Graduation rates, the influence of commercialism and traveling AAU teams were some of the topics discussed by Elon alumni Deborah Yow and Frank Haith during a panel discussion with NCAA President Myles Brand Sept. 6 in McCrary Theatre. Details...
The discussion was the final event in a day-long symposium on campus about the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and some of the major issues in college athletics. Moderated by Joe Crowley, former president at the University of Nevada, Reno, and author of a book commemorating the NCAA’s 100th anniversary, the discussion was carried live by UNC Television on its UNC-NC digital channel.
Haith graduated from Elon in 1988 and is entering his third season as head men’s basketball coach at the University of Miami (Fla.). He said he begins emphasizing academics and the ultimate goal of graduation from the moment he starts recruiting a player.
“I tell them that you don’t go to school to play basketball, you go to school and play basketball,” Haith said. When the NCAA recently announced higher standards for graduation rates and sanctions for those schools that do not meet the goals, “I think some people were frightened by that. But I really, truly believe that student-athletes will meet the criteria you set forth.”
Yow, director of athletics at the University of Maryland and a 1974 Elon graduate, said commercialism and corporate dollars continue to have a growing influence on college athletics, an inevitable fact of life especially at large state institutions that have been squeezed by cuts in public funding in recent years.
“Today, only 25 percent of funding for the University of Maryland comes from the state of Maryland,” Yow said. “If you’re going to be able to provide, you’re going to have to find other sources of funding. It’s best to ensure that we’re not over the top (with corporate logos and advertising), while realizing that we have to provide the funding.”
Increasingly, Yow said universities like Maryland are relying on the corporate and private sector for major funding initiatives. The Terrapin athletics program received a $20 million gift last week from a Maryland bank for upgrades to its football stadium and playing field.
Salaries for coaches and support staff continue to rise, but Haith pointed out that jobs like his are “365 days a year, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
“College sports is big business,” said Haith. “I am CEO of that brand (Miami basketball). I am responsible for what those 12 or 15 players do on and off the court.” Haith also noted that salaries are a relatively small part of coaches’ overall compensation packages, which at large Division I institutions frequently include other income sources such as radio and television deals and apparel contracts.
Haith also discussed the growing influence of amateur and traveling basketball teams fielded by organizations such as the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). Large numbers of teenagers and high school students are playing for these teams in hopes of being noticed by college and pro scouts.
“We should be worried about it,” Haith said. “Twenty years ago, there was no such thing as amateur basketball. Kids are traveling all over the country to play, to places like Orlando and Las Vegas. At first, I thought it was a great idea, but what you’re seeing now is people taking it too far and giving kids false hope. There are only 300 jobs in the NBA.”
Not all AAU and amateur basketball programs are bad, Haith said. “There are some good people running those AAU programs. They provide things like academic tutoring. But the bad ones are the ones we’ve got to weed out.”
Yow said women’s athletics programs have come a long way since her days on the women’s basketball team at Elon, but “we need to do more.” By any measure, she said colleges and universities “are way behind” in compliance with Title IX, the federal mandate that requires equal opportunities for men and women. To increase opportunities for women, she is a staunch advocate for adding competitive cheer as an intercollegiate sport, something the University of Maryland did recently. With the large numbers of girls involved in competitive cheer at the high school level, Yow said it’s a “no-brainer” to add the sport to collegiate sports offerings.