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Lawmakers Take Aim At NCAA’s ‘Monopoly Power’ Over College Sports

Plus: Positive Gender Equity Report; D3football.com Poll; No. 1s Impress. Plays of the Weekend

Author

Steve Ulrich
September 18, 2023

SEPTEMBER 18, 2023 | written by STEVE ULRICH

430 schools, 42 conferences, 195,000 students participating in athletics. #whyD3
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» What’s Happening. Full day as ILC meets today and Tuesday; Committee on Women’s Athletics and Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee meet today, as does the DIII Diversity & Inclusion Working Group.

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TOP STORY
1. Lawmakers Take Aim At NCAA’s ‘Monopoly Power’ Over College Sports

by Houston Keene, Fox News

“A bipartisan group of House lawmakers is looking to curb the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) "monopoly power" over individuals and universities.

Reps. David Kustoff, R-Tenn., Burgess Owens, R-Utah, and Josh Harder, D-Calif., are reintroducing the NCAA Accountability Act to establish due process protections for individuals and universities under investigation for rule infractions.

"College sports play an important role in American life; they bring people together and contribute to many local economies across the country," Kustoff said in a press release. "College sports play an important role in American life; they bring people together and contribute to many local economies across the country," Kustoff said.”

» Background. “Through its monopoly power and lack of oversight, the NCAA investigates and punishes its members with little regard for fairness, due process, or transparency," the press release reads. "Its rules are irregularly enforced, and its investigations lack established procedures. Further, the NCAA punishes universities inconsistently and unpredictably," it continues.”

» The Big Picture. “According to the release, the bill would require the NCAA to give fair notice of enforcement proceedings. The NCAA would also be required to finish an investigation within a year of its launch. The bill also establishes a two-year statute of limitation for infractions and bars information from confidential sources from going into the NCAA enforcement decisions.”

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NEWS
2. NCAA Scores Positive Gender Equity Review From St. Louis Firm

by Eric Berger, Missouri Lawyers Media

“The NCAA has made significant progress in its effort to correct gender inequities that received significant attention in recent years, according to a review conducted by a St. Louis-based law firm.

Lewis Rice, which has offices in Missouri, Kansas and Illinois, interviewed student-athletes and NCAA staff members and reviewed thousands of documents. They determined that the organization has a “markedly heightened awareness of, and focus on ensuring, gender equity,” according to the report, which was published July 31.

“Of course, as to all matters of equity, there’s still work to do,” Sara Mullen, the lead attorney on the assessment team, said. “We know from our interviews with NCAA leadership, including committee leadership and the national office leadership, that they are committed to taking those additional steps.”

» Court Awareness. “The organization hired Kaplan Hecker & Fink, a New York law firm, in 2021 after backlash over photos and videos shared on social media showed the disparity between the women’s and men’s weight rooms at their respective NCAA basketball tournaments.”

» The Bottom Line. “The law firm’s recommendations included changing the leadership structure of Division I basketball to prioritize gender equity; taking steps to maximize value through gender equity in marketing, promotion and sponsorships; and holding the men’s and women’s Final Fours in the same city.

» What They’re Saying. “It’s very clear to me and my colleagues that the NCAA has taken really great strides and exerted serious attention to our report and made most of the recommendations,” said attorney Roberta A. Kaplan.”

FOOTBALL
3. Top 7 Remain In Place In Poll

Hunter Clasen, Wartburg

The top seven teams from last week remained in their place in the latest D3football.com rankings. Wheaton (Ill.) moved into the top 10 as Cortland fell eight spots after falling to Susquehanna. No one new entered the poll this week.

  1. North Central IL (24), 2-0

  2. Mount Union, 2-0

  3. Wartburg, 3-0

  4. UW-Whitewater (1), 3-0

  5. Hardin-Simmons, 2-0

  6. Trinity TX, 2-1

  7. UW-River Falls, 3-0

  8. Saint John’s, 1-1

  9. Linfield, 2-0

  10. Wheaton, Ill., 2-0

DIII Statistical Leaders

Rushing Yds/Game. Josh Rogers (Berry), 194.0; Montie Quinn (Curry), 153.7; Hunter Clasen (Wartburg), 144.7

Pass Efficiency. Luke Lehnen (North Central, Ill.), 272.7; Nathan McCahill (DePauw), 226.3; Alex Price (Trine), 218.5.

Total Offense. Michael Nadeau (Macalester), 466.0; Jaelen Roy (Rockford), 415.3; Robby Michael (Lakeland), 404.0

Receiving Yds/Game. Jake Breitbach (Gustavus Adolphus), 229.5; Nick Bice (Macalester), 185.5; Sean Clapp (Trinity CT), 172.0

» Notable. Denison RB Trey Fabrocini ran for 186 yards and five TDs in a 70-0 trouncing of Oberlin. Trine QB Alex Price threw for 439 yards with seven TD passes in a 58-43 victory over Franklin. Rockford QB Jaelen Roy threw for 470 yards in a 35-28 loss to Eureka. Cortland WR JJ Laap caught five passes for 250 yards, including an 89-yard bomb, in a 38-35 loss to Susquehanna.

» Next Week. #9 Saint John’s vs. #18 Bethel; #5 Hardin-Simmons vs. Endicott; #15 Carnegie Mellon vs. Grove City.

THE WEEKEND
4. No. 1s Impress In Top-10 Matches

Mackenzie Coley, Juniata

Middlebury field hockey, Mary Washington men’s soccer and Juniata women’s volleyball all recorded victories against top-25 opposition over the weekend, while the Messiah women’s soccer side dropped its second straight match.

Football

#4 UW-Whitewater d. #19 Mary Hardin-Baylor, 17-14

#22 Susquehanna d. #10 Cortland, 38-35

Centre d. Rhodes, 28-26 (3OT)

Soccer (M)

#1 Mary Washington d. #25 Emory, 1-0

#2 Messiah tied Salisbury, 1-1

#6 Montclair State tied Vassar, 1-1

#9 Franklin & Marshall tied Haverford, 1-1

Mount Union d. #11 Calvin, 1-0

#12 Amherst d. #24 Tufts, 3-1

Field Hockey

#1 Middlebury d. #3 Babson, 3-2

#5 Messiah d. #13 TCNJ, 5-0

#7 Williams d. #18 Bryn Mawr, 5-2

Soccer (W)

#5 William Smith d. #1 Messiah, 3-1

#21 Calvin d. Chicago, 3-2

Volleyball (W)

#1 Juniata d. #4 Claremont-M-S, 3-0

#3 UW-Oshkosh d. #6 Northwestern, 3-2

#5 Calvin d. #23 Ohio Northern, 3-2

#10 UW-Whitewater d. #7 Washington U., 3-1

#12 Trinity TX d. #13 MIT, 3-1

STREAMING
5. What We’re Watching Today

  • ⚽️ W: Rhode Island College (3-1-1) vs. Mount Holyoke (2-1-1), 7p | BoxCast

  • ⚽️ M: Bridgewater State (2-1-2) vs. UMass Boston (6-1), 1p | Little East Network

NEWS
6. Lightning Round

🗞 News. Our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Sage director of athletic communications Ann King, 59, who passed away on Thursday after a two-year fight against breast cancer. Our thoughts are with Liberty League commissioner Tracy King and their son, Robert. May her memory be a blessing.

TRANSACTIONS
7. Comings and Goings

  • AUGSBURG - Kathryn Knippenberg resigned as head women’s lacrosse coach

  • NORTHLAND - Jason Carter resigned as head women’s ice hockey coach

HIGHLIGHTS
8. #D3Plays

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