A while ago, the NCAA announced that it was considering to allow student-athletes to compete for another college team if they got their undergraduate degree and were in a graduate program. I found this news brief in the newspaper back home in San Luis– it said that the NCAA is reconsidering a measure that was made in April of this year about this issue.
According to the news brief in the San Luis Obispo Tribune, “Division I members at the NCAA convention in January whether to override a measure passed in April allowing a graduate with remaining eligibility to transfer to another school and become immediately eligible. Normally,Division I transfers must sit out one year.”
I talked about this issue on one of my blogs (July 2nd)– and I think that this would be a poor move by the NCAA in my opinion. If an athlete has one year left in their eligibility that they want to use for graduate school– they should be able to compete at the school of their choice! The main reason that athletes go to college is to get a college education— sometimes coaches and others in the athletic department sometimes forget that. It’s a great opportunity for those that can go on to get their advance degrees and put an exclaimation point on their athletic careers as well.
What athetlic departments and the NCAA could do is showcase these athletes that also excel in the classroom– there are so many stories that are about athletes that are not positive at all (ex. arrests, academic probation, steroid use, etc.)– so why not talk about those athletes that are doing well both in their sport and in their graduate school classes? This would help boost the image of the athletic department as well as the NCAA.
My theory is that some people (coaches or athletic directors) think that this rule would be a “loophole” for those athletes that want to go to another program. You have to take a look at those that are saying this– because they are not thinking what is best for the athlete, but for themselves. I think that coaches are there for the athlete– if the athlete wants to go– they can go. Athletics is all about having fun and doing something that you like– and coaches need to realize that student-athletes need to figure out what is best for their future after the sport.
This past year, I got to compete for USC during my first year in graduate school. It was a blast– the USC track coaches were great, my teammates really supportive– and it was a very positive environment. I feel that people should have the opportunity to have a great last year of their athletic career– it will be part of them forever. I think that the NCAA will do a lot of harm to athletes if they reconsider this rule– it will not only hurt the chances athletes will have– but it will also affect the image of the NCAA among these athletes. The NCAA should be there for all athletes– and what is best for them to succeed.
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