Future of Division III

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Wesley got gov't funding for several years before they closed.

[Ron Boerger]

Wesley got gov't funding for several years before they closed.

But this is almost an order of magnitude worse.  From an article announcing Wesley's purchase by Delaware State,  dated July 9, 2020:

Since 2018, Wesley received $3.375 million in state funds, and was approved for up to $3 million on an as-needed basis in February. Since then, the school has accessed $1.8 million of that funding, a spokesperson for the state Office of Management and Budget said.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

BSC is also five times bigger than Wesley. I suspect they msoe up a smaller percentage of the local economy. It's all contextual.

[jknezek]

BSC is also five times bigger than Wesley. I suspect they msoe up a smaller percentage of the local economy. It's all contextual.

Yeah. But it didn't exactly work out for Wesley either. They scraped along and then were subsumed. Which is better than being simply shut, but I don't think UAB would have much use for BSC's campus if it came to that.

When you throw yourself at the mercy of state, county and city officials to beg for money as a private institution charging on average 15-20K per year per student you are in pretty desperate straights. And in this state, where Alabama (Tuscaloosa) and Auburn aren't simply Kings, they are Emperors, you are asking a huge ask. UAB gets kicked around incessantly whenever they ask for anything, and they run an amazing Medical School. UAH has an unreal engineering program rooted in all the space related industry in Huntsville, and they are a huge afterthought. The less said about the directionals the better. For legislative purposes, higher education in Alabama only matters in 2 places.

BSC is going to have to grovel hard, and I'm not sure anyone is going to care.

[Ralph Turner]

BSC is also five times bigger than Wesley. I suspect they msoe up a smaller percentage of the local economy. It's all contextual.

Yeah. But it didn't exactly work out for Wesley either. They scraped along and then were subsumed. Which is better than being simply shut, but I don't think UAB would have much use for BSC's campus if it came to that.

When you throw yourself at the mercy of state, county and city officials to beg for money as a private institution charging on average 15-20K per year per student you are in pretty desperate straights. And in this state, where Alabama (Tuscaloosa) and Auburn aren't simply Kings, they are Emperors, you are asking a huge ask.UAB gets kicked around incessantly whenever they ask for anything, and they run an amazing Medical School. UAH has an unreal engineering program rooted in all the space related industry in Huntsville, and they are a huge afterthought. The less said about the directionals the better. For legislative purposes, higher education in Alabama only matters in 2 places.

BSC is going to have to grovel hard, and I'm not sure anyone is going to care.

YES!!! Amazing

[Ralph Turner]

CSAC - UEC Merger

https://d3sports.com/notables/2022/12/csac-uec-merger-coming

Another Pool C bid will be available in some sports!!!

[Ralph Turner]

Asking for amplification of this legislation that was passed at the convention...what are the "nuts and bolts" of this?

"Schools interested in joining the NCAA must have an invitation from an active Division III conference before applying for membership and must maintain affiliation during the membership process. "

For example...

The ASC wants to add a football-playing school. Texas Wesleyan (TexWes) is an acceptable institution to the membership and TexWes is interested in joining the ASC.

Does the ASC invite and accept TexWes as a member-in-process?
Must TexWes be a member thru the entire provisional and transition process of affiliation?

[Gregory Sager]

Asking for amplification of this legislation that was passed at the convention...what are the "nuts and bolts" of this?

"Schools interested in joining the NCAA must have an invitation from an active Division III conference before applying for membership and must maintain affiliation during the membership process. "

For example...

The ASC wants to add a football-playing school. Texas Wesleyan (TexWes) is an acceptable institution to the membership and TexWes is interested in joining the ASC.

Does the ASC invite and accept TexWes as a member-in-process?
Must TexWes be a member thru the entire provisional and transition process of affiliation?

Good question ... and, as an aside, the Rams would become the seventh D3 school whose name included the word "Wesleyan". How many Wesleyans do we need to accumulate before we are eligible to exchange them for valuable rewards?

[Ron Boerger]

Asking for amplification of this legislation that was passed at the convention...what are the "nuts and bolts" of this?

"Schools interested in joining the NCAA must have an invitation from an active Division III conference before applying for membership and must maintain affiliation during the membership process. "

For example...

The ASC wants to add a football-playing school. Texas Wesleyan (TexWes) is an acceptable institution to the membership and TexWes is interested in joining the ASC.

Does the ASC invite and accept TexWes as a member-in-process?
Must TexWes be a member thru the entire provisional and transition process of affiliation?

I read it as saying before TW could apply for D3 membership, they'd have to have a binding invitation from the ASC to become a member once the NCAA has approved the application.  While completing the probationary period TW and the ASC must retain their partnership. 

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Basically what Ron said ... there has to be a conference home for schools entering DIII. And I believe it has to be a full membership, not associate, but I'll double-check.

The same rule DII and DI have. We have schools like Bob Jones joining DIII with no path ... still.

[Ralph Turner]

California bill calls for revenue sharing in college sports

https://apnews.com/article/politics-sports-california-state-government-chris-holden-san-diego-699825d02972aeb2a2b0ab854b5b843f

From the article ...

"Assembly Bill 252 — introduced by Holden, a Democrat whose district includes Pasadena — calls for Division I schools in California to share 50% of revenue with athletes who are considered to be undervalued because the amount of their athletic scholarships doesn't match their market value. That would mostly be aimed at athletes competing in the revenue-generating sports such as football and basketball, but not exclusively."

Interesting development...

I also need some education on NIL's in D-3. Could a wealthy D-3 backer offer an amount, e.g., $1000, in NIL money to entice an athlete to play for a D-3 school?

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

NIL rules aren't any different for D3.  A number of players do have local advertising deals.

[Ron Boerger]

Speaking of NIL, here's a New York Times article (gift link, no paywall) discussing the impact of NIL on Division I sports programs.  One of the major takeaways is that with the ability to directly support individual athletes, funds formerly going to athletic programs may dry up, impacting minor sports that already can't fund themselves.   I suppose that could trickle into D3, though it's hard to imagine most of those supporting D3 programs as perceiving enough of a bang for the buck incentive to support individual athletes over programs. 

[Gray Fox]

Speaking of NIL, here's a New York Times article (gift link, no paywall) discussing the impact of NIL on Division I sports programs.  One of the major takeaways is that with the ability to directly support individual athletes, funds formerly going to athletic programs may dry up, impacting minor sports that already can't fund themselves.   I suppose that could trickle into D3, though it's hard to imagine most of those supporting D3 programs as perceiving enough of a bang for the buck incentive to support individual athletes over programs.

Was there any discussion of taxes (gift or income) coming into play?

[Ron Boerger]

I'm sure NIL moneys received are treated as income by the IRS and state/local agencies.  One of the players receiving NILs quoted in the article mentioned learning about tax forms as a part of the process.