16: Maintaining Your Eligibility in .NET framework

Drawer Code 128 in .NET framework 16: Maintaining Your Eligibility

Sometimes the eligibility rules for college athletes are hard to understand not because the language is complex, but because the logic is confusing Take Jeremy Bloom s eligibility, for example Jeremy was a standout wide receiver (he still holds a school record with a 94-yard scoring reception) and punt returner for the University of Colorado at Boulder He was named both first-team Freshman All-America and Big 12 Freshman All-Conference team for special teams in 2002 and second-team Big 12 All-Conference for special teams in 2003 Bloom also is one of the world s top moguls skiers A member of the 2002 US Olympic ski team, he holds several World Cup championships in moguls skiing and is, as of this writing, training as a member of the 2006 US Olympic ski team The NCAA allows student-athletes to compete in and receive payment for professional sports other than their collegiate sports (This rule has been used mostly by several college football players who tried their hand and failed at professional Minor League baseball and then returned to college football and their full scholarships) The NCAA does not allow athletes, however, to receive endorsement money for the sports they play, which leaves amateur athletes, such as Olympic skiers like Bloom, in a bind, because they receive no salaries from their amateur sports Instead, they rely on endorsements to pay for expensive training and travel costs (and coaches , trainers , and physical therapists salaries) The US ski team, for example, pays only for in-season training; athletes have to pay for the rest of the year s training, for the costs of trainers and coaches, and for travel and housing out of their own pockets For competitive freestyle skiing, that means at least $100,000 per year Before attending the University of Colorado, Bloom received endorsements to fund his ski training But under the NCAA s strict rules to keep its players amateur, Bloom couldn t have both endorsements and a spot on the Buffaloes gridiron The NCAA also proclaimed that Bloom would have to give up the modeling and TV careers he had been offered So that he could continue to play football for the UC Buffaloes, Bloom turned down the endorsements for skiing, the modeling career, and the TV career But, after unsuccessfully lobbying Congress to allow some compensation for college athletes, Bloom filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, seeking permission to keep his ski sponsorships He argued that his endorsements were from skiing, not football; had absolutely no impact on football; and were necessary to support his Olympic dream, because skiers (like all amateur athletes) depend on endorsements and not salaries

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as a source of income He also argued that the NCAA s rules on sponsorship are unfair, considering that the NCAA itself makes hundreds of millions of dollars from sponsorship endorsements, TV contracts, and apparel licensing (including the thousands of UC shirts with Bloom s number sold for profit, none of which went to Bloom) In asking that an exception be made to the rule about amateur status or that the rule be changed, Bloom also cited an example of the NCAA s making exceptions to its own rules In 1999, Tim Dwight was allowed to retain his NCAA eligibility and compete for the University of Iowa s track team after paying back endorsement money he received as a wide receiver for the NFL s Atlanta Falcons in 1998 Another recent example of the NCAA s exceptions to its own rules is the organization s decision in 2004 to waive the mandatory sit-out year for Division I transfers after a number of Baylor men s basketball players left for other universities after one of their teammates was murdered and their coach tried to cover it up After forgoing two seasons worth of sponsorship money, Bloom announced in 2004 that he could no longer afford to pay for his ski training and that he would have to accept endorsements Also, in April 2004, the General Assembly of Colorado appealed to the NCAA in a joint resolution to review its rules that prohibit Jeremy Bloom from successfully competing in both collegiate football and competitive skiing and make changes or exceptions to these rules to allow for Jeremy Bloom to continue competing in both sports Bloom had shown he could excel in both sports, and he was sure the NCAA would support him He was wrong Not only did the NCAA reject the Colorado General Assembly s request, but in August 2004, a judge also ruled against Bloom The rationale in both decisions was that a precedent for endorsements would endanger the core principle of amateurism in college football So, unable to follow two dreams, Jeremy chose his quest for Olympic gold The Buffaloes now have to play without their star wide receiver, and many of Colorado s citizens wonder about the NCAA s logic but many also wonder whether the NCAA s regulations discourage potential Olympians from getting college educations If these would-be ambassadors for the United States have to choose between full scholarships to college or endorsements to supplement their amateur training, are they getting the full support they should be getting for their Olympic dreams dreams that inspire and excite us all If you also have dreams of Olympic and collegiate glory, you need to be aware of these conflicts The moral: The NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA are there to support and protect student-athletes, but the rules don t always work for you Be sure you know exactly what the rules mean and how they apply to you