NCAA to change rules

In an article by the Associated Press on ESPN, the new changes of the NCAA are described.  Along with the major changes with the alignment of conferences, the NCAA has passed new rules to be put into effect.  The rules loosen grips on behavior and tighten the requirements.  The new rules will change some of the dynamic of sports, as we know them today.

One of the major changes is that schools can pay a stipend of spending money to athletes along with covering their tuition and other school expenses. The schools, however, must pay the same to male and female athletes.  The problem with this new rule is that it could allow room for the bigger schools to widen the difference between themselves and smaller schools.  There is a concern of more realignment between the schools that have enough money to pay stipends and the schools that do not.  There is also debate on whether this is pay-for-play or not and the NCAA claims that it is not because it is just paying for the cost of living for the athlete and they are not giving them just extra money.

Another change is that schools must meet a certain progress rate in academics to be able to play in the post-season.  The NCAA is stressing that academics is very important and that the goal of playing in college sports is to graduate the student while still playing the sport, so universities must really focus on this if they want to play in the post-season.  This is a very important rule because lately it seems that people may be forgetting that the athletes are students as well and they need to focus on their studies along with sports.  This rule creates the opportunity to use academics as a motivator for being able to be eligible for the post-season.