THE NCAA NEWS/April 19.1999 Sports
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Official Publication of the National Collegiate Athletic Association April 19,1989, Volume 26 Number 16 Sports sponsorship steady, but participation is down The total number of participants participation and sponsorship analy- Since 1985-86, the total is down in intercollegiate athletics at NCAA sis follows. nearly 20,000 (19,863) participants. member institutions clearly is de- Total Participation The men’s figure represents a clining, despite the fact that the Participation in intercollegiate decline of 5.8 percent from the institutions, on the average, are athletics is declining. In 1987-88, 190,017 recorded in 1986-87, and it sponsoring about the same number the totals were 178,941 men and is the third straight year for a drop of sports as they have in the past. 89,825 women, for an overall total in men’s participation. The women’s That was the bottom-line finding of 268,766. That is down for the total, down for the second straight in the annual review of sports spon- second straight year. The decline is year after several years of steady sorship and participation data, con- 4.4 percent from the year before. See Sports, page 2 ducted by the NCAA Committee on Review and Planning in its spring meeting in Seattle. Men The data in the annual review are taken from institutional information Participank mr SouiJd 8687 ~8788 +/- 8687 8788 +I- tIEa7 6788 +I- forms submitted by member insti- sport tutions. The committee also reviews Baseball 662 666 +4 21,055 19,279 -1,776 31.81 28.95 -2.86 Basketball 760 759 -1 12,725 12,Wl 684 16.74 1586 -88 high school sponsorship and partic- Cross ipation information supplied by the Country 681 682 +l 9,762 9,142 MO 14.33 13.48 -93 National Federation of State High Fencing 58 55 -3 1.172 1.232 +60 20.21 22.40 +219 School Associations. Football 510 510 ~ 51,087 47,201 -3,886 100.17 92.55 -7.62 Ted Krk photo Noting that the participation to- Golf 577 503 +6 6.604 6,536 -268 11.79 11.21 -3 Four-time champion tals were down in all three member- 56 50 8 I&Hockey 126 128 +2 4,ii 3iii -15143 34.811575 30.7314.62 -1.134.08 ship divisions and that the tiverage Chad Fox of New Mexico is Nte fi& gymnast in NCAA Lacrosse 150 149 -1 4.713 4:711 -2 31.42 31.62 +20 gymnastics championship history to win four titfes on tfre squad size had declined in nearly Rifle z 66 +I every sport, both men’s and wom- E E +82-96 10.1216.17 16.848.52 -1.60+.67 same apparatus- the vault Story on page 6. Skiing en’s, the committee cited four possi- Soccer 548 iii'-; 14,375 13.6Ki -772 26.23 24.91 -1.32 ble contributing factors: Swimming 375 383 +8 8,071 7,854 -217 21.52 20.51 -1.01 686 667 +I 7.589 7,525 $4 11.06 IO.95 -.I1 l The number of college stuldents End to player-agent Track, in the traditional age cohort -- I8 to Indoor 439 446 +7 14,466 14,133 333 32.95 31.69 ml.26 2 I years of age ~ apparently is dim- Track, inishing to some degree. Outdoor 569 xi4 -5 19,055 18,126 -929 33.49 32.14 -135 program is sought Volleyball 50-- 675 +6!3 13.50 14.88 +1x l Some coaches express a desire -The NCAA Professional Sports The committee will recommend Water Polo Ei 1,121 1,;: +49 20.02 2017 +.I5 to work with a smaller squadl. Wrestling 3Ml 2: -;: 8,205 7,031 -1,174 27.35 24.33 -3.02 Liaison Committee is recommend- that the Council support career- l Traditionally, squad sizes tend ing that the Council eliminate the counseling programs and approve to diminish when the number of Women Association’s voluntary player-agent funding for a three-year education participants receiving athletically hngs Squad registration program. program. The program would help Instftutlorls Participants related financial aid increases. Sport 8687 8188 +I- 0607 8788 +/- WI7 0188 +/- At its April IO-13 meeting in institutions create career*ounseling Orlando, Florida, the committee panels as well as support existing l There may be a trend toward Basketball 757 756 -1 10,526 10.147 -379 13.90 13.42 -.48 Cross decided to seek an end to the pro- programs. young people pursuing other types of physical activity; i.e., recreational Country 633 63 +5 7,164 7,102 62 11.32 11.13 -.19 gram because it is not used efficiently The career-counseling programs Fencing Xi 52 -3 584 523 61 10M 10.06 -.% by member institutions. assist student-athletes in making pursuits rather than intercollegiate Field If the program is eliminated, un- informed decisions regarding future competition. Hockey 233 231 -2 5.404 5,101 -303 23.19 22.08 -1.11 scrupulous agents no longer can say professional athletics careers. The committee asked the national Golf 138 133 -5 1,210 1,172 -38 8.71 8.81 +.lO that the NCAA certifies their prac- The NCAA legislative services office staff to analyze the data in the Gymnastics 125 121 4 1,640 1,581 -59 13.12 13.07 -05 Lacrosse 114 114 ~ 2,988 2,792 -196 26.21 24.49 -1.72 tices, committee members believe. department would implement the Association’s next study of the Skiing 563 539 -24 13.73 12.55 ml.18 The committee also feels that player- three-year education plan, including sports and recreational programs at Soccer 2: 2: +ii 5,244 5,602 +35a 2200 2163 -117 agent programs established by the national forums at six-month inter- all member institutions which in Softball 543 543- 9.6% 9.222 474 17.86 16.98 -38 National Football League, Major vals, to support these panels. eludes club, intramural and recrea- Swimming 392 397 l s 7:760 7866 +106 19.80 1981 +Ol League Baseball and the National In a related development, the tional sports activities-~- to deter Tennis 690 690 ~ 7,470 7,088 -382 10.83 1027 -56 Basketball Association may be pro- National Football League Players mine if participation in those types Track, 391 416 +25 a.273 a.767 +494 21.16 21.07 -09 Association and the National Bas- ficient in dealing with the unscrupu- of activities also is declining or if it Track, lous agent and that the elimination ketball Association agreed to accept may be replacing participation in Outdoor 526 537 +I1 11,430 11,520 +90 21.73 21.45 m.28 of the NCAA program would not an educational role with the career- intercollegiate sports. Volleyball 701 705 +4 9,688 9,244 J&t4 13.82 13.11 m.71 leave a void in this area. See End, page 3 The full text of the committee’s Catastrophic-qury. msurance. program expected to grow As the fourth year of the NCAA’s NCAA member institutions soon ful, in fact, that the premium rates reason that more than 75 percent of death benefit should the injured lifetime catastrophic-injury insur- will receive information packets actually have decreased 20 percent Division I institutions have pur- student-athlete die within a year as ance plan draws to a close, Associa- describing the lifetime catastrophic- since it began. The NCAA and chased the catastrophic-injury plan. a result of the covered accident. tion officials are expecting member injury plan, as well as the NCAA’s National Sports Underwriters have This high level of participation also The plan supplements the participation in the plan to approach basic athletics-injury program and been able to negotiate such favora- has made the insurer feel comforta- NCAA’s basic athletics-injury pro- the two-thirds mark in 1989-90. an athletics staff-accident plan. Lin- ble rates because of high member- blc lowering the rates for Divisions gram, which provides medical ex- This year, nearly 60 percent (454) coln National Health and Casualty ship participation, positive claims II and 111. penses for two years to a maximum of member institutions are partici- Insurance Company is the under- experience and Association subsidy. “The NCAA has clearly demon of %25,000 for injured student par- pating in the plan, a significant writing carrier for the plans, which The NCAA pays the entire pre- strated a commitment to this insur- ticipants. increase over 1987-88 levels (47 per- are administered by National Sports mium for catastrophic-injury cov- ance program, and that has made it “The catastrophic and basic plans cent, 364 institutions). Member par- Underwriters, Inc. crage for all Division I men’s and much easier for us to enhance the dovetail,” said Hunter, noting that ticipation has increased each year “We have made a long-term com- women’s basketball participants. In plans and maintain or reduce rates participation in the basic plan also since the program began in 1985. mitment to providing this important addition, the NCAA pays one-half each year,” Wilson said. is increasing. “Institutions that pur- “This continues to be a real suc- coverage through the NCAA,” said the premium for all other Division I The catastrophicinjury plan pro- chase the catastrophic plan will cess story,” said Richard D. Hunter, Thomas E Wilson, president of sports and the entire cost of coverage vides lifetime benefits, with no over- need something-either the NCAA director of operations.