Feb. 28, 2002

Another in a series of columns this semester by swimmer Sara O'Fallon

Free shoes for athletes, clothing discounts? No way. Complimentary BIC pens?

Nope, put it back. Not at Illinois. NCAA rules are enforced so closely, it's hard to believe anything could slide past the scrutiny of the athletic department.

Each year during the first few weeks of class, athletes from every sport attend compliance meetings to document everything from summer employment, to how much we pay in rent, to the status of our cars (just making sure an alumni didn't try to lure me here with a '91 Volkswagen that doesn't start 25 percent of the time).

The list of NCAA rules seems endless--necessary, but endless. Although the rules are made to protect the athletes' eligibility, sometimes they can present more of a conflict than a help. As is the case with most things, the center of most NCAA rules is money, money, money.

The most troubling issue for many athletes is the opportunity to work.

Something that some fans forget is that not all athletes are on full rides--many receive only partial help or no help at all. But it doesn't matter who you are--starting quarterback or redshirt freshman--any money an athlete earns could come out of the team's scholarship money. This means many athletes have to make a choice: either give up the sport they love in order to work, or attend a second-choice school that's offering more money.

Now it's hard to juggle athletics and academics as it is, so some students don't try to add a job, too. But, want to go home and make some money over winter or spring break? Good luck. You are free to go into work and pass the time, you just might not get paid for it. The cautions the compliance office has to take--the papers that need to be filed to make sure no one's making too much money or getting jobs from alumni--are numerous. So there's not always a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, if you know what I mean.

In order to further the rights of student-athletes, there is a small movement to unionize in order to be able to earn more. The future in this area is uncertain.

Also, when it comes to money, academics and athletics don't mix. Trying to get an academic scholarship as an athlete should be its own sport, with the hula-hoops you have to jump through. My fully deserving out-of-state roommate was awarded an academic scholarship, in addition to her books only athletic scholarship based on her performance in high school. Each semester, she had to fight to get her academic money. The university and the athletic department weren't being cheap, they were being careful.

NCAA rules have good intentions. They are necessary. The amateurism of college athletics needs to be protected. But there are a few people who have tried to take advantage of any way possible to make money from college athletics, so rules had to be made to curb the actions of those people. Over time, the NCAA compliance book evolved to include thousands of pages. With so many restrictions, there's no way they would never get in anyone's way.

For example, we were told of a story where a student-athlete and his university got in trouble when the team gave him a ride and helped pay for a suit so he could go to a family member's funeral. Rules weren't made to prevent situations like this, but the NCAA doesn't work on a case-by-case basis.

Many of the rules also seem like they are geared only towards certain sports, too, but everyone has to follow them. Case in point: athletes aren't allowed to teach on a fee-for-lesson basis (a.k.a. "private lessons"). I don't think this was made to prevent me from teaching little Susie down the street how to swim at the neighborhood pool. Instead, the NCAA is most likely trying to keep athletes in high profile sports from exploiting their status. The rules are working against the interests of the majority to protect amateurism from the actions of a minority.

At Illinois, we're really lucky to have a University that cares enough about us to enforce the rules to the best of its ability. Many student-athletes pay for mistakes that their schools make regarding compliance.

Because we love our amateur status, our sports, and our University, we will continue to sit attentively at the compliance meetings--just remember to put the BIC pens back in the envelope.