Athletics Veritas is a weekly series aimed at helping higher education executives, faculty, and other stakeholders stay tuned in on trending national issues impacting college athletics, especially NCAA Division I. Athletics Veritas is created by senior DI athletic administrators around the nation.
Term-in-Ology:Where Division I Deregulation Ran Into Resistance– In-Person Scouting
Last Fall, as part of the Division I Modernization efforts, a proposal was put forward to eliminate the prohibition on off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents. The rationale for putting this forward came forward on the basis that livestreams of intercollegiate competition and prerecorded game film are readily available in the digital age.
In presenting the proposal to eliminate the restriction, part of the rationale was the minimal competitive advantage gained by scouting future opponents in-person and how that is outweighed by the monitoring and enforcement burdens of ensuring compliance with the legislation.
And from a campus level perspective, if a sport program and Head Coach are given an annual budget to operate from, if the coaches found in-person scouting of a future opponent of value and could fit it within their budget, what is the harm?
The Board of Directors Infractions Process Committee requested that the Legislative Committee Modernization of the Rules Subcommittee focus its rules modernization efforts on identifying rules that no longer serve the needs of the membership and the 21st century student-athlete, and recommending modifications to or the elimination of such rules.
With all of that said, the proposal to eliminate the in-person scouting restriction was defeated by the Division I Council last December. Despite the advancements in technology, competitive fairness may have weighed in that decision as well as the equitable access to the scouting technology referenced therein.
As fall sport coaches continue game-planning for future opponents remaining on the schedule and with some programs (especially football teams with bye weeks), the opportunity to scout a a future opponent in-person remains inviting – and yet impermissible.
Athletics Veritas is presented for information purposes only and should not be considered advice or counsel on NCAA compliance matters. For guidance on NCAA rules and processes, always consult your university’s athletics compliance office, conference office, and/or the NCAA.
