Read and Respond to AmyLee

Secondary Post Length: minimum of 200 words per post NCAA 23 hours ago Intercollegiate athletic programs benefit highly from the formation of the NCAA as an organization. Smith (2000) highlighted, “In the years before the formation of the NCAA, schools wrestled with the same issues that we face today: the extreme pressure to win, which is compounded by the commercialization of sport, and the need for regulations and a regulatory body to ensure fairness and safety“ (p. 12). Because we live in such a dynamic world that is everchanging, the rules of sports seem to be in question each year. “Member representatives serve on committees that propose rules and policies surrounding college sports. Members ultimately decide which rules to adopt – everything from recruiting and compliance to academics and championships – and implement them on campus” (NCAA, n.d.-a, Who Makes the Rules?, para. 1). This area becomes a challenge because you still want to respect the foundation of the sport and the pure joy that athletes experience while playing but still finding a healthy balance with safety. Smith (2000) reiterated, “This proliferation of rules and the development of increasingly sophisticated regulatory systems necessary to enforce those rules, together with the importance that attaches to enforcement decisions, both economically and in terms of an institution’s reputation (and derivatively its chief executive officer’s career), places great strain on the capacity of the NCAA to govern intercollegiate athletics“ (p. 22). Previously being on the academic support end of intercollegiate athletics had its perks and downfalls. Numerous of the athletes had been continuously passed through the educational system due to their highly respected talents. Unfortunately, that all came to light when they were thrown into an independent academic environment in college. I wish that there was more of an impact at the secondary level so athletes would feel more prepared and successful with their academics. The most positive and recent change I came across was that as of the past school year, a portion of NCAA’s revenue is being disbursed to D1 schools in support of their student-athletes’ academic performance (NCAA, n.d.-b). I think this is an area where the NCAA has room for growth and will continue to strive for a well-rounded experience for all student-athletes. “The values of hard work, striving for excellence, respect for others, sportsmanship and civility, team play, persistence, and resilience that underlie the ideal of sport should be brought into the developmental aspects of a college education affecting all students” (Brand, 2006, p. 19). “Over the past 150 years, the desire to win at virtually any cost, combined with the increases in public interest in intercollegiate athletics, in a consumer sense, have led inexorably to a highly commercialized world of intercollegiate athletics” (Smith, 2000, p. 21). Intercollegiate athletics will only continue to grow in the future; these programs are the driving force of publicity and marketing to increase admissions for many colleges and universities. “Public interest in sport at the intercollegiate level, which had always been high, continued to increase in intensity, particularly as successful and entertaining programs developed, and also with increasing access to higher education on the part of students from all segments of society“ (Smith, 2000, p. 13). Many humans have an instinct to be competitive personally or to support a competitive environment. The NCAA is built on a set of values that has the chance to withstand the pressure from society. Brand (2006) concludes, “Intercollegiate athletics can, and should be, a positive part of undergraduate education and campus culture” (p. 19). References Brand, M. (2006). The Role and Value of Intercollegiate Athletics in Universities. Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 33(1), 9–20. http://eds-b-ebscohost-com.tu.opal-libraries.org/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=d76a6951-6eb9-47c2-a13d-e7aacace842c%40sessionmgr103 NCAA. (n.d.-a). NCAA 101: What is the NCAA? http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/ncaa-101/what-ncaa NCAA. (n.d.-b). NCAA 101: Where does the money go? http://www.ncaa.org/about/where-does-money-go Smith, R. K. (2000). A Brief History of the National Collegiate Atheltic Association’s Role in Regulating Intercollegiate Athletics. Marquette Sports Law Review, 11(1), 9–22. http://scholarship.law.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1393&context=sportslaw