It’s time for Canadian universities to play with the big boys
January 31, 2007 - Edmonton - There has been a lot of press recently about the NCAA's ruling to begin a pilot program aimed at adding international colleges and universities to the NCAA membership. The bulk of the reaction has, unfortunately, been negative.
Either the writers do not think the University of Alberta should join the NCAA, or they think there will not be as many benefits to joining as perceived. As a professor of sport management at the U of A who has done research on both the NCAA and the CIS, I think the NCAA's ruling will have positive implications for Canadian universities.
To understand these benefits, we must first understand the NCAA. There are more than 1,000 colleges in the three divisions of the NCAA. In the areas closest to British Columbia and Alberta (Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming) there are more than 60 NCAA institutions; there are 50 NCAA institutions in California.
The first answer as to why the U of A and the University of British Columbia should join the NCAA is choice; more schools, more competitive options (Division I, Division II, and Division III) and, in the case of UBC, probably lower travel costs.
The second reason is increased visibility. The Score, TSN and Sportsnet show more U.S. collegiate athletics than they do Canadian collegiate competitions. If the Canadian colleges are playing more U.S. colleges, they might have a better chance of getting on Canadian television. (Trust me, Spokane's Gonzaga University is not nearly the "powerhouse" in the U.S. as it would appear to be on television). If more Canadian institutions get more media attention, maybe more Canadian high school students will opt to stay in Canada, rather than go to the U.S. to compete in athletics. When Canadian athletic competition is viewed as strong (as measured by TV appearances and playing U.S. schools) more Canadians will stay in Canada.
Of course there are some costs to joining the NCAA, but these costs are modest. Travel costs will be equal if not less than the current travel costs. With Canada West being such a large territory, both schools could travel very far in the U.S. and still reduce their travel budgets.
The other costs are the expenses of making the teams competitive. While the U of A's and UBC's athletic budget might not be as big as some of the powerhouse schools in the NCAA, I would bet that their athletic budgets are closer to the top 200 schools than the bottom 200. Given the three divisions, both schools could start in Division III or Division II and 'work their way up.'
The biggest argument against joining the NCAA seems to be that Canadian institutions might lose some games. First, that is not universally true as the volleyball programs and women's basketball and ice hockey programs are probably very competitive with the U.S. schools and would showcase the athletic abilities of Canada's youth. With regard to men's hockey, a big issue is that fact that NCAA rules do not allow former CHL players to participate in ice hockey. The reduction in talent drawn from the CHL could be offset by the high school ice hockey players who will not have to go to the states to play NCAA hockey. Over time, I am sure that the success UBC and the U of A have demonstrated in men's hockey could be achieved even after they join the NCAA.
Of course, joining the NCAA might not be in the best interest of all Canadian colleges. For some of the colleges that already have small travel costs and might want to maintain a low sport profile, joining the NCAA would not be in their best interests. However, some Canadian schools are already showing they can compete with the U.S. schools academically; why not let them do it athletically as well? It seems to me that Canadian colleges and universities joining the NCAA would be a wonderful thing for those specific colleges, Canadian athletics and Canada as a whole.
Marvin Washington is an associate professor of Physical Education & Recreation and Strategic Management & Organization Faculties at the University of Alberta.
