When the NCAA cancelled all of its remaining championships for the 2019-20 school year, and the conferences/schools followed up by cancelling the entire season for those sports, it became pretty apparent right away that those student-athletes would get their year of eligibility back. It was the only thing fair to do. After all, a global pandemic certainly wasn't their fault.
In Division III, that was easy. It was announced almost immediately that student-athletes would retain their year of eligibility and this semester wouldn't count towards attendance requirements. But Division III, of course, doesn't have scholarships. Which means it was easier said than done in Division I and Division II. In Divisions I and II, two very important questions had to be answered first: "What are we doing about seniors' scholarships?" and "Who's paying for them?"
Those issues have been worked out, and the NCAA did the right thing, extending the eligibility of those student-athletes who saw their seasons cut short. This only applies to spring sports. Winter sports were not included. Which they shouldn't have been.
Frankly, it was ridiculous that some winter coaches (basketball coaches mainly) actually wanted their players to get their year back. I don't know if it was just a pipe dream, but it was completely unrealistic and totally selfish! Every basketball team's regular season was over, and for many the season totally done. Yes, it sucks that the NCAA Tournament was cancelled. But that's vastly different than your entire season being cancelled!
Besides, the biggest issue that the NCAA had to figure out regarding eligibility was two-fold. Because those graduating seniors were supposed to be replaced by incoming freshmen. The scholarships were already promised. So, how was it going to work? It would be unfair to take the scholarship away from a senior who decided to return, but it would be equally unfair to renege on a commitment that had been promised to an incoming freshman (I also think that would technically be breach-of-contract). And to those incoming freshmen, it would've been a double whammy since their high school senior season was likely cancelled, too.
There was also the issue with scholarship limits. Unlike basketball, spring teams get a certain amount of scholarships that they can divide among the members of the team anyway they choose. But having both this year's seniors and next year's freshmen on the roster meant that was also gonna need to be adjusted. Likewise, baseball has a maximum roster size which will need to be relaxed if you're essentially gonna have five classes' worth of student-athletes.
Figuring out those logistics wasn't the hard part. Figuring out the money was. March Madness is the NCAA's biggest money-maker. That money isn't coming in this year. Likewise, most Division I schools rely on their NCAA Tournament share to fund a good portion of their athletic budget. Those shares are going to be significantly smaller this year. And some of these schools could be facing financial shortfalls anyway because of having to close their campuses and issue room & board refunds to students.
So the question of where the money would come from was a legitimate one. Even though they've been given the extra year, some of the seniors may not come back...for a variety of reasons. But a good number of them will utilize that extra year, and those scholarships will need to be honored. For a Power 5 school, that extra cost is not a problem. But for a mid-major, it could be cost-prohibitive. Especially since that March Madness money isn't coming in. (And the amount they're saving by not traveling, etc., during the spring won't make up the difference.)
The final decision seems to be a bit of a compromise taking those different challenges into account. Scholarship limits were adjusted, accounting for both seniors who stay and the new freshmen. They also gave schools the flexibility to offer the returning seniors less athletic aid in 2020-21 than they were given in 2019-20. (My guess is because scholarship budgets for next year were already made and spent without accounting for this extraordinary turn of events.) And schools will be able to use the NCAA's Student Assistance Fund to pay for those additional scholarships.
While I'm sure there are some who are upset by it, this does seem to be a fair compromise. Some seniors might still have a tough decision to make. Is it still worth it to return on a reduced scholarship? Maybe, maybe not. But either way, they'll have the opportunity to end their careers the right way, which is the important thing.
And it seemed fairly obvious that the NCAA would pass the cost of the extra scholarships on to the schools. After all, it's the school that's offering the scholarship to the student-athlete, not the NCAA. Yes, it's a financial burden that some of these schools and programs may not be able to take on. But the NCAA isn't made of money, either (even though it may seem like it), and it's unreasonable to expect them to pay for extra spring sports scholarships at every school. Especially when they don't pay for any others!
Although, from what I gathered by reading the report, these adjustments only apply to the 2021 spring season. Come 2022, everything will go back to normal scholarship-wise. Which unfairly impacts those who will be high school seniors next year. The roster and scholarship adjustments should apply for the next four years. Not just one. Because the first class not getting an extra year because of this won't graduate until 2024!
Will teams make adjustments knowing that they only have the additional roster spots next year? Of course! But it doesn't change the fact that everybody's maintaining their year of eligibility. Not just the seniors. And the underclassmen are probably more likely to use that fifth year than the seniors are. (They normally get five years to complete their four. Now that becomes six, which is enough to finish grad school). So, in many ways, this year's freshmen and next year's freshmen are now effectively the same recruiting class!
Yes, I understand that's nitpicking and that these things will work themselves out. What matters is that seniors didn't have their careers abruptly ended by the coronavirus. Those on winter teams that were still competing did, and you've gotta feel for them. But that doesn't mean they deserved an extra year. Spring seniors, whose seasons were just getting started, did. And I'm glad they will.
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