Official Publication of the National Collegiate Athletic Association January 25,1989, Volume 26 Number 4 Some top coaches say limits on TV games vital to attendance Several prominent NCAA foot- I982 figure. “The solution is probably to cut ball coaches cite overexposure on A summary of 1988 football at- down the number of games on tele- television as the major cause of tendance was published in the Jan- vision. How you do that is a good declining attendance for majorcol- uary 4 issue of The NCAA News. question when everybody is fighting lege football in 1987; and while they Division 1-A attendance was for the almighty dollar. Too many advocate some system for control- down in both total and per-game schools are stuggling financially, ling the number of games on televi- average in 1988, which is only the even schools like ours that sell out. sion, none believes that a return to second time that has occurred since “The solution is to go back to the an NCAA t&vision plan is likely to attendance figures have been com- old-fashioned way. If you’re going occur. piled. to watch the ball game, you’ve got According to the NCAA Statis- And that has University of Mich- to pay to get in,” Cooper said. tics Service, attendance at all college igan athletics director and head Mike Archer of Louisiana State football games declined almost football coach ho Schembechler University advocates more selcctiv- 900,000 during the 1988 season, worried. ity. marking the second decline in the He said, “You’re talking about a “1 don’t know what the solution four seasons since the U.S. Supreme school (Michigan) that has the grea- is, to be honest; but if WC continue Court nullified the NCAA Football test attendance of any in the country; to use TV, we have to be a little Television Plan. and I promise you, I’m scared stiff. more sclcctivc in the number of NCAA figures also show that of “The solution is to tighten up on games we put on television. the five seasons with the biggest overexposure,” Schembechler said, “As an example, there may be declines in attendance, four occurred “Now, you can see any football some I-AA schools that don’t get 60 Schemlxchler Mike Archer during seasons of unrestricted foot- game that you want to see.” the exposure we do. Maybe we can ball telecasts. Since the NCAA’s Ohio State University’s John take some of the games WC get and which we can include more of the exposure on teams outside Division television plan was invalidated in Cooper agrees. “It’s a good case of put them into a different market for schools in other classifications.” I-A. 1984, attendance for each subse- oversaturation too many games I-AA schools and arrange some sort Other coaches voiced concerns The University of Washington’s quent season has been below the on television,” he said. of fmancial television package by about the effects of t&vision over- See Some. page 25 NCAA seeks nominees ‘90 Convention will get legislation to postpone initial-eligibility changes for advisory committee The president of the WCAA and of the new NCAA manual]. vey W. Schiller; Massengale, chan- The NCAA is seeking nor& group eventually could be ex- the chair of the NCAA Presidents The adoption of t,hat legislation cellor of the University of Nebraska, nations for a 16-member Stu- panded and represent a ‘power- Commission will recommend to the was followed by widespread criti- Lincoln; Witte, professor of law at dent-Athlete Advisory Commit- ful innovation for the student- Council. the Commission and the cism that many prospective student- the University of Arkansas, Fayette- tee, which was created with the athlete.” Division 1 membership that legisla- athletes would be denied a college ville, and NCAA Executive Director approval of Proposal No. 77 by “I hope that over a short pe- tion be introduced at the 1990 Con- education without grants-in-aid and Richard D. Schultz. delegates to the 83rd annual Con- riod of time, they can react to vention in Dallas to postpone any that the SAT and ACT test-score The group discussed the wide vention January 8-I 1 in San Fran- legislation and they can bring changes in freshman academic re- requirements presented a cultural range of academic, athletics and cisco. forth ideas to generate legislation quirements for Division I athletics disadvantage to minority students. socioeconomic concerns generated NCAA Executive Director Ri- that will work to their benefit,” eligibility. Georgetown University head by the passage of Proposal No. 42. chard D. Schultz highlighted the Schultz said. Association President Albert M. men’s basketball coach John Thomp- Witte and Massengale said they legislation to establish the com- Of the 16 committee members Witte and Commission Chair Mar- son boycotted two of his team’s would request the postponement of mittee as being among the more to be selected, the legislation tin A. Massengale said they would games in protest of the legislation. changes in 14.3.1 and 2 until a important legislative items facing calls for eight to be selected from make the recommendation because When Thompson’s boycott was NCAA research studies are corn- delegates. In his “State of the Division 1, four from Division II the NCAA Academic Requirements supported by a large segment of the pletcd and analyzed. Association”address prior to the and four from Division III. Five Committee requested that no community, the Southeastern Con general business sessions, Schultz. positions will be allocated for changes be made in the requirements ference, sponsor of the legislation, The research, which is a IO-year said, “It is time our student- male student-athletes and five and a majority of Division 1 chief and Georgetown asked for a meeting study of the predictive validity of athletes are consulted and have for females. Six positions are executive officers on the Commis- with the NCAA leadership to dis- the corecurriculum grade-point av- an opportunity to react to the unallocated. sion concurred. cuss the legislation. erage and the test-score require- things we are saying are for their Each of the four NCAA re- Delegates to the 1989 Convention The meeting was held January 19 ments mandated by 14.3. I, will not best.” gions in each NCAA division in San Francisco January 8-I 1 ap- in Kansas City. Participants were be available before the 1992 Con Schultz said the committee will have equal representation. proved Proposal No. 42, which Georgetown’s president, the Rev. vention. was a “giant step forward for the Three members of the NCAA would eliminate partial qualifiers Timothy S. Healy; Georgetown ath- “In my judgment,” Witte said, Association” and he said the See NCAA. puge 2 under 14.3.1 and 2. [known as Bylaw letics director Francis X. Rienzo; -the potential negative impacts that S-l-(j) prior to the recent adoption Thompson; SEC Commissioner Har- See 90 Cbnvenlion. page 2 Tee eliminated from PATS, field goals Supreme Court lets stand The NCAA Football Rules Com- “The major factor in that scoring adopted by the committee will pro- mittee voted at its annual meeting increase has been the increase in hibit “split” officiating crews by January I6- I8 to prohibit the use of field goals and successful point- 199 1. Seventy-three percent of those ruling on open-records act tees on field goals and points-after- after-touchdown attempts. Elimi- responding to a survey conducted The U.S. Supreme Court Jan suit in October I985 to force the touchdown and turned down a nating the tee should give us more by the American Football Coaches uary 23 let stand a ruling that NCAA and the conference to proposal to implement a tie-breaker balanced scoring,” Nelson said. Association supported the elimina- bars reporters in Texas from open their records to the public plan. The committee considered a tie- tion of split crews. access to information gathered on the recruiting violations The committee’s decision to ban breaker plan but voted it down after In an attempt to reduce the in an investigation by the NCAA charges under provisions of the the use of tees on field goals and lengthy discussion. Nelson said he number of crowd-noise delays, the and Southwest Athletic Confer- open-records law, which requires PATS was based on the dramatic expects the issue to come before the committee voted to penalize defen- ence of athletics recruiting at such disclosures by government increase in scoring on those plays, committee again. sive teams five yards after the first Southern Methodist University. bodies. according to David M. Nelson, “I don’t think the position of the charged timeout when offensive However, courts eventually The court refused to hear the secretary-rules editor of the com- coaches on the committee has teams are unable to put the ball in ruled the two organizations were mittee. changed,” Nelson said. “1 think they play. Previously, defensive teams case brought by a number of not governmental bodies under “Since goal posts were widened still feel a tie is better than a loss and could be charged a five-yard penalty news organizations seeking re- the act and refused to compel the from 18-6 to 234 in 1958 and (with) that the two-point play would be only after its three timeouts were view of a ruling by the 5th U.S. disclosures. the change in unlimited substitution diminished.” exhausted. Circuit Court of Appeals. The Seeking high-court review, rules in 1965, scoring has increased The committee also voted to give In a safety-related rules change, court ruled that NCAA and the Belo Broadcasting Corp., The from an average of 32 points a game teams the option of having penalties the committee voted to adopt provi- Southwest Conference were not Dallas Morning News and The to 46.1 in 1987,” Nelson said.