Darren Rovell, who covers the sports biz for CNBC, is at the World Congress of Sports in NYC. He notes that NCAA president Myles Brand isn't opposed to student-athletes filling out NCAA brackets as long as it wasn't for money. Said Brand, "A student-athlete can walk into a supermarket and be the millionth customer and win a prize."
I have no problem with Brand's comment, although I am quite sure that brackets are used to not gamble for money about as much as bongs are used to not smoke pot.
Rovell then wondered what the difference is between Brand's hypothetical and Drew Tate, a University of Iowa football player, who in 2006 hit a hole-in-one worth $25,000, but was told he could not accept the prize money per NCAA rules.
According to Rovell, he then "spoke with the NCAA's Wally Renfro, who told [Darren] that he didn't believe that Tate's accepting of the prize was against NCAA rules."
No wonder we have so many problems understanding NCAA rules. Wally Renfro, senior advisor to NCAA president Myles Brand, has been working at the NCAA since the 1970s, and he just offered an interpretation that contradicted Bob Bowslby, then AD at Iowa. Bowlsby "let Tate know that he couldn't accept the prize. That would be against
NCAA regulations, since Tate, the 2004 all-Big Ten quarterback, [had] a
year of eligibility left." In Renfro's defense, he works in PR, not in enforcement. I'm guessing Renfro's interpretation is wrong, even if I like what he said.
Why would it have been against NCAA rules for Tate to pocket the $25k? Because the NCAA views a hole-in-one as a function of athletic ability, not luck. Payment for athletic skill violates the NCAA's definition of amateurism. Whereas filling out a winning NCAA bracket is pure luck. In reality, it is the opposite.
I have played golf since I was in high school and, at my best, I was probably a 12-handicap.
Here's my scorecard:
Number of career hole in ones: Zero
Number of NCAA tournament pools won: 2 (and I haven't participated in one in the last 5 or so years)
Hopefully someone from the NCAA can clear up the confusion for Drew Tate. I'm guessing the kind, generous Iowa boosters who organized the golf outing would gladly correct the mistake, if a mistake, in fact, occurred.
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