Pac-12 presidents send letter asking other leagues to back reforms

[cmgoods]

The complete list of the proposals from the AP:

— Permit institutions to make scholarship awards up to the full cost of attendance
— Provide reasonable ongoing medical or insurance assistance for student-athletes who suffer an incapacitating injury in competition or practice. Continue efforts to reduce the incidence of disabling injury.
— Guarantee scholarships for enough time to complete a bachelor's degree, provided that the student remains in good academic standing.
— Decrease the demands placed on the athlete in-season, correspondingly increase the time available for studies and campus life, by preventing the abuse of organized "voluntary" practices to circumvent the limit of 20 hours per week and more realistically assess the time away from campus and other commitments during the season.
— Similarly decrease time demands out of season by reducing out-of-season competition and practices, and by considering shorter seasons in specific sports.
— Further strengthen the Academic Progress Rate requirements for postseason play.
— Address the "one and done" phenomenon in men's basketball. If the NBA its Players Association are unable to agree to raising the age limit for players, consider restoring the freshman ineligibility rule in men's basketball.
— Provide student-athletes a meaningful role in governance at the conference and NCAA levels.
— Adjust existing restrictions so that student-athletes preparing for the next stage of their careers are not unnecessarily deprived of the advice and counsel of agents and other competent professionals, but without professionalizing intercollegiate athletics.
— Liberalize the current rules limiting the ability of student-athletes to transfer between institutions.

​

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...d-letter-asking-other-leagues-to-back-reforms

 

[absinthe]

some decent thoughts from Pachoops on this:
http://pachoops.com/2014/06/dont-ignore-this-letter-the-one-from-the-pac-12-presidents/

especially the frosh stuff

 

[Buffnik]

I'm pretty sure I saw something online today about the B1G officials supporting this Pac-12 proposal.

Also, it was posted on Rivals that the SEC and Big 12 are likely forming the opposition bloc with the ACC being the swing conference. The major point of dispute is on raising academic standards for student athletes.

 

[pachoops]

You did see B1G alignment. They came out in support of most everything and said they'd like to explore other parts. In both letters, there seems to be an air of self-importance and, quite frankly, not much mention of action. That said, the all conference meetings are on 6/16 so imagine more information is coming.

I'm pretty sure I saw something online today about the B1G officials supporting this Pac-12 proposal.

Also, it was posted on Rivals that the SEC and Big 12 are likely forming the opposition bloc with the ACC being the swing conference. The major point of dispute is on raising academic standards for student athletes.

 

[skibum]

I'm pretty sure I saw something online today about the B1G officials supporting this Pac-12 proposal.

Also, it was posted on Rivals that the SEC and Big 12 are likely forming the opposition bloc with the ACC being the swing conference. The major point of dispute is on raising academic standards for student athletes.

Let's not forget that what's really going on with the "academic standard" dispute is the B1G and P12 trying to even out the playing field with the SEC and SWC Big "12." This is in addition to the paternalistic PR win of saying "we just want to make sure the young men get a decent education." It's almost a foregone conclusion that the ACC sides with the P12 & B1G.

 

[hokiehead]

Let's not forget that what's really going on with the "academic standard" dispute is the B1G and P12 trying to even out the playing field with the SEC and SWC Big "12." This is in addition to the paternalistic PR win of saying "we just want to make sure the young men get a decent education." It's almost a foregone conclusion that the ACC sides with the P12 & B1G.

I would've said that before we traded Maryland for Louisville. I am no longer confident the ACC's commitment to academics over athletics.

 

[Buffnik]

I would've said that before we traded Maryland for Louisville. I am no longer confident the ACC's commitment to academics over athletics.

Will be interesting to watch.

I believe that the Pac-12/B1G position is based at least as much in positioning college athletics well in the legal debate over anti-trust and "professionalism" of college athletes.

If you don't emphasize the "student" part of being a student-athlete, then you're on shaky ground.

By emphasizing academics, the statement is that college football is not minor league NFL played by indentured labor. Rather, it's an extension of an academic institution with real selectivity and scholarship requirements in order to participate. A scholarship athlete has to be positioned the same was as a scholarship music prodigy. Both are on scholarship due to a special skill that enriches the university. And while both are there mostly because of their special talent, they also need to be able to have a fairly high level of general academic competence.

 

[skibum]

I would've said that before we traded Maryland for Louisville. I am no longer confident the ACC's commitment to academics over athletics.

I sort of share your concern, but the fact is that many ACC schools will never dumb down their standards enough to compete with SEC schools, and this is just as much about "leveling the playing field" in terms of trying to enforce some sort of academic standard on the schools that aren't exactly know for academic standards, as it is looking after their own academic reputations.

Nik's point about legal positioning is also pretty salient as wel.

 

[FlatironsBuff]

Everyone who isn't the SEC stands to gain if the SEC has to maintain the same academic standards.

 

[Liver]

It will be an interesting dialogue. The power conferences have to stick together to get the deals they want. P12 and big10 have never been as on board with mercenary ball as the sec or b12. This was my primary reason for wanting out of the b12 for the last 20 years or so.

I predict a compromise. P12 and b10 need the sec almost as much as the reverse to make the whole new power conference world order work.

Another way to solve the dispute--Take texassss and the dirt burglars out of the b12 and that conf ceases to matter. Whichever side lands them wins this ongoing dispute

 

[TDbuff]

I get a Dan Beebe vibe from John Swofford. He'll cow to whatever the SEC wants, eventually lose a couple of his conference's teams to them, and then get fired.

 

[hokiehead]

I get a Dan Beebe vibe from John Swofford. He'll cow to whatever the SEC wants, eventually lose a couple of his conference's teams to them, and then get fired.

first reaction: ROTFL. you could be dead f**king on
second reaction: hold on. that's our conference commish you're talking **** about, keep your comments directed at Larry. only conference members get to talk that **** about their commissioners.

rep sent. I have little confidence in that Tarheel ****

 

[TDbuff]

first reaction: ROTFL. you could be dead f**king on
second reaction: hold on. that's our conference commish you're talking **** about, keep your comments directed at Larry. only conference members get to talk that **** about their commissioners.

rep sent. I have little confidence in that Tarheel ****

Thanks. Yeah, he seems like a wallflower of a conference commissioner and the last one that was like that was Beebe. And no offense against the ACC, because if they were run right, Mike Slive should be the one who's worried.

 

[Denver_sc]

I agree with Hokie. There's NO WAY the ACC or any headline member would support lesser academic standards in the name of athletics.

 

[liverflukes]

https://twitter.com/SovernNation/status/474996220419506176