The NCAA Responds

D3Playbook SEPTEMBER 13, 2019 | written by Steve Ulrich your must-read briefing on what's driving the day in NCAA Division III

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1. The NCAA Responds The NCAA Board of Governors sent a letter Wednesday to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, making clear its belief that this bill would wipe out the distinction between college and professional athletics and eliminate the element of fairness that supports all of college sports. Complete text    "The 1,100 schools that make up the NCAA have always, in everything we do, supported a level playing field for all student-athletes. This core belief extends to each member college and university in every state across the nation. California Senate Bill 206 would upend that balance. If the bill becomes law and California’s 58 NCAA schools are compelled to allow an unrestricted name, image and likeness scheme, it would erase the critical distinction between college and professional athletics and, because it gives those schools an unfair recruiting advantage, would result in them eventually being unable to compete in NCAA competitions. These outcomes are untenable and would negatively impact more than 24,000 California student-athletes across three divisions. Right now, nearly half a million student-athletes in all 50 states compete under the same rules. This bill would remove that essential element of fairness and equal treatment that forms the bedrock of college sports." >> Situational Awareness: "The NCAA has consistently stood by its belief that student-athletes are students first, and they should not be employees of the university." >> Be Smart: "The bill does not suggest schools should be responsible for giving any more money to their athletes than they already do. Nor does it guarantee that every student-athlete would be able to make more. It provides an opportunity for them to profit by selling the use of their name, image or likeness (NIL) to outside bidders." >> Bottom Line: If the The Fair Pay to Play Act is passed and the NCAA doesn't change its rules before 2023, there could be a standoff between California and the NCAA that would likely be decided in court. In that scenario, California's laws would make it illegal for schools in the state to follow NCAA rules. >> Reality Check: Eleven of California's 58 schools reside in Division III - Cal Tech, Cal Lutheran, Chapman, Claremont-M-S, Mills, Occidental, Pomona-Pitzer, UC Santa Cruz, La Verne, Redlands and Whittier.

2. Why a College Degree Matters courtesy of Axios

3. Building a Better Helmet   (Bloomberg) - "The National Football League wants a better helmet, and for the first time, it’s willing to pay for it. The richest and most-watched U.S. sports league has created the NFL Helmet Challenge, a $3 million, 18-month contest to see who can create a piece of equipment that outperforms anything in use. The money includes $2 million in development capital and a further $1 million winner’s prize." >> Quotable: “There’s been an evolution in helmet design,” said Jeff Miller, the NFL’s executive vice president for health-and-safety innovation. “We think there’s room for some revolutionary change as well.” >> 3-D Printing: Jeff Crandall, chairman of the NFL’s engineering committee and director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Applied Biomechanics, is talking about things like 3-D printing, which Miller said can speed the process of helmet design. Backed by data and innovation, he said, the NFL is moving toward position-specific helmet designs. >> Why It Matters: Researchers have known for years that helmets actually don't do a great job of preventing concussions. In fact, most researchers agree they could actually have the opposite effect: wearing a helmet, studies suggest, can often make athletes more likely to use their heads as a weapon.

4. Weekend Top-25 Matchups Today Women's Soccer (21) Stevens at (25) Swarthmore, 7:00 - watch LIVE Saturday Field Hockey (1) Middlebury at (9) Bowdoin, 11:00 - watch LIVE (7) Messiah at (5) TCNJ, 1:00 - live stats (17) Amherst at (19) Hamilton, 11:00 - watch LIVE Football (22) Wesley at (13) Delaware Valley, 1:00 - watch LIVE Men's Soccer (25) Brandeis at (1) Tufts, 7:00 - watch LIVE Sunday Field Hockey (1) Middlebury at (18) Babson, 12:00 - watch LIVE (14) Rochester at (3) Tufts, 12:00 - watch LIVE Men's Soccer (3) Oglethorpe at (14) Washington and Lee, 3:00 - watch LIVE Women's Soccer (7) TCNJ at (21) Stevens, 12:00 - watch LIVE Yesterday Field Hockey (3) Tufts d. (20) Endicott, 2-1

5.  Comings and Goings    Elmira College is adding men's and women's wrestling as varsity sports in 2020-21. Sam Varner named head men's and women's tennis coach at Earlham. Adam New named head golf coach at Sweet Briar. Hailey Barrett named assistant women's tennis coach at Washington and Lee. Sam Churchill named assistant men's tennis coach at Washington and Lee. Nick Gravina named assistant men's wrestling coach at New Jersey City. Matt Murphy named assistant baseball coach at Rhode Island College. Hannah Brady named assistant women's ice hockey coach at SUNY Canton..

6.  1 Toy Thing   The smartphone is being considered for induction into the National Toy Hall of Fame this year, the AP reports. The other finalists: Care Bears, the coloring book, Fisher-Price Corn Popper, Jenga, Magic the Gathering, Masters of the Universe, Matchbox cars, My Little Pony, Nerf Blaster, Risk, and the top, per AP.

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