National Collegiate Athletic Association facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
National Collegiate
Athletic Association

NCAA's national office in Indianapolis
Abbreviation	NCAA
Founded	March 31, 1906; 119 years ago (1906-03-31) in New York City, U.S.
Legal status	Association
Headquarters	Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Region served	United States and one institution in Canada
Membership	About 1,100 schools
President	Charlie Baker
Main organ	Board of Governors
Website	,

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a group that helps manage college sports in the United States. It works with about 1,100 schools, and one in Canada, to organize sports programs for over 500,000 student athletes each year. The NCAA's main office is in Indianapolis, Indiana.

For many years, the NCAA had different ways of organizing schools. Today, it has three main groups: Division I, Division II, and Division III. Schools in Division I and Division II can offer special money called athletic scholarships to athletes. Division III schools do not offer these scholarships. Usually, bigger schools are in Division I, and smaller ones are in Division II and III. The NCAA earns a lot of money, mostly from showing the men's basketball tournament on TV. There have been some discussions about how much college athletes should be paid, and rules have changed to allow them to earn money from their name, image, and likeness.

History of College Sports Management

How the NCAA Started

College sports in the U.S. began in 1852 with a rowing race between Harvard and Yale. As more sports like football and basketball became popular, there was a need for rules. Football, especially, became very popular but also quite dangerous.

In the early 1900s, President Theodore Roosevelt held meetings because many college football players were getting hurt or even dying. These meetings led to changes in the rules to make the game safer. On December 28, 1905, 62 colleges and universities formed the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS). This group officially started on March 31, 1906, and changed its name to the NCAA in 1910.

At first, the NCAA mainly discussed rules. But in 1921, it held its first national championship for track and field. Over time, more rules were made, and more championships were added, including a basketball championship in 1939.

After World War II, the NCAA faced challenges. They tried to set rules for recruiting and financial help for athletes, but it was hard to control everything. There were also concerns about how television would affect people coming to watch games.

Walter Byers became the NCAA's executive director in 1951. He quickly set up a national office in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1952. The NCAA also started controlling how football games were shown on live TV and made rules for bowl games.

Changes in the 1970s and 1980s

The NCAA logo used from 1971 to 1979

As college sports grew, schools had different levels of focus on athletics. In 1973, the NCAA divided its member schools into three groups: Division I, Division II, and Division III. Five years later, in 1978, Division I football was split into two subgroups: I-A and I-AA. These were later renamed the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in 2006.

Before the 1980s, a different group called the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) managed women's college sports. The NCAA began to offer women's championships, and by 1982, all NCAA divisions had national championship events for women's athletics. The AIAW eventually stopped operating, and most schools continued their women's sports under the NCAA.

The Presidents' Commission

In the 1980s, some college presidents felt that college sports needed to be more focused on academics. They formed the Presidents' Commission (PC) to help guide the NCAA. Their goal was to make sure that college sports supported students' education.

The PC worked to improve things like how many athletes graduated. They also pushed for rules about how much time student athletes could spend on sports and stricter academic standards. Even though there were debates and challenges, the PC helped bring about important changes in college athletics.

Court Cases and Challenges

The NCAA has faced several important court cases over the years.

• In 1984, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that the NCAA could not completely control TV rights for college football. This meant that schools and conferences could make their own deals with TV channels. This greatly changed how college sports were broadcast.
• In 1999, a lawsuit claimed the NCAA treated female athletes unfairly under a law called Title IX. The Supreme Court ruled that the NCAA itself was not directly subject to that law, but the case still highlighted the importance of fairness in sports.
• In 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court made another big decision in a case called NCAA v. Alston. The court ruled that some NCAA rules limiting what schools could give athletes for education-related benefits were against the law. This decision opened the door for college athletes to earn money from their name, image, and likeness (NIL).

NCAA Headquarters

The NCAA's main office has moved a few times. In 1955, it moved from Chicago to Kansas City, Missouri, to be more central and independent. The office started small, with just a few rooms.

Over the years, the headquarters moved to larger buildings in the Kansas City area. However, the NCAA wanted a location that was easier for visitors to reach. In 1997, they looked for a new home.

In 1999, the NCAA moved its staff to its current headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana. This new, larger building is in White River State Park and includes the NCAA Hall of Champions, which is a museum about college sports.

How the NCAA is Organized

The NCAA is led by its Board of Governors, which chooses the NCAA's president. The NCAA also has many committees made up of people from its member schools, like athletic directors and faculty. These groups help make the rules for college sports.

The NCAA also owns a company called ArbiterSports, which helps make sure that sports officiating is fair and consistent.

NCAA Presidents

Before 1951, the NCAA did not have a full-time leader.

• Walter Byers was the first executive director (1951–1988).
• In 1998, the title changed to president.
• The current president is Charlie Baker (2023–present).

Divisions in Sports

Before 1957, all NCAA sports were in one group. Then, the NCAA split into the University Division and College Division, mainly for men's basketball. These names could be confusing.

In 1973, the College Division split again. Schools that wanted to offer athletic scholarships became Division II, and those that did not became Division III. The University Division was renamed Division I.

In 1978, Division I football split into I-A and I-AA. In 2006, these were renamed the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). These changes mostly affected the names, not how the groups worked.

"National Collegiate" Sports

For some sports that are less common, the NCAA holds just one championship for all three divisions. These are called "National Collegiate" championships. Examples include women's bowling, fencing, and skiing. Even if a school is in Division II or III, winning one of these championships is considered like winning a Division I title.

Rules for Players

Amateur Status and Eligibility

The NCAA requires all its athletes to be "amateurs." This means they cannot sign contracts with sports clubs, earn a salary for playing a sport, or work with sports agents.

To play in their first year of college, students must meet certain academic rules:

• They must have graduated from high school.
• They need to have completed specific high school courses.
• They must have a good enough grade-point average (GPA). For Division I, the lowest GPA is 2.30.

Students can usually play sports for four years. They can also take a year off from playing (called "redshirting") without losing a year of eligibility. This means a student has five years from when they start college to play four seasons.

Athletes can accept prize money from tournaments as long as it does not go over the total cost of the event. For example, a tennis player might be able to take up to $10,000 in prize money during high school.

NCAA Sports and Championships

The NCAA gives out 90 national championships every year. These include 46 for women's sports, 41 for men's sports, and 3 for coed sports like fencing, rifle, and skiing.

Some of the many sports the NCAA manages are:

• Basketball
• Baseball (men)
• Beach volleyball (women)
• Softball (women)
• Football (men)
• Cross country
• Field hockey (women)
• Bowling (women)
• Golf
• Fencing (coed)
• Lacrosse
• Soccer
• Gymnastics
• Rowing (women)
• Volleyball
• Ice hockey
• Water polo
• Rifle (coed)
• Tennis
• Skiing (coed)
• Track and field
• Swimming and diving
• Wrestling (men)

Beach volleyball is the newest sport to be officially recognized by the NCAA, with its first championship held in 2016.

The highest level of college football, Division I FBS, does not have an official NCAA championship. Instead, other groups decide the national champion, often through the College Football Playoff.

Trophies and Awards

2006 NCAA championship banners hang from the ceiling of the NCAA Hall of Champions in Indianapolis

NCAA national championship trophies, rings, and watches won by UCLA teams

For most NCAA sports, the winning teams receive gold, silver, and bronze trophies for first, second, and third place. In basketball, both teams that lose in the semifinals get bronze trophies.

Some schools have won many NCAA championships. Stanford, UCLA, and Southern California (USC) have won the most national team championships in men's and women's sports.

Conferences

The NCAA organizes schools into conferences. Most schools belong to a main "multisport conference" for most of their sports. However, a school might be in different conferences for different sports. For example, Notre Dame plays most sports in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but its ice hockey team is in the Big Ten Conference, and its football team is independent (not in a conference for football).

Division I Conferences

Division I conferences must have at least seven active member schools. They must offer at least 12 sports (six for men and six for women).

Division II Conferences

Division II schools must offer at least five sports for men and five for women.

Division III Conferences

Unlike the other divisions, Division III schools cannot offer athletic scholarships. They must offer at least three team sports for each gender. The total number of sports required depends on the school's size.

Media and Broadcasting

The NCAA has agreements with TV channels like CBS Sports, ESPN, and TNT Sports to show its championships. These agreements bring in a lot of money for the NCAA.

From 1998 to 2013, a company called Electronic Arts made college sports video games with the NCAA's name. However, the NCAA stopped this agreement because of lawsuits about using players' images in games without paying them.

Focus on Inclusion

Diversity and Fairness

The NCAA believes in diversity and inclusion for its student athletes, coaches, and staff. This means making sure that everyone has a fair chance to participate and succeed, no matter their background. The NCAA uses social media to promote these ideas.

The NCAA's inclusion statement says it wants to create a culture where all student athletes feel welcome. This includes people of different ages, races, genders, and abilities.

Gender Equity and Title IX

Title IX is a law that stops discrimination based on sex. The NCAA uses this law to help make sure that women's and men's sports programs are treated fairly. The NCAA also requires host cities for championships to protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Race and Ethnicity

The NCAA has policies to protect racial and ethnic minority groups in college sports. It also does not allow championship events in states that display the Confederate flag or at schools with offensive mascots based on Native American images. This is to ensure everyone feels respected.

Student Athletes with Disabilities

The NCAA supports student athletes with disabilities by providing special learning help and adapted sports. It even hosts championships for adapted track and field and swimming and diving.

International Student Athletes

More and more international athletes are coming to U.S. universities to play sports and study. For many, this is the only way to do both at the same time.

College Team Name Changes

Some colleges have changed their mascots or nicknames because they were seen as based on racist or offensive stereotypes, especially those related to Native Americans. The NCAA has encouraged these changes.

Here are some examples of colleges that changed their Native American-inspired mascots:

• Stanford: Indians to Cardinals (1972), then Cardinal (1981)
• UMass: Redmen and Redwomen to Minutemen and Minutewomen (1972)
• Miami (OH): Redskins to RedHawks (1997)
• North Dakota: Formally dropped Fighting Sioux (2012); adopted Fighting Hawks (2015)

Some schools, like Utah (Utes) and Florida State (Seminoles), were allowed to keep their names because they have good relationships with the Native American tribes they represent.

Rules and Violations

NCAA member schools promise to follow the rules. If a school breaks the rules, the NCAA investigates. If serious violations are found, the school might be put on "probation" and face other penalties.

In very serious cases, the NCAA can ban a school from playing a sport. This is called the "Death Penalty." It has only been used a few times. For example, Southern Methodist University's (SMU) football team was banned in 1987 due to many rule violations. This had a very big impact on their program.

Coaches or staff who break rules can also face a "show-cause penalty." This makes it very hard for them to be hired by another NCAA school.

A famous example of a rules discussion involved football player Cam Newton in 2011. There were claims that his family asked for money for him to play at a certain school. The NCAA investigated, but Cam Newton was allowed to keep playing because there wasn't enough proof against him.

NCAA Sponsors

The NCAA works with many companies that help support its events. These companies are called Corporate Champions or Corporate Partners. Some well-known sponsors include AT&T, Coca-Cola, Capital One, Wendy's, and Pizza Hut.

NCAA Finances

The NCAA is a non-profit organization, which means it doesn't have to pay most taxes. It earns a lot of money, mostly from TV rights for the men's basketball tournament and ticket sales for championships. This money is then used to support NCAA schools, conferences, and student athletes.

The NCAA spends its money in many ways:

• Sports Sponsorship and Scholarship Funds: Helps schools fund sports and scholarships.
• Division I Basketball Performance Fund: Gives money to conferences based on how well their teams do in the men's basketball tournament.
• Division I Championships: Covers costs for championships, like travel and food for teams.
• Student Assistance Fund: Helps Division I student athletes with important needs.
• Student-Athlete Services: Includes insurance, drug testing, and leadership programs.

In recent years, the NCAA's income has grown to over $1 billion. Most of this money goes back to its member schools and programs that help student athletes.

Discussions about Player Pay

The NCAA used to limit how much money individual players could receive to just scholarships that covered school costs. This rule caused a lot of debate, especially since schools earn so much from sports.

Many people, including economists, felt that these limits on pay for football and men's basketball players mostly helped the schools, not the athletes. They called the NCAA a "cartel" because it controlled how much players could earn.

In 2020, the NCAA decided to support changes that would let players earn money from outside companies for using their name, image, and likeness (NIL). This means athletes can now sign endorsement deals. For example, a football player known as "Kool-Aid" signed a deal with the Kool-Aid drink company. This change has given many student athletes new opportunities to earn money.

Individual Awards

The NCAA gives out many awards to individual student athletes who show great skill, leadership, and sportsmanship. Some of these awards include:

• NCAA Award of Valor: For heroic actions.
• NCAA Sportsmanship Award: For showing good sportsmanship.
• NCAA Woman of the Year Award: Honors a senior female athlete who excels in academics, sports, service, and leadership.
• Elite 90 Award: For the student athlete with the highest grades at the championship finals.
• Theodore Roosevelt Award: The highest honor the NCAA can give to an individual.

Other College Sports Groups

While the NCAA is the biggest college sports group in the U.S., there are others:

• National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)
• National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) – for two-year colleges.
• National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA)

There are also similar groups in other countries, like U Sports in Canada and British Universities & Colleges Sport in the United Kingdom.

Images for kids

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  A men's soccer match between Canada's only NCAA school, Simon Fraser University, and Idaho's Northwest Nazarene University in 2012