By Steve Kallas
and Janelle Allbritton (posted by Rick Morris)
Kudos to the
NCAA for deciding that those student-athletes who play (now cancelled) spring
sports should get an extra year of eligibility. To deprive seniors, who have
worked their entire college careers to get the point they are at, the
opportunity to play a season and, possibly, a postseason, would be unfair and
against the spirit of college athletics.
Having said
that, it would be equally unfair for the NCAA to not allow seniors who have
just completed their winter season the same opportunity that spring athletes
are getting. While the cancellation of the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball
championships are the best example of this, there are plenty of other sports
and thousands of athletes in those sports who deserve, along with all of the
basketball players, the right to compete in the highlight of their respective
seasons -- to play in conference championships and the NCAA tournaments (if
good enough).
This should
really be a no-brainer.
There is little
difference between not playing at all (spring 2020 student-athletes) and
playing your regular season with no chance to participate in conference
championships and then national championships (winter 2019-20
student-athletes). Many people (not all) understand the time, effort and
dedication that it takes to be a college athlete in today’s world. For those
who don’t, it’s akin to having a full-time job -- while carrying a college
course load at the same time. A difficult task (ask anyone who does it). And
please save the jokes about players who don’t go to class, players who are just
waiting to go “pro.”
On the overall
scheme of things, that’s an incredibly small percentage of NCAA athletes.
While those
winter athletes did have an advantage over the spring athletes in that they did
get to play a regular season, the reality is that everyone is playing with the
hope of participating in conference and, maybe, national championships. The
“postseason” is what makes for the season-long goals and, in this season, to be
deprived of that opportunity hurts all winter athletes, virtually to the same
extent as spring athletes.
So, it’s time
for the NCAA, an organization often under fire, to do the right thing and
extend the extra year of eligibility to include all winter athletes.
Then, and only
then, will the NCAA have done right by ALL of their student athletes.
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