NCAA History Guide

The opportunity for physical activities are endless–for everyone. With that said, why isn’t everyone participating in sports or recreational activities? The answer? The opportunities are simply not equal. Disabled children should be given the same opportunity to partake in sports and activities as any other child. In schools, it is up to the institution to provide accessible and fair equipment for those who require it.

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, facilities and institutions must provide proper accessibility and equipment for the disabled. Still, today we are faced with many issues regarding this–facilities not following the guidelines of the act. In recent news, a boy with special needs was not allowed to participate in his field day–so he fought back. According to the news story, 14-year-old Jake Wesely fought back when his school told him he could not participate in his school’s field day due being “medically exempt.” After bringing it to the school’s attention, the school board found that this was an old policy that had been implemented and overlooked for years–the school issued an apology. Continue reading “Promoting Participation in Sports for Disabled Youth” »

Penn State enters their third season following the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

When you say Penn State football there used to be a connotation of glory, pride, and success. Now almost three years since the Jerry Sandusky scandal, the Penn State football name is slowly climbing back to a respectable stature. The Nittany Lions might not ever return to the status held by Joe Paterno from 1966-2011, but the Shakespearean tragedy that is Penn State football is seeing a rebirth. Continue reading “The New Penn State Football Legacy” »

The College Baseball World Series takes place in June.

The NCAA and college sports are key players in the American sports landscape. Television contracts and merchandise rights have made the NCAA a tycoon organization reaching almost a billion dollars in revenue last year. They compete seasonally with the NFL, NBA, and NHL throughout the academic year, which is also the heights of American sports coverage. But the untapped season for NCAA athletics is the summer.

Continue reading “Will the NCAA Have Summer Sports?” »

Bob Bowlsby, Big 12 Conference commissioner, has been making sports headlines as he speaks out against the college sports overlord that everyone loves to hate- the NCAA. The main source of contention? The elite leaders of NCAA sports- the 20% that win 92% of championships- are increasingly unable to pass legislation because the smaller schools are voting them down.

Bowlsby is speaking out against the democratic system of the NCAA itself, saying that ” it’s virtually impossible right now to configure legislative proposals that have any chance of getting through the system intact that would accomplish anything in the way of meaningful change.” He, along with many others in the college sporting world, are frustrated by the bureaucratic roadblock to creating the real change that the NCAA needs to see.

Continue reading “Pressure to Reform NCAA is Mounting” »

The NCAA is often criticized for its commercialism and lack of true collaboration. With the NCAA-run March Madness tournament just completed, however, it’s hard to imagine a world of college sports in which the NCAA does not play a pivotal role. In football, on the other hand, strides are being made that just might change the relationship between universities, conferences, and the NCAA.

The first, seemingly unimportant, development is the branding of the new College Football Playoff. The new format, set to debut after the 2014 regular season, hopes to resolve some of the arguments for reform that have become increasingly prevalent in the last several years. The logo has just been chosen this week, and the gaining momentum for the new playoff leads to a startling realization: unlike the championships for nearly every other college sport, the branding of the College Football Playoff features no mention of the NCAA. This may in fact be a deliberate choice. As college football seeks to reformat their playoff process, they may also be looking to refocus on college football, rather than the NCAA.

Continue reading “The NCAA Fate in Football” »

Are you looking for a great way to stay fit during the off season? Well, there are a ton of different options out there, but as a college student many options can be expensive. Today I’ll look at some economical ways to stay fit during the off season.

Home fitness programs – P90x and others

A home fitness program is always a great economical solution; with so many videos and dvds out there, training at home is easy. I personally recommend P90x as it is a great program that really hits all areas as it includes weight lifting, cardio, stretching and yoga. The dvds are only around $100 – cheaper if you get them used and you’ll only need to spend another $70 or so for workout bands, a pullup bar and yoga mat.

An alternative to P90x is Insanity. This program focuses more on cardio, so you’re going to have to supplement this with another weights workout separately. Of course there are a ton of different dvd sets that you can get. There has also been a massive surge in fitness apps, so if you have a smart phone, I’d recommend checking the selection to see if anything looks interesting.

Continue reading “Cheap Fitness Programs to Stay Fit During the Off Season” »

Okay, you’ve probably heard it enough by now – Alabama won the BCS championship. As much as I was rooting for the underdog, the outcome wasn’t much of a surprise. The only negative about it was listening to my stepdad walk around the house shouting “Roll Tide Roll!” and “Back to Back!” After about 2 or 25 times, it gets old. I can’t blame him for being excited, though. Having back-to-back championships is an impressive accomplishment. Nick Saban gets a pat on the back.

Continue reading “Roll Tide Roll!” »