NCAA

“Having to take the positives out of a negative situation:” spring sport student-athletes granted another year of eligibility

April 6, 2020 by Julius Luchs Leave a Comment

In the midst of the spread of COVID-19 in the United States, Florida Tech has canceled spring sports and the remainder of winter sports for the rest of the semester. On March 13, the National Collegiate Athletic Association announced that spring student-athletes would be able to receive an extra year of eligibility.

Despite spring student-athletes being granted another year of eligibility, on Mar. 30, the NCAA announced that they will not allow an extra year of eligibility for winter sports athletes.

With the spring sports seasons being cut short in March, and two more months of the regular season to play, there were no playoffs or national champions for any spring student-athlete at Florida Tech. For some seniors, their last season was cut short.

Harry Craik, a senior majoring in civil engineering, plays at his senior night game. Photo// Matthew Lanoue

“With athletes having an extra year of eligibility, rosters have a possibility of being larger next season,” said Vincenzo Catanza, a fifth-year senior on the baseball team majoring in electrical engineering. “It sets a weird situation because you recruited a freshman class and transfers coming in to replace the seniors,” Catanza said. “Now the seniors have a chance to come back.”

Catanza shared his frustration about the cancellation of the season saying, “I had a feeling it was going to be canceled seeing other schools and conferences postponing or canceling their season,” he said.

Catanza also brought up how much of an honor it was to be a part of the Florida Tech family and be able to play the sport he loved with his closest friends.

“I had to take the positives out of what could have been a very negative situation, Catanza said. “All those tears were not because baseball was leaving.”

The outfielder also added that his sadness from the spring sports cancellation stemmed from him no longer being able to play and have his friends and family watch from the stands.

“I couldn’t put on the jersey that I thought I represented well, and wanted to represent well,” Catanza said.

With Catanza being a fifth-year senior, he has the option to come back next year or to begin a new chapter in his life. He shares his thoughts on where he is with his decision stating, “I definitely consider coming back, but I am very fortunate for the fact I also have a job offer.”

At this point in time, Catanza said he is still not sure if he will use his year of eligibility. “I have a tough decision ahead,” he added.

According to ESPN, concerns regarding the Coronavirus have also led to the cancellation of sports beyond the collegiate level. Such cancellations include March Madness and suspensions of the professional sports leagues, including the NBA, MLB, and even the Olympics that were set to take place this summer.

“I think it is necessary since health and safety comes first,” said Harry Craik, a senior basketball player majoring in civil engineering.

“By removing sports, it disrupts the community behind it,” Craik said.

He added that sports provide a huge amount of jobs for people, and now it impacts so many people since no sporting events are being held.

The end of the winter sports season, including playoffs for basketball, was also canceled due to the Coronavirus.

Florida Tech’s men’s basketball team did not make the playoffs, so their season was not cut short.

“I think this is really unfortunate since spring athletes worked so hard all year to get to the tournament and their chance to prove themselves was taken,” Craik said.

NCAA student-athletes can now profit off their fame nationwide

November 26, 2019 by Tyler Jones Leave a Comment

After the NCAA board of governors passed a law to allow college athletes to profit off their fame in several states such as California, Florida and Colorado, they voted unan- imously on a similar agree- ment nationwide on Oct. 29.

The board has asked the three divisions of the NCAA to create the necessary rules immediately in order to have them in place no later than January of 2021.

Bill Jurgens, Florida Tech’s athletic director, stat- ed that he does not have an opinion at this time, due to this information just being released, and the fact that the NCAA is still looking into this matter.

According to TIME, the NCAA needs to determine how athletes can profit off of their name, likeness and

image, while also maintaining rules regarding amateurism.

Jake Hahn, a junior on the lacrosse team, said he thinks that for these rules to be effec- tive, the NCAA would have to redefine the term of amateur- ism in college sports.

“I think the main thing that categorizes an athlete as a professional is that they get paid to play their sport,” Hahn said.

Hahn then explained that an athlete can’t be both a professional and an amateur at the same time.

He elaborated that the hard thing about allowing student athletes to make money off their name is the fact that once that student starts making money, it’s hard to say if they can still be considered an amateur.

Johnny Poret, a sopho- more on the football team, said he believes that players

should be paid based on the amount of money they bring into the school.

“Big time players bring in big time money for schools because people want to come watch them play,” Poret said. “The more money a player brings in, the more money that player should receive.”

How universities will assist students in profiting off of their name and likeness has not been decided.

Both Hahn and Poret brought up the suggestion of personal jersey sales, or team equipment inside the univer- sity’s bookstore or on their website.

As far as recruiting is concerned, Hahn said he believes that this new rule will potentially have no impact on the smaller Division II and Division III schools, but could have an effect on Division I schools.

Hahn went on to explain that the high quality athletes, such as those who are considered four or five star recruits, won’t have an interest in coming to Florida Tech, as they have the opportunity to

pursue Division I schools. With just a little over a year until this rule will be put in play, much more informa- tion regarding rules and regu- lations from the NCAA itself

are still to come.

California sets precedent for NCAA

October 2, 2019 by Julius Luchs Leave a Comment

Playing under the NCAA is a privilege to earn that lasts once in a lifetime.

A dedicated athlete puts in hard work for their dream to pay off in their future.

Any athlete that wants to be great, fantasizes themselves being the next great player of their generation.

They dream of winning, making money signing big endorsements to companies such as Nike and Adidas.

In California, those dreams can now occur sooner to an athlete.

A new bill, known as the Fair Pay to Play Act, has been passed unanimously., in which college athletes in California are now able to get paid through endorsements and sponsorships, without any punishment.

The main limit to the bill is that an athlete that attends a school sponsored by Nike cannot sign an endorsement deal with any other brand, such as Under Armour.

The new bill was covered all over sports networks, creating some heated debates from constantly getting.

One of the most notable responses came from former University of Florida quarterback, Tim Tebow, where Tebow stated “It changes what’s special about college football,” Tebow said. “We turn it into the NFL, where who has the most money.”

The bill has been approved and is expected to be signed by the governor very shortly.

It will become official in 2023.

Florida Tech’s athletic director, Bill Jurgens, associates with the NCAA frequently due to his job as the A.D. Mr. Jurgens was well aware of the new law that was passed, and he said he is not surprised by the law.

He believes the NCAA “does a great job governing athletics and prepares athletes for professional sports. No one works harder than the NCAA with physical safety and mental safety.”

With the new bill being passed, Jurgens’ remark of preparing athletes for professional sports comes into play, as athletes are now making big decisions for themselves with endorsement contracts.

There is one concern the school’s athletic director has; “The safety of the college athletes are very important, and they must be smart with their decisions and life skills.”

College athletes in California must now make life-changing decisions.

Less than two percent of college athletes in all of college sports combined become professional athletes.

California college athletes are given a responsibility and an opportunity of a lifetime at a very young age, and must make their choices carefully.

Jurgens added a fact that the bill has been discussed with Florida, bringing all the terms passed in California, as a possible new bill coming to Florida as well.

If the new law moves to have an impact on Florida college athletics, this may expand on a big change coming to the NCAA.

Perspectives from college athletes are debatable, depending on what the athletes claim as their top priorities and what they focus on. Senior baseball player Blaise Maris is an athlete not in favor of the new bill.

“Not every college athlete has professional qualities. Getting paid makes it a job. College is stressful enough with classes, practices, and workouts. If you are not performing, then that ‘job’ weighs on your mind more, adding more stress.”

Athletes who are not qualified for business deals will have trouble managing their priorities with school and their sport.

If they are unable to keep their grades up to the appropriate GPA, the athlete will not be qualified to play, resulting in the athlete to lose out on their endorsement deal.

Maris also adds onto the thought of an increase of athletes going to play in California because of the Fair Pay to Play Act.

“I think that there are a lot of athletes that believe they should be getting paid right out of high school, so those people will probably go to California to start their journey. You will start to see better talent levels across the board in California.” Florida Tech football player Daniel Welch added his opinion towards the Fair Pay to Play Act.

He was able to view it as a benefit and as a possible concern.

“I think it could create an opportunity for athletes to be rewarded for being successful. However, I do agree with what Tim Tebow said earlier in the week, that it takes away what college football is about. It takes away some of the team aspect and makes it more individual.”

If athletes become selfish, and have problems as a team, the school’s team will not perform as well, which will lead to problems for the selfish athletes.

If the athletes struggle, they will not be awarded with endorsements, and possibly lose their deals and scholarships.

The college athletes must remain humble and focus on the main goal of winning and competing.

The Fair Pay to Play Act is the start of a new chapter in NCAA sports.

College athletes in California are now gaining the chance to get paid through endorsement deals.

If the bill is spread to other states, it will spread across the country, completely changing college sports, starting a new era that will continue to be debatable.