Found this on the Chronicle of Higher Education's site this morning.
2 Big Athletics Associations Consider Joining Forces to Help Colleges Save Money
By BRAD WOLVERTON
In sports lingo, they're David and Goliath one a struggling organization few people have heard of, the other a money-making machine whose teams vie for championships on national television.
Now the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the two main governing bodies in college sports and longtime rivals (The Chronicle, March 23, 2007), are taking unprecedented steps toward working together, The Chronicle has learned.
A combination of factors are pushing the groups closer, including the NCAA's recent failure to create a fourth division to accommodate new members, the increasing cost of travel, and a desire to improve the recruiting and playing experience for all college athletes.
In recent weeks, leaders from both groups have met to discuss a variety of ideas, including allowing teams from the two associations to schedule more games against each other, joining together to reduce health-insurance and other administrative expenses, and establishing new recruiting standards to ensure that high-school players can't renege on their commitments to one association over the other.
While any changes are likely months away, the moves could save athletics departments tens of millions of dollars every year and thaw relations between many programs.
The most obvious change could come on the playing fields. Although many NAIA and NCAA programs are located in the same cities, they rarely compete. That's because the NAIA, whose members are mostly small private colleges and universities, is widely considered an inferior level of athletic competition, and NCAA teams that play too many games against NAIA programs can harm their chances of qualifying for postseason play.
Jim Carr, the NAIA's president, wants the NCAA to make it easier for programs from the two associations to play more often so colleges can save on travel costs. While it's still unclear whether the NCAA will change its championship guidelines, Mr. Carr is encouraged by what he has heard lately.
"It seems silly that schools are right across the street from each other and can't play because of ratings criteria," he said in an interview last week. "We're excited to be having a dialogue with the NCAA to help make that change."
Membership Challenges
Conversations between the associations started over a year ago when NCAA officials began discussing ways to limit the rapid growth of its Division III. At that point, NCAA leaders say, they were just keeping the NAIA in the loop about changes that could affect the smaller association.
But when talk of creating a fourth division, or subdividing Division III, fell apart last month (The Chronicle, April 11). NCAA leaders stepped up their efforts to work with the NAIA. Several top NCAA officials traveled to Louisville in April to meet with the NAIA's leaders during their annual convention.
On paper the NCAA would seem to have little need for the NAIA. The NCAA has 1,200 member institutions, nearly 400,000 athletes, and a budget of more than $500-million. The NAIA has about 300 members, 45,000 athletes, and a $4-million budget.
But the NCAA's deep pockets make it a sought-after destination, which has led scores of NAIA programs to consider switching. As a result, the NCAA's ranks are bulging. In 2006 it established a moratorium on Division III growth.
By facilitating more games with NAIA teams, the NCAA could help strengthen the NAIA's brand. That could lead more high-school athletes to consider playing NAIA sports and ultimately help keep the NCAA's overall membership growth at bay.
NCAA officials say they are motivated to improve the experience for all college athletes. "We are looking for ways to collaborate and have partnerships that better serve student-athletes across the country, irrespective of what association they belong to," said Bernard W. Franklin, the NCAA's executive vice president for governance and membership.
In coming months, he said, NCAA members will discuss easing championship guidelines so their teams can compete more readily against NAIA programs. Members of the two associations will also talk about combining certain programs and business practices, such as catastrophic-health plans and overnight-delivery services, to help both groups save money.
What does not appear to be on the table is the NCAA buying the NAIA, a rumor that has been circulating for years. The NAIA may be small, but it has enjoyed small operating surpluses each of the past eight years. It also has no desire to go away.
"The NCAA certainly has abundant resources, and if any of these partnerships allow us to take advantage of some of those resources, we certainly wouldn't be against that," Mr. Carr said. "But we only want to pursue conversations with the NCAA that keep our name and identity intact."