NCAA President Myles Brand called Friday afternoon for intercollegiate athletics to be recentered.
Brand spoke at Cardinal Hall in the Pittenger Student Center for the 10th annual Jack Beyerl Lecture.
"My concern and my fear is that the enormous success of college sports as entertainment diversion over the last 20 to 25 years has eroded the role of intercollegiate athletics to support the educational mission of universities and colleges," he said.
While the NCAA is not in a crisis now, Brand said it cannot wait for one to come before action is taken. He said that success as both a student and an athlete is the only acceptable standard.
"Against the background of higher education, intercollegiate athletics is offset; it's askew," Brand said. "It behaves in ways that demonstrate a drifting away from the world of the university and toward the world of sports entertainment."
Brand said three things must happen: First, university presidents must lead the reform; second universities must embrace athletics for its educational value; and third the athletic community must accept the changes that need to be made.
"The first principal is that presidential leadership is essential," he said. "Ultimately the university president will be held accountable and there's where the authority for decision making must rest.
"I'm optimistic that presidential leadership will emerge as it did in the case of academic reform."
Brand also spoke about the financial pressures that athletic departments face.
"If there are not concrete solutions brought forth in a reasonable time frame, financial pressures will continue to push college sports off center in ways that will threaten the college game and destroy the collegiate model beyond recognition," Brand said.
Afterwards, Athletics Director Bubba Cunningham said he thinks Ball State follows Brand's plan perfectly.
"I think we're in lock step with the plan," Cunningham said. "The way we operate, I think it fits exactly.
"We have chosen a path and stayed with it a long time, and it's exactly what some schools have gotten away from and now he's encouraging them to get back to."
Brand agreed with Cunningham and said that he is one of the better athletics directors around.
"I think Ball State runs a first class program," Brand said. "All around it's a first-class program. It never has enough money, but I can say that about lots and lots of other programs.
"Some hard decisions have to be made, but the quality of the athletic program and the quality of the leadership there is truly outstanding."
In a question-and-answer session Brand spoke about the 15,000 Division I-A attendance regulation. He said he has no clear answer now because it's still under discussion and it could be six to eight months before a decision is made, but he is optimistic Ball State would be fine.
"I think it is a concern for Ball State and I think it has to find a way to deal with that issue as well as other schools in the MAC," Brand said. "I feel fairly optimistic some approach will be taken so that MAC schools can continue to participate."
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