#4plus2

UPDATE: This is now the onField inField proposal. Learn more at http://onfieldinfield.com

In my role as a UNC professor and Tar Heel sports fan I want student-athletes to be successful both on the field, in the classroom and most importantly, in life. The recent headlines have demonstrated that is not an easy task to be great at both. Now is the time to consider new models and different options to enable student-athletes to be successful.

Summary

Change the NCAA full-time student required number of hours from 12 to 6 during the season and 9 during the off-season to enable students-athletes to be successful in the classroom.

Problem

Student-athletes have one of the most difficult jobs on campus. Not only must they excel in the classroom as a full-time student but they are also under tremendous pressure to succeed on the playing field working more than 40+ hours a week on their sport. The schools need them to do well and win games. At the same time schools also want them excel academically, be enlightened and succeed in life.

In a time when less than 2% of NCAA players will become professional athletes in their chosen sport, it is vital that student-athletes have a realistic opportunity to earn an education and thrive in a different professional arena which is difficult for players with such a restriction on the amount of time they have for other pursuits.

We require our student-athletes to be full-time students and full-time athletes at the same time. Just look at the term, "full-time," a person cannot be full-time at two things.

The NCAA limits student-athletes to only 20 hours of required practice during the season but an NCAA survey of 20,000 student-athletes in 2011 showed the actual time was much higher. For example, football and baseball players estimated they spend more than 40+ hours per week on their sport.

It would be difficult for the most talented and committed students to have a full-time and physically demanding job awhile taking a full class load to be able to do more than pass. It is not fair to the student-athlete to be required to work a full-time job and be a full time student.

Proposal

During the competitive season, student-athletes would be required to take a minimum of 6 hours and during the off-season would take 9 hours rather than the currently required 12 in both semesters. This reduced load would provide more time for the student-athletes to learn and succeed in each individual class rather than simply surviving the full load. Schools would still designate them as full-time students because of their athletic involvement.

Scholarship players would continue to receive those benefits, including tutoring and support services for the additional four semesters after their eligibility period ended to ensure they could complete their degree.

The NCAA’s Graduation Success Rate (GSR) already tracks student athletes over a 6-year period as opposed the Federal Graduation Rate (FGR), which is defined at 4 years.  The 6-year rate is 17% higher than the FGR for NCAA student-athletes demonstrating that many student-athletes need extra semesters to complete a degree and shows that student athletes are willing to stay extra years in order to earn a degree and graduate.

Benefits

Student-athletes would have a better situation for learning rather than simply surviving with a D by having more time to devote to learning in and out of class. Student athletes would have more choices of majors or fields of study and not be limited to the majors they find easy. 

Student-athletes would have more opportunities for deeper involvement (conferences, field trips, student organizations) in their discipline in the last two years of their degree which would make them better prepared for securing jobs within their chosen career field.

Financial Concerns

Obviously, there will be an increase in cost to the Universities to keep students on scholarship for an additional two years. Using UNC Chapel HIll as an example it would be an additional $10,000-$12,000 per scholarship player that continues if they continue to live on campus. If they decline the room the different is about $2,500 for fees and support because there is a reduced tuition cost each semester for the smaller load and does not require any additional spending for tuition. 

Next Steps

The NCAA rules committee will need to consider this idea and if they decided to move the rule forward, it would be voted on by members. I will be presenting this to the Athletic Director at UNC Chapel Hill for is advice, suggestions and consideration but I am also interested to know what concerns the public sees in this proposal.

Conclusion

Not every athlete will take this opportunity as some will go pro after their final season and others will choose to graduate in four years with their other classmates.