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.
Foreign Tours & In-Season Foreign Competition
As Division I universities grapple this month with the COVID-19 pandemic around scheduled spring breaks and as the United States encounters increasingly amped instruction toward preventative hygiene and rapidly evolving travel restrictions, this week’s Term-in-ology highlights two NCAA terms specific to competition opportunities tied to travel outside the United States.
Per NCAA Division I Bylaw 17.29, Division I teams in all sports may embark on a foreign tour once every four years. Foreign tours are distinct from in-season foreign competition (also captured in Bylaw 17) in that foreign tours may only occur during a summer vacation period or during a vacation period (other than Labor Day) published in the official academic calendar. Conversely, in-season foreign compeition could occur during the team's playing season whether the playing season occurs before, during, or after the academic year.
The in-season foreign competition option permits several NCAA Divisiion I sports (e.g., softball, baseball, field hockey, men’s golf, women’s golf, etc.) to schedule competition in a foreign country within a team’s regular season schedule. The permissible frequency of in-season foreign competition occurs on a similar cycle as foreign tours -- no more than once every four years.
It is possible that both international competition opportunities could happen within the same 12-month window. For example (and assuming no international travel restrictions due to a pandemic), a Division I women’s golf program may take a foreign tour to Ireland in summer 2020 while also scheduling regular-season competition in Jamaica during its spring 2021 championship segment.
A Division I team's opportunity to compete beyond US borders via a foreign tour or in-season competition seems like a distant, non-priority pipe dream in light of our present-day virus pandemic. In fact, foreign tours organized by Division I teams for summer 2020 may be getting canceled as you read this Term-In-Ology.
We wish our readership and all university stakeholders including students, faculty, and staff a safe spring during these uncertain times.
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.
