Policies Sports Legislators Should Consider

By Alvin Mason

Policies the Olympic Governing Body Should Consider

The Olympic Governing Body should consider having one home for the summer and one home for the winter Olympics.

This is not my idea but I agree with the concept when I read it. The expense that a host nation undertakes to host the Olympics for the short duration is too much. Every nation has other concerns that should be addressed before committing large sums of money for an event that has such a short duration. What if a nation undertook to host the Olympics and a war or terrorist activity hurt the tourism travel and live gate.

The Olympic Competition Committee and the world Track and Field governing body should consider:

1. Adding more relays
2. Defending champion
3. At large entry
4. Indoor Track and Field for the Winter Games
5. Schedule events to allow athletics to compete in multiple events

The Olympic Competition Committee and the World Track and Field Governing Body should add a 4X800 meter relay and a distance medley relay. The current relay events favors only sprinters. Middle distance and distance runners should also have the opportunity to compete in relays. This would balance the competition as some of the countries that are dominate in distance and less competitive in the sprint relays would be able to showcase their runners. This would also allow a forth runner to compete in the Olympic games as only 3 runners can compete in the open distance events.

The Olympics should also allow the defending Olympic champion and the reigning World Champion to get an automatic invite. They should not have to compete in their country's trials. That might allow some countries to enter more than 3 athletes, but it also ensures more of the best runners competing.

The Olympics should also have an at-large entry system for many individual sports. There are countries where the competition for certain events is so fierce that an athletic who does not qualify for their country's Olympic team could still qualify by winning an at-large bid. The at-large competition would take place at the Olympic venue right before the Olympic Games start. It would work the same way that entries into tennis and golf tournaments work. One thing this at-large system can eliminate is athlete's nation shopping to compete in the Olympic Games.

The Olympic Games and every country's Olympic trials should allow athletes to compete in multiple events. The jumps (long, triple, and High) should not overlap. Nor should the short sprints (100 and 200) and the long jump overlap. There should never be overlapping in the scheduling of track events. So the 100 and 200 should not overlap. The 200 and 400 and the 400 and 800 and the 800 and the 1500 and so on to the marathon should not overlap. In the past the 400 and 800 overlapped in the American trials and the Olympics. It is as if the track authorities forgot about Alberto Juantorino. One such overlap in the American Olympic trials hindered Jearl Miles Clarke, one of America's best runners from attempting the 400 and 800 double.

The Olympic committee should also consider adding indoor track and field to the winter games. The indoor surface should be a 200 meter 6 lane flat track. The short sprint should be the 60 meter dash and all other events should remain the same. The finals would be the top 6. Of course there could only be a short hurdle event.

College Basketball Governing Bodies Should Consider

The NCAA and NIT Governing bodies should consider the following for the NCAA Basketball tournament.

March madness is a yearly event that holds the interest of most basketball fans and many casual observers. Before the tournament begins there is disappointment as some teams are left out of the 68 team field. The term bubble team is used to describe a team that may be included or may be excluded in the 68 team field. Many fans believe there is favoritism in the choices and that some of the so-called power conferences have too much representation.

Many years ago the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) was the marquee basketball tournament in the country. During the 1960's and early 70's the NIT was still relevant. Today the NIT is almost irrelevant, existing largely on its historical past.

My proposal would save the NIT or at least make it relevant again while helping the NCAA selection committee with their omissions.

I propose the NIT be limited to 16 teams. Eight teams that the NCAA selection committee chooses and eight teams the NIT chooses. Thus the bubble teams still play in a tournament that is relevant. The way my idea works is right after the field is announced the NCAA sends the NIT 8 names of teams it wants to enter into the NIT tournament. The NIT will then offer invitations to 8 more teams. Thus the 16 team field is chosen.

The first round 8 games would be played on the first Tuesday before the NCAA play-in games. The second found 4 games would be played Wednesday before the NCAA play-in games. The tournament would have an off day on Thursday with the semifinals being played Friday Morning. The first game at 9am. The finals would be played Saturday morning also. The winner would play a wildcard game against an NCAA sweet 16 team.

The NCAA would seed their teams and all #1 and #2 seeds would be exempt from the draw. The 8 or more teams that are still standing minus all #1 and #2 seeds that make it that far on Saturday would enter the draw on Saturday night. That means that the 16 teams playing on Sunday are all exempt from the draw. It also means the draw could be only 4 teams if the seeds hold. The NCAA can determine which games or teams would be played on Thursday/ Saturday.

The NCAA team that wins or as some would say losses the draw and is selected to play the NIT champion in a play in game would have a choice of playing a Tuesday afternoon game at their school with home court advantage or at the site of the Friday NCAA 3rd round game. The winner should play in the NCAA Sweet 16 game on Friday to allow rest to lessen the advantage their upcoming opponent would have from travel or exhaustion. To lesson the complaint against this system, the school that has to play the NIT winner should receive 1 million dollars toward their athletic department to be used for all sports.

This makes the NIT very relevant and allows the NCAA less controversy with bubble teams omitted. The biggest advantage would be the additional revenue that both the NIT and NCAA would receive.

My question to the NCAA, do you want to see the NIT cease to exist?

The NCAA Should Consider

Paying the cost of career ending insurance for athletics who are likely to play at the next level. When an athletic in high school is given a rating. For instance there are 4 star or 5 star recruits. The NCAA should either insure or have a pool of funding from the revenue earned to insure athletes. If an athlete has a can't miss rating coming out of high school they should be guaranteed a certain amount. The school they choose should use some of the revenue they earn from the athletic events to supplement the NCAA pool. Every athlete men and women from all sports should have a minimum of say $10,000 insured on them for a life altering injury plus lifetime medical coverage at participating NCAA schools with medical programs. Should a player suffer an injury that leaves them crippled then then they would receive compensation and medical coverage from any participating NCAA School that has a medical program.

All Major Sports Should Consider

All the major sports (NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL) owners should consider the following. No salary cap for 1 player or one Quarterback for the NFL.

The salary cap in all sports is a hindrance to teams that draft well and develop their players. The salary cap too many times makes teams choose between players that they really want to keep. The salary cap needs to be modified to allow teams that are good to remain good.

First a champion should be allowed to remain great. If a team became good by drafting players and/or developing young players into stars, then those teams should be able to benefit from their good decisions and hard work. A champion should receive salary cap considerations maybe in the NFL a $5 million dollar bonus in cap considerations to keep a team together. The fans don't enjoy seeing some of their favorite players exit their teams because of the salary cap, so why should the owners, coaches and general managers want this.

Another suggestion is that one or two players salaries be exempt from the salary cap. In the NFL a quarterback could get paid and the team could still keep a good offensive line and many of the effective weapons around them. This concept recognizes the fact that a great player should be rewarded without hurting the team.

Boxing

Your day has come and gone. The people who control boxing all the alphabets, you blew it. You ruined professional boxing. Congratulations to the people who run the alphabets. Boxing fans have to wait forever to see a fight with 2 marquee fighters. Look how long it has been since boxing fans watched a big event that was also a great fight.

Years ago the problem was that a promising fighter had to sign their life away to get a title shot. Today a promising boxer without a name has to enter the sport all too often with the assistance of a slimeball.

The fights need to take place when boxers are in their prime. Then official results need to have an appeal process. Such outcomes that are controversial such as Leonard/Hagler and Leonard/Herns2 would be subject to an official review that could change the outcome. When outcomes occur that are so ridiculous that people stop watching the sport then judges need to be disciplined.

Boxing has so much corruption that today many people who were big fight fans could care less. Read "For Boxing Fans".

Legislators need to do a better job of protecting boxers. A boxer should be able to break a management contract and a boxer should not be required to pledge their future earning to get a championship fight. The only thing a boxer should be require to agree to is that a challenger could be required to give a champion a rematch if the champion loses the fight.

The Governing Bodies of All Woman Sports

The Governing bodies for all Women's sports should advocate an all woman's sports network. Many of the sport media conglomerates have multiple sports channels. Why not a channel dedicated to woman's sports? With all the networks in existence today there should at least be a woman's sports program.

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