The NCAA is implementing sweeping changes aimed at prioritizing student-athlete well-being and modernizing its rules and policies. A new video released during March Madness titled “Change” highlights these “transformative initiatives”.
At the forefront is a focus on providing enhanced benefits and protections for student-athletes across several key areas. According to the association president, Charlie Baker,
“College sports is uniquely American and uniquely amazing. Millions of adults believe, to their core, that the lessons they learned as student-athletes changed their lives. I hear the same message when I speak with today’s student-athletes. They are why we are all here.
Their future is too important for any of us to stand by and hope it’s going to get better. And if we all do our part, get involved, do the work and play the hand, we can make progress on the large, complicated problems we face.”
Effective from the 1st of August, all Division I schools must guarantee multi-year athletic scholarships, offer comprehensive tutoring support, expand access to health care services, and bolster mental health resources. The NCAA has also mandated the adoption of new Mental Health Best Practices guidelines.
To adapt to the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) monetization opportunities for student-athletes, the NCAA is instituting NIL protections. This includes requirements like voluntary registration, contract standardization, disclosure rules, and educational programming related to NIL.
The association is also taking proactive steps to safeguard student-athletes and competition integrity against the potential risks posed by sports betting. Measures include partnerships with industry experts, social media monitoring, and the new “Draw the Line” campaign aimed at betting education.
Perhaps most significantly, the NCAA is reviewing potential structural reforms to modernize Division I itself. Proposals include creating a subdivision for higher-resourced schools and allowing greater flexibility for student-athlete educational benefits and NIL activities.
Additional changes already approved include the provision of post-eligibility medical insurance coverage for up to two years after a student-athlete’s playing career ends. The NCAA cited its record-high student-athlete graduation rates, including 90% for teams in the 2024 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, as further motivation to invest in student-athlete success.
With this latest slate of changes, the NCAA aims to continue evolving to meet the needs of current and future student-athletes in college athletics. The “Change” campaign represents the association’s commitment to driving this positive momentum forward.
