|
|
     
|
Will Baseball Increase Scholarships? - May 29, 2008 | 14:39:11
posted by: Josh
As we gear up for Omaha's two-week party, also known as the Men's College World Series, word out of the SEC is that the conference is considering sponsorship of a proposal that would increase scholarships in the sport from 11.7 to 14. Mississippi State and LSU are co-sponsoring the proposal, which will need the buy-in of SEC presidents before it gets going through the NCAA legislative cycle. Once it gets to the governance level, there will be a series of steps the proposal will have to go through before a change is made, but all of the committees that will see it are representative bodies from NCAA member institutions. As for the content of the proposed change, I think there's a good deal of validity in it. I'm not sure 11.7 scholarships is an appropriate number for baseball - a sport that starts eight position players and has a number of pitchers rotating on and off the mound. If we want to see more kids choosing college over the minor leagues when they come out of high school, an increase to 14 might be something that aids education, something the NCAA is all about. Just for comparative purposes, it's important to mention that aside from basketball and football, only lacrosse has more scholarships available for male student-athletes with 12.6. Men's basketball, ice hockey and football are counter sports, which means that there are no partial scholarships allocated - each player counts for one. Men's basketball offers 13 scholarships and football has 85 in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Although baseball is essentially the fifth-highest funded men's sport (cross country/track and field combines for 12.6), I buy the argument that more scholarships would benefit the sport. I tend to believe that fewer prospects would leave college after their junior year if they had a larger scholarship, which would help graduation rates and allow baseball student-athletes to mature for an extra year before embracing professional pursuits. What's most interesting to me is that the SEC is requesting an increase of 2.3 scholarships, not really an exorbitant number. We'll see how this goes in the governance process - it should be one worth watching. 
CommentsIt is about time.. Great point and one that I hope the university presidents approve. This is long overdue. Trying to field a team of 25-35 guys with only 11.7 scholarships is impossible. It would for the short-term make the bigger schools better, but in the long-run it would really help all mid-majors even the playing field in collegiate baseball. AMEN!!! Baseball is always on the chopping block it seems by the NCAA, and it's about time something like this comes forward. Next to football, baseball has the most participation per team, and 11.7 doesn't cut the mustard. Get that number to 16 and a lot of coaches will be happy! I wouldn't say it's impossible - Division III programs don't provide any scholarships at all. But what exactly are their plans for balancing out the numbers for Title IX?? Any increase in Men's scholarships would have to be met with an increase in women's scholarships as well. As receipts for baseball increase, it becomes more sensible to include the student-atheletes in the largesse. 11.7 scholarships are too little for a near-revenue sport such as baseball. On the other hand, many athletic departments are already financially strapped and may have difficulty paying for additional rides. At the end of the day, if the NCAA would like to grow the sport, it needs to provide more incentive for its better talent to remain in school and its team's role players to be able to afford to. While they're at it, Men's Volleyball needs an upgrade from 4 to 7 scholarships too. Both these programs need a fighting chance to grow. Increase the scholarships in exchange for a reduction in games to a max of 50. The switch to starting baseball later this year so that the cold weather states can thaw out has created a ridiculous result. With now 5 and 6 games a week, the so-called student athletes are rarely in class, rarely practicing, always under the gun to perform and as a result, the NCAA has made a mockery out of the team student-athlete for this group of men. I hope the NCAA is doing an "environmental impact study" to realize the ramifications this move has had on the individuals who play the game. The decision to make the move was improper in the first place. Weather plays a part in all of sports with some states having advantages and disadvantages. You just have to do the best you can. Practicing football in August in the Arizona desert heat is criminal. I don't see the start of football being moved back to October to give those guys some humane relief. The NCAA has a "student-athlete" mantra, but it doesn't apply to the all the programs. Double standards prevail. More schollys for baseball? Wow Josh, you sound like Ron Polk! Post a Comment |
  
It means that two very good teams with very good coaches made it to the final game.
- Marie
   
|
