easy.
The NCAA adapted when the leaders from the top conferences threatened to break away from the organization unless those leagues received autonomy. The NCAA Division I Board of Directors allowed themselves to be strong-armed and ‘overwhelming’ approved Power Five autonomy Aug. 7.
Some still want to emphasize the “student” in student-athlete, though, without making it all about the athletics.
According to the Associated Press, a group of “reform-minded college professors urged school presidents to overturn recently passed NCAA legislation that gave the five power conferences the freedom to operate with more autonomy.”
Autonomy grants the ACC, Big 12 Conference, Big Ten Conference, Pac-12 Conference and SEC the ability to “help players handle the true cost of attending college.”
The Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics asked school leaders to request an override of the ruling by an Oct. 6 deadline. COIA chairman Michael Bowen of University of South Florida cited the potential damage to Olympic sports as a reason not to support a move that will allow stipends.
“We ask for more time and a renewed commitment to find a better solution,” Bowen wrote, via the Associated Press.
It just so happens Bowen doesn’t work for a program that resides in a Power Five conference. While the main goal may be to save some Olympic sports, the ulterior motive of keeping his and other football or basketball programs viable and competitive is the underlying theme behind such action.
