Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct

MINUTES

Downtown Marriott June 21, 2002
Indianapolis, Indiana

Those in attendance were:

Chandra V. Bierwirth, Marist College
Tyler Conley, University of San Diego
Robert E. Frederick, University of Kansas, chair
Marian (Woody) Gibson, High Point University
George A. Klebez, West Virginia Wesleyan College
Dell Robinson, Mid-American Conference
Marjorie A. Willadsen, Buena Vista University
Michael Wortley, Johns Hopkins University
Mark P. Jones, NCAA, recording secretary
William Saum, NCAA
Ronald J. Stratten, NCAA

Committee members:  Brian Coffman, University of Wisconsin, Parkside; and John C. Harper, Bridgewater State College, were unable to attend the meeting.
[Note:  The following minutes reflect only actions taken (formal votes or “sense of meeting”) in accordance with the NCAA policy governing minutes of all Association entities.  While certain items on the committee’s agenda were acted upon at various times throughout the meeting, all final actions within a given topic are combined in these minutes for convenience of reference.]

1.
Welcome and Announcements.  Mr. Frederick welcomed Messrs. Conley and Klebez, who were attending their first meeting.  Mr. Frederick reported that Michael Covone was required to forfeit his position on the committee because he had been selected to serve on the Division II Management Council.
Mr. Frederick noted that the meeting schedule had been changed, and the committee would meet all day on June 21 rather than half-day meetings on Friday and Saturday.

2.
Review of Mission Statement/Public Affairs Plan.  The committee reviewed its mission statement and made no revisions.  The Association’s new public affairs plan was reviewed.  The plan emphasized the Association’s commitment to the protection of student-athletes’ interests and to promote a quality education.  It was noted that these objectives were consistent with the values in the committee’s mission statement.

3.
Approval of Previous Minutes.
It was VOTED
“That the November 5-6, 2001; January 8; and April 9, 2002, minutes be approved with the following corrections to the January 8 minutes:  Mr. Coffman’s first name, Brian, was incorrectly recorded as Ryan, and a reference to the date of January 1 was deleted.”

4.
Divisional Reports.

a.
The Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet accepted the reports of the committee’s November and January meetings, and forwarded to the Certified Contests Subcommittee and the Football Certification Subcommittee the committee’s recommendations of measures that sponsors of certified events shall take to reduce or eliminate exposure of prospective or enrolled student-athletes to gambling at the sites of NCAA-certified events.

b.
The Divisions II and III Management Councils accepted the committee’s report with no further action.

c.
It was agreed that the chair write to the chief executive officer of each member institution, with a copy to directors of athletics and directors of compliance, urging institutions to use the resources available in the sportsmanship toolkit CD-Rom to educate student-athletes on sportsmanship.

5.
Mr. Saum provided the following overview on gambling-related activities.

a.
A bill to ban sports wagering in the state of Nevada on intercollegiate athletics was pending in a U.S. Senate committee.  The future of the bill appears uncertain.  Congressional recesses and other legislative priorities of the bill’s main sponsor in the U.S. Senate are viewed as major obstacles to its enactment.

b.
A bill to prevent sports wagering on intercollegiate athletics through the Internet is scheduled to be approved by a House of Representatives committee and has a good chance of being passed by the full House.  Unfortunately, it has no companion bill in the U.S. Senate; therefore, its enactment is in doubt.

c.
The committee agreed with a recommendation from the staff that the NCAA should not refer speakers with a criminal record for gambling or sports wagering to member institutions if these individuals demand an honorarium for speaking.

d.
The committee lauded the quality of the gambling videos created to date.  A suggestion was made that future videos feature re-enactments of real-life situations that posed ethical dilemmas for the student-athlete characters being portrayed.  Such videos could prompt student-athletes to think about their actions.

e.
The NCAA staff and law enforcement representatives made presentations on gambling at the Division I men’s and women’s Final Fours, the College World Series and the Frozen Four.  Beginning with the 2003 men’s basketball championship; a disclaimer shall appear on all NCAA copyright brackets that are not intended to be used for sports wagering pools.

f.
CBS Sportsline.com is bidding to become the Internet provider for the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, even though it has a relationship with the Las Vegas Insider, a publication that provides sports-wagering information.  It was noted that the terms of the new basketball contract allow the NCAA’s branding, broadcast and promotions staff to prohibit contracting with an Internet provider that has sports wagering interest.

g.
The NCAA’s gambling educational materials (e.g., posters, videos and public service announcements) are now available to the membership on the NCAA Web site.

6.
Evaluation of Misconduct in NCAA Championships.  The staff shall provide a summary of misconduct cases from NCAA championships at a future meeting.

7.
Evaluation of the Sportsmanship Award.
It was VOTED
“That the committee recommend to the cabinet and the management councils in Divisions II and III that beginning with the 2002-03 academic year, that the NCAA present a sportsmanship award to one competing institution in each NCAA championship.”  [Note:  Subsequent to the meeting, it was determined that it was too late in the planning cycle for the 2002-03 academic year to implement this recommendation.  Therefore, its implementation shall be targeted for the 2003-04 academic year.]
It was VOTED
“That beginning with the 2002-03 academic year, the committee shall present an Institution of Character award to institutions that have teams that have been recognized by their conference for exemplary behavior or sportsmanship.  Institutions must be nominated by their conference office to receive the award, and only one institution per conference may be nominated.  A process for the nomination of independent institutions would be developed before the 2002-03 academic year is complete.”  [Note:  Subsequent to the meeting, it was determined that it was too late in the planning cycle for the 2002-03 academic year to implement this recommendation.  Therefore, its implementation shall be targeted for the 2003-04 academic year.]

a.
The committee shall encourage all conferences to recommend an institution for an Institution of Character award.  [Note:  Subsequent to the meeting, it was determined that it was too late in the planning cycle for the 2002-03 academic year to implement this recommendation.  Therefore, its implementation shall be targeted for the 2003-04 academic year.]

b.
The chair shall recommend in writing to the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and the NCAA broadcast, branding and promotions staff that sportsmanship and academic performance (e.g., grade-point averages, graduation rates) be included as a criterion for the annual Director’s Award Cup (formerly the Sears Award).”

c.
The staff liaisons were asked to solicit a corporate sponsor for the Institution of Character award.

8.
Outcomes 2003.  The committee reviewed the objectives established at the committee’s initial meeting in November 1997, a report of the ad hoc subcommittee of the NCAA Executive Committee that measured values in intercollegiate athletics, discussed the structure of the committee and its significance or importance within the Association.  The committee reviewed its accomplishments (i.e., sportsmanship award, development of the sportsmanship toolkit, creation of a national code of conduct, national pregame announcement on sportsmanship prior to contests, dialogue with constituent organizations to promote sportsmanship), but agreed it was not on track to accomplish its overall goal of improving sportsmanship in intercollegiate athletics by 2003.
It was VOTED
“That the committee shall continue to emphasize its role to educate and raise awareness of sportsmanship but shall become more assertive in reacting on behalf of the Association to situations or events that clearly depict unethical and unsportsmanlike behavior.”
It was VOTED
“That the chair of the committee attend the fall meeting of the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA) and report on the committee’s desire to serve as a sportsmanship and ethical conduct conscience of the Association, and to obtain the commissioner’s thoughts and ideas on how the CCA and NCAA could partner to improve sportsmanship and ethical conduct.”

a.
The staff liaison was urged to request that the “centerpiece section” of an upcoming issue of The NCAA News be devoted to sportsmanship and ethical conduct (e.g., gamesmanship vs. sportsmanship).

b.
The committee discussed the need for an information retrieval system to alert the committee of situations or occurrences of unsportsmanlike and unethical conduct.  No recommendation was adopted.

9.
Report on Sportsmanship Study in Division III.  The staff liaisons reported on the status of studies on sportsmanship conducted by the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the North Coast Athletic Conference.

10.
Role of Coaches and Fans in Sportsmanship.

a.
The committee agreed that gamesmanship (attempts to gain improper advantages that were not explicitly prohibited by the rules) had supplanted sportsmanship as the guiding principle of fair play in competition and was undermining the character-building aspect of athletics.  It was agreed that the chair would write to all chief executive officers, directors of athletics and executive directors of all coaching associations urging them to emphasize the important distinction between gamesmanship and sportsmanship.

b.
The committee discussed the role of conferences in controlling fan behavior at institutional sporting events.  It was the sense of the committee that institutions have the primary responsibility to control fans, not the conference.

11.
Use of Native American Mascots, Nicknames and Logos by NCAA Member Institutions. The committee reviewed a copy of the statement it forwarded to the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee (MOIC), which discouraged NCAA member institutions from utilizing Native-American mascots.  MOIC shall make a formal recommendation to the NCAA Executive Committee as to the Association’s position on this issue.”

12.
Planning Review for Funded and Nonfunded Initiatives and Activities.  Mr. Stratten reported that a restructuring of the means by which the NCAA funds its participation in the Citizenship through Sports Alliance has netted approximately $40,000 for the committee’s use during the 2001-02 and 2002-03 academic years.

13.
Election of New Chair.
It was VOTED
“That Ms. Bierwirth be appointed the new chair; her term as chair shall begin in September 2002.”

14.
Thank you Bob.  It was Mr. Frederick’s final in-person meeting; his term expires in September.  He was thanked for his contribution to the committee.  It was noted that he was the final member of the original committee who attended the first meeting in November 1997.

15.
Adjournment.  The meeting was adjourned at 5:05 CST.

# # # # #

The contact for this page is mjones@ncaa.org

Committee members: Brian Coffman, University of Wisconsin, Parkside; and John C. Harper, Bridgewater State College, were unable to attend the meeting. [Note: The following minutes reflect only actions taken (formal votes or “sense of meeting”) in accordance with the NCAA policy governing minutes of all Association entities. While certain items on the committee’s agenda were acted upon at various times throughout the meeting, all final actions within a given topic are combined in these minutes for convenience of reference.]

1.	Welcome and Announcements. Mr. Frederick welcomed Messrs. Conley and Klebez, who were attending their first meeting. Mr. Frederick reported that Michael Covone was required to forfeit his position on the committee because he had been selected to serve on the Division II Management Council. Mr. Frederick noted that the meeting schedule had been changed, and the committee would meet all day on June 21 rather than half-day meetings on Friday and Saturday.

2.	Review of Mission Statement/Public Affairs Plan. The committee reviewed its mission statement and made no revisions. The Association’s new public affairs plan was reviewed. The plan emphasized the Association’s commitment to the protection of student-athletes’ interests and to promote a quality education. It was noted that these objectives were consistent with the values in the committee’s mission statement.

3.	Approval of Previous Minutes. It was VOTED “That the November 5-6, 2001; January 8; and April 9, 2002, minutes be approved with the following corrections to the January 8 minutes: Mr. Coffman’s first name, Brian, was incorrectly recorded as Ryan, and a reference to the date of January 1 was deleted.”

4.	Divisional Reports.

	a.	The Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet accepted the reports of the committee’s November and January meetings, and forwarded to the Certified Contests Subcommittee and the Football Certification Subcommittee the committee’s recommendations of measures that sponsors of certified events shall take to reduce or eliminate exposure of prospective or enrolled student-athletes to gambling at the sites of NCAA-certified events.

	b.	The Divisions II and III Management Councils accepted the committee’s report with no further action.

	c.	It was agreed that the chair write to the chief executive officer of each member institution, with a copy to directors of athletics and directors of compliance, urging institutions to use the resources available in the sportsmanship toolkit CD-Rom to educate student-athletes on sportsmanship.

5.	Mr. Saum provided the following overview on gambling-related activities.

	a.	A bill to ban sports wagering in the state of Nevada on intercollegiate athletics was pending in a U.S. Senate committee. The future of the bill appears uncertain. Congressional recesses and other legislative priorities of the bill’s main sponsor in the U.S. Senate are viewed as major obstacles to its enactment.

	b.	A bill to prevent sports wagering on intercollegiate athletics through the Internet is scheduled to be approved by a House of Representatives committee and has a good chance of being passed by the full House. Unfortunately, it has no companion bill in the U.S. Senate; therefore, its enactment is in doubt.

	c.	The committee agreed with a recommendation from the staff that the NCAA should not refer speakers with a criminal record for gambling or sports wagering to member institutions if these individuals demand an honorarium for speaking.

	d.	The committee lauded the quality of the gambling videos created to date. A suggestion was made that future videos feature re-enactments of real-life situations that posed ethical dilemmas for the student-athlete characters being portrayed. Such videos could prompt student-athletes to think about their actions.

	e.	The NCAA staff and law enforcement representatives made presentations on gambling at the Division I men’s and women’s Final Fours, the College World Series and the Frozen Four. Beginning with the 2003 men’s basketball championship; a disclaimer shall appear on all NCAA copyright brackets that are not intended to be used for sports wagering pools.

	f.	CBS Sportsline.com is bidding to become the Internet provider for the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, even though it has a relationship with the Las Vegas Insider, a publication that provides sports-wagering information. It was noted that the terms of the new basketball contract allow the NCAA’s branding, broadcast and promotions staff to prohibit contracting with an Internet provider that has sports wagering interest.

	g.	The NCAA’s gambling educational materials (e.g., posters, videos and public service announcements) are now available to the membership on the NCAA Web site.

6.	Evaluation of Misconduct in NCAA Championships. The staff shall provide a summary of misconduct cases from NCAA championships at a future meeting.

7.	Evaluation of the Sportsmanship Award. It was VOTED “That the committee recommend to the cabinet and the management councils in Divisions II and III that beginning with the 2002-03 academic year, that the NCAA present a sportsmanship award to one competing institution in each NCAA championship.” [Note: Subsequent to the meeting, it was determined that it was too late in the planning cycle for the 2002-03 academic year to implement this recommendation. Therefore, its implementation shall be targeted for the 2003-04 academic year.] It was VOTED “That beginning with the 2002-03 academic year, the committee shall present an Institution of Character award to institutions that have teams that have been recognized by their conference for exemplary behavior or sportsmanship. Institutions must be nominated by their conference office to receive the award, and only one institution per conference may be nominated. A process for the nomination of independent institutions would be developed before the 2002-03 academic year is complete.” [Note: Subsequent to the meeting, it was determined that it was too late in the planning cycle for the 2002-03 academic year to implement this recommendation. Therefore, its implementation shall be targeted for the 2003-04 academic year.]

	a.	The committee shall encourage all conferences to recommend an institution for an Institution of Character award. [Note: Subsequent to the meeting, it was determined that it was too late in the planning cycle for the 2002-03 academic year to implement this recommendation. Therefore, its implementation shall be targeted for the 2003-04 academic year.]

	b.	The chair shall recommend in writing to the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and the NCAA broadcast, branding and promotions staff that sportsmanship and academic performance (e.g., grade-point averages, graduation rates) be included as a criterion for the annual Director’s Award Cup (formerly the Sears Award).”

	c.	The staff liaisons were asked to solicit a corporate sponsor for the Institution of Character award.

8.	Outcomes 2003. The committee reviewed the objectives established at the committee’s initial meeting in November 1997, a report of the ad hoc subcommittee of the NCAA Executive Committee that measured values in intercollegiate athletics, discussed the structure of the committee and its significance or importance within the Association. The committee reviewed its accomplishments (i.e., sportsmanship award, development of the sportsmanship toolkit, creation of a national code of conduct, national pregame announcement on sportsmanship prior to contests, dialogue with constituent organizations to promote sportsmanship), but agreed it was not on track to accomplish its overall goal of improving sportsmanship in intercollegiate athletics by 2003. It was VOTED “That the committee shall continue to emphasize its role to educate and raise awareness of sportsmanship but shall become more assertive in reacting on behalf of the Association to situations or events that clearly depict unethical and unsportsmanlike behavior.” It was VOTED “That the chair of the committee attend the fall meeting of the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA) and report on the committee’s desire to serve as a sportsmanship and ethical conduct conscience of the Association, and to obtain the commissioner’s thoughts and ideas on how the CCA and NCAA could partner to improve sportsmanship and ethical conduct.”

	a.	The staff liaison was urged to request that the “centerpiece section” of an upcoming issue of The NCAA News be devoted to sportsmanship and ethical conduct (e.g., gamesmanship vs. sportsmanship).

	b.	The committee discussed the need for an information retrieval system to alert the committee of situations or occurrences of unsportsmanlike and unethical conduct. No recommendation was adopted.

9.	Report on Sportsmanship Study in Division III. The staff liaisons reported on the status of studies on sportsmanship conducted by the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the North Coast Athletic Conference.

10.	Role of Coaches and Fans in Sportsmanship.

	a.	The committee agreed that gamesmanship (attempts to gain improper advantages that were not explicitly prohibited by the rules) had supplanted sportsmanship as the guiding principle of fair play in competition and was undermining the character-building aspect of athletics. It was agreed that the chair would write to all chief executive officers, directors of athletics and executive directors of all coaching associations urging them to emphasize the important distinction between gamesmanship and sportsmanship.

	b.	The committee discussed the role of conferences in controlling fan behavior at institutional sporting events. It was the sense of the committee that institutions have the primary responsibility to control fans, not the conference.

11.	Use of Native American Mascots, Nicknames and Logos by NCAA Member Institutions. The committee reviewed a copy of the statement it forwarded to the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee (MOIC), which discouraged NCAA member institutions from utilizing Native-American mascots. MOIC shall make a formal recommendation to the NCAA Executive Committee as to the Association’s position on this issue.”

12.	Planning Review for Funded and Nonfunded Initiatives and Activities. Mr. Stratten reported that a restructuring of the means by which the NCAA funds its participation in the Citizenship through Sports Alliance has netted approximately $40,000 for the committee’s use during the 2001-02 and 2002-03 academic years.

13.	Election of New Chair. It was VOTED “That Ms. Bierwirth be appointed the new chair; her term as chair shall begin in September 2002.”

14.	Thank you Bob. It was Mr. Frederick’s final in-person meeting; his term expires in September. He was thanked for his contribution to the committee. It was noted that he was the final member of the original committee who attended the first meeting in November 1997.

15.	Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 5:05 CST.