The much-anticipated NCAA Convention is in the rear-view mirror and the real work has begun. Now is the time to re-think the advantages of the conference model. No, I don’t mean discussions on conference realignment or getting more teams into the tournament. Conference leaders need to think futuristically about what makes them distinctive.
Let me explain. Standard operating procedures in the past have included discussions about how to strengthen your competitive advantages (or limit someone else’s) in a world defined by NCAA rules. The vast majority of conferences have a “working council” comprised of athletic directors, senior woman administrators and a student-athlete or two, who deliver recommendations to their presidents on rules, travel, voting on NCAA proposals, etc.
Now things are more complicated. The Supreme Court (in NCAA v Alston) essentially told all of college athletics you can no longer act collectively. Playing rules are one thing-schools can act collectively to legislate those; but capping how much a university can provide for educational opportunities can no longer be regulated nationally. New conversations will need to occur around creating distinctions in each conference for both athletes and employees.
In a conversation on my podcast last week, Horizon League Commissioner Julie Roe Lach and I talked about the shift in discussions she will be having with both the working council of athletics directors, and presidents in an era of conference autonomy and addressing the natural tendency to borrow what others are doing.
“What we are planning for is what level of engagement is needed, and how you strike that balance,” Lach told me. In addition to the always fun conversations around Covid restrictions and safety protocols, she is working to “elevate the thinking” about what the future holds.
In a world where the terms “competitive equity” and a “level playing field” are baked into nearly every decision, this new era does not allow for a national solution to controlling the off the field competitive environment: not in recruiting, not in names, images and likenesses, and not in educationally related financial awards.
Where college presidents used to look to other conferences (or the NCAA) to provide ideas or guardrails, now each conference is an island unto itself. And it will be a challenge for presidents (and, by extension, their own campus trustees, who need to weigh in) to decide which direction to head first.
Presidents have more than a financial responsibility for the athletics programs within the conference; they have a fiduciary responsibility. While winning teams are often used as the defining variable for success (with graduation rates and GPAs not far behind), this new world order requires nuanced thinking to redefine the distinctiveness of a conference culture.
Here are some topics for athletics directors and presidents to consider:
- Take a deeper look into the definition of equity. Whether it be gender or race, many athletics programs prioritze one or two teams who get the bulk of the resources and the marketing attention, known as “tiering”. Can your conference lead when it comes to creating equitable experiences and opportunities for all coaches and student-athletes? If so, what could that look like?
- Holistically examine the athletic medicine and mental health resources currently provided for all athletes. As fiduciaries, does it meet the standards you would want for your son or daughter playing sports at a high level?
- If you find your staff members are leaving athletics (an unfortunate trend emerging from the new world called the “Great Resignation”), how can you make your environment more in tune with the work/life balance that so many are striving for? Asking people to continually do more with less is clearly a recipe for losing good employees. Can the conference design best practices for each campus to mirror?
- Finally, all conferences are responsible for their post-season championships. As demonstrated in the Kaplan report which examined the NCAA’s gender equity problems in their championships, each conference should undertake a similar analysis with all of its events.
Setting the tone has always been the challenge for leaders. Now that the opportunity to innovate around the athletic conference model is here, one of the best things presidents can do is to strive to reinvent their strengths. Priority number one should be creating the best possible culture; as workplace leaders often say fairness, trustworthy management, innovation, trust and caring about those you work with are crucial.
Coaches think a lot about team culture and how important it is to the success or failure of a program. They (and the athletes) know when they are working in a healthy, supportive environment that encourages their success. Conferences who create distinctive cultures will attract and retain great people, and that’s a major key to long-term, distinctive success.
