Spring Sport Student-Athletes Used a 'Season of Competition' Under the COVID-19 Sky - or did they?
Term-in-ology. College athletics is not immune to industry acronyms or opaque concepts that can throw off the scent. With that in mind, Term-in-ology seeks each week to educate our readers on key NCAA definitions, terms of art, and policies and procedures encapsulating modern-day college athletics. If you are connected in any way to higher education, the business of education, or simply a college sports fan---this weekly morsel can help you decode college sports.
Season of Competition
NCAA spring sports (along with schools, workplaces, daycare, and our general way of life) were turned upside down this past week due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States.
As college athletics, higher education, and the world continue to grapple with COVID-19 and search for a “new normal,” a curious development occurred related to NCAA Division I spring sport student-athletes and their use of a “season of competition.”
Let’s start with some background. In the spirit of Term-in-ology, it’s key to understand that NCAA Division I rules define using a season of competition as a student-athlete having competed in intercollegiate competition, which occurs when a student-athlete in either a two-year or a four-year collegiate institution does any of the following:
Represents the institution in any contest against outside competition, regardless of how the competition is classified (e.g., scrimmage, exhibition or joint practice session with another institution's team) or whether the student is enrolled in a minimum full-time program of studies;
Competes in the uniform of the institution or, during the academic year, uses any apparel (excluding apparel no longer used by the institution) received from the institution that includes institutional identification; or
Competes and receives expenses (e.g., transportation, meals, room, entry fees) from the institution for the competition.
NCAA rules then set forth that a student-athlete shall not engage in more than four (4) seasons of intercollegiate competition in any one sport withint a five-year window that begins from the beginning of the semester or quarter in which the student-athlete first registered for a minimum full-time program of studies in a collegiate institution, with time spent in the armed services, on official religious missions or with recognized foreign aid services of the U.S. government being excepted.
The headline news related to NCAA spring sport student-athletes’ use of their seasons of competition---or as it turned out, non-use--- as recapped in this announcement.
In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, the NCAA effectively issued an unprecedented 100%, no-questions-asked, refund on the use of a season of competition to all NCAA spring sport student-athletes who were in the middle of their spring 2020 championship season.
Based on the initial press release from the NCAA, the relief was provided to all spring sport student-athletes -- not just seniors participating in their final season. However, the devil is in the details and there aren’t many details known to date. Additional deliberations are anticipated to sort out application and implications of this decision.
A few evolving questions related to this sweeping relief include the following:
Does this relief only apply to seniors or will it apply to spring sport student-athletes of any grade level?
Will the athletics scholarship money for current spring sport seniors that counted against NCAA team scholarship limits this year be exempted from next year’s team limits if those seniors return? How will that work?
If current freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are provided relief, will their athletics aid be exempted from NCAA team scholarship limits in a future year?
How will this scholarship “overage” in the form of returning seniors (and their scholarships that might not be coming off the books) be managed by athletic department budgets?
Will terms and conditions in a spring-sport student-athlete’s athletic scholarship agreement nullify the option for the senior to use the restored season of competition?
Will winter sport student-athletes (e.g., swimming and diving, basketball, etc), who were about 90% done with their seasons of competition as of last week, also get their season of competition restored? [Early indications are “no”]
Are there Title IX implications if some spring sport rosters swell beyond normal levels in 2020-21 due to a higher number of seniors deciding to return?
Many questions and more to come.
As for the NCAA's decision itself, it's unquestionably heartfelt. There is universal sympathy for the adverse impacts COVID-19 has had on everyone impacted inside and outside of higher education. In the college sports bubble, there was (and still is) true heartbreak for Division I student-athletes whose seasons and dreams were unfairly and abruptly curtailed last week.
The NCAA's decision to restore the season of competition for spring sport senior student-athletes (and possibly others) is significant.
The longer-term sorting, mapping, and implementation of this decision will be, too.
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.
