Stetson Hershey –
College athletics is becoming more and more tainted.
Collegiate programs and athletes have been making headlines all over the country for violations or wrong doing by school standards or by NCAA standards. The schools, coaches, and even players then have to face the consequences, which could include loss of scholarships, jobs, or awards won by the school.
According to NCAA.org, the NCAA’s core purpose is to govern competition in a fair, safe, equitable and sportsmanlike manner and to integrate intercollegiate athletics into higher education so that the educational experience of the student-athlete is paramount. Committees oversee certain aspects of competition to make sure it is fair for all student athletes. If there is a determined infraction in the program, then the committee decides what punishment is handed down to whom that imposed the infraction.
The NCAA does not have the same legal authority as a court system. For example, if they suspect someone of lying to them, then they can’t be charged with perjury.
The NCAA has a strict code that needs to be followed while recruiting potential players. For football, they may send only questionnaires and brochures to high school students who are freshman and sophomores. If the students are juniors, they only send recruiting materials after a certain date and can only call the student between a certain time period. Once the students become seniors, they may call the student more frequently and can visit recruits after a certain time period. Junior college players are under similar rules, except they can not be contacted until after their done with their first year of enrollment.
Breaking these rules can have severe consequences on schools athletic programs. Punishment can lead to probation, suspension from postseason play, and loss of scholarships for that specific program that committed the infraction.