Division 1 - $1 million application fee?

[Copenhagen]

from Dick Weiss's Hoops on Hoops blog:

New fee could take bite out of Division I

August 16, 2009

Just caught the story in USA Today in which the NCAA is reporting weighing the idea of forcing schools to pay a $1 million application fee to play in lucrative Division I. What took them so long? It's only a matter of time before this hits the president's table. Division I is overpopulated with 331 schools, many which are paying the current $15,000 reclassification fee just so they can share in the NCAA basketball financial pool. At least $1 million will force universities to show they are serious.

Mark it down. This is just the start of a movement to cut down on the size of Division I to a reasonable size. Two hundred seems like a reasonable number to us, but we wonder how the Northeast Conference and the America East in our area feel about this.


Read more: www.nydailynews.com/blogs/weiss/#ixzz0OQlA5pDZ

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How would SBU regard/feel about this?

[goldenboy]

This is simly an attempt by the larger schools to keep a majority of the money from the large TV contracts, etc. and keep the smaller schools out. Another way to look at it, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer!!!!!

Should this happen this will be death blow to all small colleges and universities.

[diehard]

So a multi billion dollar non-profit organization such as the NCAA feels the needs to collect over $300 million in D-1 fees?

Hmm? I have a better idea. If Obama and company need tax revenues, maybe they should remove the tax exempt status of the NCAA and let the cash flow into the government coffers. The NCAA is perhaps the worst example of a non-profit organization in the world. This kind of hubris of the organization is beyond flagrant.

Maybe its time for a competing organization, a non-profit one of course.

[Felca]

Is $1M based on offering a certain number of Division 1 programs within the school?

[sony]

This is frightening!

[ka]

From everything I can tell this only applies to schools jumping up to D1 and not for existing schools. A non-story at this point.

www.usatoday.com/sports/college/other/2009-08-12-Notes_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

[maplehurst]

There has been a movement among schools to move to Div I recently. North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota, South Dakota State, New Jersey Tech, Bryant, Longwood, and Bonas' historic rival Seattle University are among those who have moved up.

[sony]

I'd be concerned about any tariff such as that, whether or not it is only for schools seeking to break in. If so it wouldn't be long before the giants will be posturing to move small market teams out!