REPORT OF THE

NCAA COMMITTEE ON SPORTSMANSHIP AND ETHICAL CONDUCT

INFORMATIONAL ITEMS.

Association-wide

a. Committee discussion on philosophy and charge of the committee.

The committee discussed the purpose of the committee, questioning what issues the committee should be engaged in and what relevance the committee should have in the membership in terms of being a resource, being a watchdog and being an advocate related to sportsmanship. The members agreed that the committee should have a two-pronged approach. The first prong of the committee’s work should address the strategic plan, including a focus on best practices to achieve and foster an environment of sportsmanship. The second prong of the committee’s work would relate to holding institutions, administrators, coaches and student-athletes accountable for the actions that undermine good sportsmanship. Also, it would recognize actions that promote and exemplify good sportsmanship.

The committee agreed to form two subcommittees representing all three divisions to carry forth the charge of the committee:

Ÿ Accountability subcommittee.

Ÿ Strategic planning subcommittee.

Each subcommittee will convene prior to the committee’s next meeting to specify its charge and action plan. Ron Loghry, Big Sky Conference, will chair the accountability subcommittee, and Alan Patterson, Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference, will chair the strategic planning subcommittee.

b. Mission statement discussion. The committee reviewed and reaffirmed the mission statement.

c. Review of the report from the June meeting. The committee’s divisional Management Council representatives reported each division’s reception and reaction to the committee’s report from the June meeting.

d. Division III Commissioners Association sportsmanship and ethical conduct. Chuck Mitrano reported on the work of the Division III commissioners group, which is examining initiatives to explore and implement. The group has identified two focus areas: (1) compiling and sharing best practices for addressing sportsmanship issues ranging from game management and fan conduct to educational programs; and (2) conducting a comparison between institutions and conferences that track conduct fouls in real time with those institutions and conferences that do not track and report the information contemporaneously.

The committee also received a copy of the Division III Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference soccer program as a resource to use in addressing concerns in the sport of soccer.

e. Sports wagering update.

(1) Sports Wagering Task Force initiative update.

(a) The Management Councils in each division reviewed and discussed the initiative. The committee received a report on specific objectives contained in the report:

Ÿ Staff noted that the sports wagering Web site dedicated to student-athletes is nearing the end of the design phase and the staff will be seeking reaction and feedback from the student-athlete advisory committees (SAACs) at the January 2006 meetings. The goal is to launch the Web site prior to the 2006 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

Ÿ In reestablishing the lines of communication with Las Vegas officials, the staff has reached out to the American Gaming Association (AGA) to establish a plan for developing open lines of communication recognizing that the NCAA and AGA are unified in addressing issues related to point-shaving.

Ÿ The staff is designing a plan to monitor point spreads on the national level.

Ÿ The staff is working towards establishing relationships with outside agencies that share common goals with the NCAA in addressing sports wagering issues.

(2) BetonSports.com. This is a bus tour that will be circulating the nation attending both professional and college contests, providing promotional materials and, allegedly in some instances, allowing individuals to place wagers inside the bus, which would be an illegal activity. The staff has notified each institution where the bus is scheduled to visit to alert the administration to police the campus environment and to alert appropriate law enforcement officials should any illegal activity occur.

(3) Education of student-athletes. The staff will provide an educational presentation to student-athletes participating at each regional site for Division I men’s and women’s basketball student-athletes; this is an expansion from previous years where the presentations were given only at Division I men’s and women’s Final Four sites.

(4) 2005 ESPN Sports Poll update. The committee reviewed portions of results from a survey related to the NCAA brand image. The committee was advised that the information was not to be shared with anyone outside of the committee or NCAA staff, or used for purposes beyond the committee’s parameters.

(5) NCAA Bylaw 10.3 update. The committee discussed the rule and provided feedback related to possible changes to include through the amendment process. The committee noted that the prohibition of participation in fantasy leagues needed to be made clear. The committee discussed the Association’s ban on all forms of sports wagering, ranging from impermissible participation in a pool to point-shaving activities. The staff intends to provide the proposed amendments to the committee in draft form.

f. Citizenship Through Sports Alliance (CTSA) update. The staff reported that the CTSA would be announcing the results of its research on the state of youth sports in America at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Clark Kellogg of CBS Sports and Congressman Mike McIntyre of North Carolina will provide remarks. Also, McIntyre will announce the formation of a Congressional Caucus on Youth Sports that he will chair, to focus on the role that parents play in the quality of their children’s sports experience. The NCAA has played a leadership role within CTSA for some time and believes that student-athletes who compete in collegiate athletics have developed good or bad habits from their parents, coaches and youth sports experiences.

g. Strategic plan update. The committee reviewed the NCAA strategic plan objective 2.3 and received an update on the planned summit and on efforts to engage coaches associations. Staff will convene a sportsmanship discussion with American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) football coaches and officials at the AFCA convention in Dallas January 11, 2006. Issues to be discussed include the roles both groups play in achieving better sportsmanship. Staff also will follow up with the basketball and soccer coaches’ associations.

At least one Division I commissioner asked staff to consider staging a follow-up to the 2003 Fan Behavior Summit. There was a sentiment that sportsmanship behavior had slipped since that event. Staff will determine whether there is widespread support for another summit before developing plans. The committee stressed the importance of ensuring that the issue was addressed as an “Association-wide priority.”

The committee discussed different ways to create buy-in for sportsmanship initiatives, noting that conference meetings are an effective means to engage different constituent groups. Committee members emphasized the need to articulate the return on investment by dedicating resources to sportsmanship issues.

The committee discussed NCAA leadership’s commitment to sportsmanship and the priority placed on it, noting that other issues are receiving emphasis and that no one had asked that sportsmanship be given priority. It also noted that it was the charge of the group to make it a priority, not wait for other groups to make those determinations.

h. Ethical behavior of coaches and administrators toward student-athletes. The committee reviewed a coaches’ conduct issue regarding sexual misconduct that was referred to the committee by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). The WBCA requested that the committee review and recommend guidelines or best practices. The committee instructed staff to respond to the writer that this issue would be best left to institutions to address, noting that institutions should have mechanisms in place for student-athletes and students alike to express grievances.

i. Tool kit components. The sportsmanship tool kit will be produced on the Web site and will provide a resource for the membership to implement suggested initiatives. As an introduction to the tool kit, the committee developed a “soap test” evaluation tool, challenging member institutions to evaluate their own effectiveness in providing an appropriate competitive environment and to identify areas that warrant improvement. The committee reviewed and refined a best practices document outlining proposed actions with examples (e.g., templates) applicable to different groups of media, parents, campus organizations, booster groups, administration (university and athletics), coaches, student-athletes, officials, fans and spirit groups. The tool kit should be available by June 2006.

j. Update on Division II conference commissioners meeting. Staff member Rachel Newman Baker updated the committee on a meeting held with the Division II commissioners to discuss the group’s initiatives specific to sportsmanship.

k. SAAC sportsmanship and best practices suggestions. The committee incorporated suggestions from SAACs July 2004 meetings into the best practices document, including the following:

(1) Developing programs that incorporate good sportsmanship and recognize good sportsmanship acts.

(2) Coaches’ communication with student-athletes about sportsmanship.

(3) Outlining fan behavior prior to athletics events.

(4) Seating home team fans/parents behind home team bench and visiting team fans behind visiting team bench.

l. NCAA Sportsmanship Award update. The committee approved a change to the 2006 nomination form, eliminating the need for the nominee’s ethnic/racial background to be included. The committee noted that this demographic information was optional and appeared unnecessary.

m. Review of policy related to Bylaw 10.01.1. The committee reviewed its June 2005 policy, and two instances in which the committee (either the chair or a staff liaison on behalf of the committee) sent a letter to the involved institution outlining the alleged incident and requesting that the institution respond, noting corrective and punitive actions taken. The committee discussed what level of follow-up is appropriate when behavior occurs, and the conference office may have procedures in place to address such activity. The committee agreed to start the process at the conference level, when an institution is a conference member. The committee also noted that recognizing positive behavior and best practices to improve sportsmanship is an important component of the policy. Finally, the committee charged the accountability subcommittee to develop specific steps for addressing issues warranting committee action.

n. Update on Varsity Brands meeting. The staff met with representatives from the Varsity Brands, a spirit group organization, to discuss initiatives the company is undertaking with its constituents (i.e., spirit groups) related to good sportsmanship. Varsity Brands provided the staff with best practices suggestions that will be incorporated into the best practices document.

o. Selected articles related to sportsmanship issues. The committee reviewed articles from regional and national media outlets related to sportsmanship.

Committee Chair: Chris Reynolds, Indiana University.

Staff Liaisons: Rachel Newman, enforcement services; Julie Roe, enforcement services;

Ron Stratten, education services.