NCAA Player Rules

Every year tens of thousands student-athletes take to courts, fields, stadiums and arenas at their schools to play a sport. While they each have team guidelines, school guidelines and conference guidelines to follow, they also must follow the guidelines set forth by the NCAA. These overarching rules handle everything from drug testing to agents to talking with the media. Every student-athlete must sit through a lecture each semester on the do's and don'ts of what their college life is supposed to be like.

  1. Academic Status

    • This may be the slippery slope of college athletics. The NCAA states that a student has to have a certain grade point average and Standard Achievement Test (SAT) /American College Test (ACT) score based on a sliding scale to be eligible to play. Basically, the higher the GPA means a lower SAT/ACT is needed. However, some coaches will work around those rules by putting poorer academic students into classes or online course that can inflate grades. The NCAA also monitors current students each year.

    Sportsmanship

    • The NCAA defines sportsmanship as a set of behaviors "based on values, especially respect and integrity." A sub-idea of that is ethical conduct, which the NCAA deems as a " higher standard than law because it includes, among other principles, fundamental values that define sportsmanship."

    Drug Testing

    • Every student-athlete can be randomly tested for drugs by the NCAA. They get no official warning, but are just told to arrive at a certain spot where an NCAA tester will follow them into a bathroom and make sure they get it done right. Players can be tested during the summer, in season and after championship games. They are tested for recreational as well as performance-enhancing drugs.

    Amateur Status

    • Each athlete playing an NCAA sport must sign a statement each year declaring they never have received money for playing a sport or have signed a contract with an agent. If they lie on these documents, they and their school face sanctions such as forfeited games and lost scholarships.

    Gambling

    • Basically, if the NCAA finds that a player has bet on games, conspired with gamblers or done anything to besmirch the integrity of the game, then they will be suspended from collegiate play.