The NCAA April l&1984, Volume -21 Number 16 ()fficial Publication of the National C’ollcgiate ~_Athletic~~ Association Council approves TV amendments Amendments to the 1982-1985 percent of the nation’s television NCAA Football Television Plan that households. could increase ratings and assist l Article 12, paragraph (a)--Each member institutions desiring to carrying network will be required to telecast or cablecast football games schedule 76 (was 82) different Divi- inl984andl985havebeenapproved sions I-A and I-AA mstitutions during by the NCAA Council. each two-year period of the plan. Thr Council, with no votes m l Article I3-Each carrying net- opposition, has approved tight modii work will be allowed to select two fications previously rccommcndcd wild-card games in either 1984 or by the Foothall Television Committee lYX5 and one wild-card game in the and agreed to by ABC Sports and other year regardless of institutional CBS Sports. appearance limitations. The Admunstrative Committee l Article I55 A 27th commercial endorsed the revisions March I5 and See Council, puge I2 voted to submit them to the Council for its approval in a mail vote. The ballots were mailed April 4. Insurance The modifications involve three major areas of the plan-the network plan delayed (or football series), the supplementary series, and closed-circuit and excep- Council meets tion telecasts and cablecasts. The until ‘85-86 modifications create a potential for An NCAA-sponsored catastrophic Three NCAA Council members discuss an agenda item prior to a meeting of the Council April increased network ratings, make the injury insurance program will not be 16-18 in Kansas City. From left are Asa N. Green, president of Livingston University; Sondra supplementary series more attractive made available to the membership by expanding the pool of available Norrell- Thomas, associate director of athletics, Howard University, and Hindmun Wall, for the 1984-85 college year. The teams, and allow greater oppor- director of athletics, Tulane University. Afullreport on Councilactions will be published in the program under consideration, as tunities for closed-circuit and ex- April 25 issue qf The NCAA News. outlined in the February 8 issue of ception telecasts and cablecasts. The NCAA News, would have pro- “We believe these alterations vided excess liability coverage for substantially strengthen the potential participating institutions and would to improve network ratings and New Orleans Hilton to be host have offered excess medical and simultaneously increase the attractive- rehabilitation payments and other ness of the supplementary series continuing benefits to student-athletes to NCAA Convention in 1986 initiated two years ago,” said Hugh who suffer catastrophic injuries while D. Hindman, chair of the Football participating in intercollegiate ath- The NCAA Convention returns “We now require a hotel to have square feet), and the round tables Television Committee. “These modi- letics. to New Orleans, Louisiana, for the two ballrooms, one of 24,000 square and opening session will be held in fications also provide needed flexi- fourth time, with the Association’s feet and another of 18,000 square the Grand Salon ABC (I 8, I80 square bility that will assist institutions The status of the program was 80th annual Convention scheduled feet,” said Louis J. Spry, NCAA feet). interested in telecasting or cablecast- examined during the NCAA Insur- for the New Orleans Hilton in January controller, “and there just are not The American Baseball Coaches ing their games through the exception ance Committee’s April l-2 meeting. 1986. many places that can handle those Association and American Football and closed-circuit avenues available The committee decided that the Acting for the Executive Commit- requirements. The increasing number Coaches Association, which annually in the current plan. program should not be recommended for the 1984-85 academic year until tee, the Administrative Committee of delegates puts more pressure on meet in conjunction with the Con- “We are pleased that the networks all contractual commitments from approved the 1,656-room hotel for overflow hotels to handle delegates vention, also will meet at the New and Council have accepted these the necessary parties were in place the January 13-15, 1986, annual who cannot be housed in the main Orleans Hilton. major modifications, which we believe and the policy form had been gathering of NCAA delegates. hotel.” With the new Riverside addition, will improve the trlevision plan for The New Orleans Hilton has corn- approved in Missouri. Officially known as the New opened in October 1983, the New the membership.” mitted 1,300 rooms for Convention A trust was to be established in Orleans Hilton Riverside and Towers, Orleans Hilton has 160,000 square Following is a summary of the Missouri to market the plan on a the hotel recently added a 456-room delegates, the most rooms ever com- feet of meeting and exhibition space. modifications: l Article 7, Regional Divisions ~ group basis. Because lead time was building (Riverside) to the existing mitted by a single hotel. The honors Included in the facility are eight luncheon and business session will On three occasions each year, regional becoming a critical issue, a deadline I ,200-room structure (Towers). The restaurants and bars. a tennis and See Insurance. page 12 hotel is located on the banks of the bc held in the Grand Ballroom (26,894 See New Oheans. page 12 telecasts may be distributed to 75 Mississippi River and is within ;_I walking distance of the French .’ .I -.,,!‘. Quarter. The last NCAA Convention held in New Orleans was in 1980, when 1,075 delegates attended the meetings at the Fairmont Hotel. Other New Orleans stops were in 1928 at the Hotel Roosevelt and 1937 at the St. Charles Hotel. Since the 1980 Convention, attend- ance has increased about 62 percent, with 1,737 delegates in attendance at the 1984 Convention in Dallas. This steady increase has made it difficult to find hotels in the Southern part of the United States that can house the NCAA Convention. In the News R What can be done to improve intercollegiate basketball? One writer compiles a listing of the “Top IO” problems . 3 The University of California, Los Angeles, breaks the grip of the Univer- sity of Nebraska, Lincoln, on the NCAA Division I men’s gymnastics title................................. 4 A smaller ball will be used in women’s intercollegiate basketball next season __ _. _. 12 The 1.656-room New Orleans Hilton Riverside and Towers 2 April 18, 1984 The NCAA Comment Our phony athletics code abets dishonesty By Blackie Sherrod Bill Simon, the U.S. Olympic boss, was interviewed countless Olympic medals 70 years ago when somebody discovered he Dallas Times Herald times at the Winter Olympics in Yugoslavia. Unless the had played three semipro basebfl games for 35 cents and a Well, goody goody gumdrop, we are going to drop the domestic telly carried a faulty communication, Simon also quart of buttermilk. masquerade. No more hypocrisy. No more cheating. No more endorsed a free-wheeling operation by all countries, not Simon also mentioned the “amateur” basketball players on dark alley and alias and trenchcoat and phonetap. No more allowing most nations to compete with subsidized professional their European tours in the off-season, making, according to payments under the table and laundryed funds and hidden athletes and forcing the others to go underground. him, “maybe SlOO,OOOfor the summer.” Why keep up the accounts. Honesty will win out. Simon referred to “trust funds” track athletes now are pretext, the Olympic boss seemed to be asking. If I heard him The word amateur will disappear from the U.S. vocabulary; allowed under U.S. (and international) Olympic rules. Pick a right, that is. and when we go forth to international playing fields, it will be a name. Carl Lewis, say, Carl Lewis is in high demand for track For years now, realists have decried the false cloak of case of matching our best against their best. In other words, in meets all over the world. He may be offered $10,000 for one amateurism. It is hardly a new question, but now it seems more Olympic basketball, we would have Moses Malone and Larry pertinent than ever. We are stripping the web from many other Bird and Magic Johnson and Sidney Moncrief going against the practices these days. Civilization is more liberal, more tolerant, poor Ruskies. Larry Holmes would be our Olympic heavyweight more unconcerned with human frailties. More calloused. Tell it boxer, and Renaldo Nehemiah would skim our hurdles. Columnary Craft like it is. Why stick to a phony athlete code that encourages, In many events, it would make no difference, since Uncle Sam even abets, dishonesty? is already represented by its best in pole vault, for example, and meet, to run a60-meter dash. The money is paid to his agent and College athletics scholarships, for example. A kid gets a longjump and IO0 meters. But in others, the stain of recogni;red deposited into a “trust fund.“Carl Icwis’expenses are paid out $30,000 education and (as Bill Yeoman calls it) three hots and a professionalism would be erased, as it is with most other of this “trust fund.” cot, for his athletic services. He’s being paid, right? Never mind countries. what the alum slips him in a locker-room handshake nor the At least, that seems to be the sentiment among Olympic There are liberal interpretations of “expenses.” Some jocks Trans-Am his mama suddenly found the funds to buy. moguls now ruling the roost. Their laws enforcing Olympic say it means living expenses at all times and have purchased Do you really think Mike Rozier was a pure amateur, by the amateurism are but comedy anyway; they are like the little expensive digs out of their trust funds.