NCAA Reduces Power, Enhances Decision-Making Among Divisions, Student-Athletes
Thursday, January 20, 2022 at 10:56PM By Barry Janoff
January 20, 2022: Calling it “an important day in college athletics,” NCAA representatives from campuses and conferences in all three divisions today approved a new constitution that, among other changes, “provides significant authority to the three divisions to reorganize and restructure.”
The decision will significantly reduce responsibility and governing power among the national NCAA board members and enhance the responsibility and governing power at the Div. I, II and III levels.
It also transfers more decision-making power to current and former NCAA athletes.
The new constitution, effective Aug. 1, “ensures student-athlete voting representation on each division's presidential body (Div. I Board of Directors, Div. II Presidents Council and Div. III Presidents Council) and the NCAA Board of Governors.
The Board of Governors said it would reduce its number of members from 21 to nine, with the board to have six members from the three divisions (four from Div. I and one each from Div. II and III), two independent members and one graduated student-athlete. Another student-athlete will serve as a non-voting member on the board.
Of major importance, the new constitution directly addresses the growing category of Name, Image and Likeness, under which college student-athletes are able to sign endorsement and marketing deals.
Among the issues addressed, the new constitution says college athletes should not be paid directly by their schools for athletic participation, but gives decision-making to each division regarding benefits that athletes can receive from their schools and how they can earn money via NIL rights.
The NCAA said this “marks the first major constitution revision since 1997, when each division was provided a high level of autonomy (and) only the fourth Association-wide vote since that time.”
"This is an important day in college athletics as we continue to evolve to better meet the needs of our student-athletes," NCAA president Mark Emmert said. Via the organization.
“I applaud the work of the Constitution Committee and the entire membership for setting a sustainable course for college sports for decades to come."
More than 1,000 NCAA members participated in the vote, with 801 voting in favor of the new constitution, according to the NCAA.
The new constitution was “developed by the Constitution Committee in coordination with feedback from NCAA members in several stages since the summer of 2021, including at November's Special Convention and through surveys and meetings over the past several months.”
Separately, the NCAA Board of Governors voted in support of a sport-by-sport approach to transgender participation that “preserves opportunity for transgender student-athletes while balancing fairness, inclusion and safety for all who compete.”
“I applaud the work of the Constitution Committee and the entire membership for setting a sustainable course for college sports for decades to come."
The new policy, effective immediately, “aligns transgender student-athlete participation for college sports with recent policy changes from the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and International Olympic Committee.”
The policy is effective starting with the 2022 winter championships.
As with the Olympics, the updated NCAA policy calls for” transgender participation for each sport to be determined by the policy for the national governing body of that sport, subject to ongoing review and recommendation by the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports to the Board of Governors.”
"We are steadfast in our support of transgender student-athletes and the fostering of fairness across college sports," John DeGioia, chair of the board and Georgetown president, said via the group.
"It is important that NCAA member schools, conferences and college athletes compete in an inclusive, fair, safe and respectful environment and can move forward with a clear understanding of the new policy."
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