Opportunity for Change?

The Knight Commission sees an opportunity to implement the C.A.R.E. model based on language in the NCAA constitution draft and outside support.

The Commission noted the draft includes the same principles as the C.A.R.E. model. But “the problem has been that the principles have not been fully put into practice,” CEO Amy Perko told reporters.

More importantly, if adopted, the draft also gives Division I the actual power to reorganize its budget — so the idea comes just in time. 

On top of that, the model has momentum.

• Twenty-one Olympic sports coaches’ associations — part of the Intercollegiate Coaches Association Coalition — have endorsed the model. 
• The NCAA’s Gender Equity Review pointed out that the current Division I revenue distribution model doesn’t support gender equity — a belief the C.A.R.E. model echoes.
• “The C.A.R.E. model addresses the concerns we repeatedly hear from Congress, state lawmakers, and from the public,” former U.S. Secretary of Education and Knight Commission co-chair Arne Duncan said.

One potential caveat? Similar measures have been struck down by courts — such as the NCAA’s attempt decades ago to put a ceiling on coaching salaries.

Ultimately, it’s up to the membership to see whether the idea — or anything like it — makes it into the final copy. At Monday’s Constitutional Convention, the discussion continues.