The University of Mississippi Athletics
Student-Athletes, Participation Awards And Amateurism
1/5/2011 | Compliance
Jan. 20, 2011
NCAA rules permit institutions and the sponsors of post-season championship events to provide participation awards to student-athletes or special achievement awards. The NCAA does establish maximum limits on the value of such awards. Obviously the award or apparel becomes the property of the student-athlete. There have been several stories in the national news this year in which student-athletes sold an award or apparel he/she received as a result of participation which resulted in a penalty from the NCAA. Some have wondered why a student-athlete is subject to a penalty for selling something belonging to them. It is an amateurism issue. Student-athletes are not permitted to use their name, photo, appearance or athletic reputation for commercial purposes. The value of an athletic award is often enhansed because of its ownership. Once a student-athlete has exhausted his/her athletic eligibility, such restrictions are no longer applicable.
For example, if a football team plays in a bowl game, student athletes are permitted to receive up to $350 worth of awards from the institution and another $350 in awards from the bowl sponsor. One of the institutional awards to the student-athlete may include the student-athlete bowl jersey (something collectors would covet especially if it had the name of the player on the jersey and would be even more valuable to potential buyers if it was autographed).
If a student-athlete were to sell his jersey to anyone it would be a violation, and if the student-athlete were to sell his jersey to an agent or someone who works for an agent this would also be a violation.
Another example would be a volleyball team receives iPods for making it to the conference tournament. Three of the student-athletes already have iPods and decide to sell them to a representative of the institution's athletic interest. These three student-athletes are now ineligible to compete until their eligibility is reinstated.
A student-athlete found in violation of these amateurism and preferential treatment bylaws will be declared ineligible for competition by the university. Eligibility may be restored upon full repayment of the impermissible benefit and completion of a withholding penalty based on the total amount of the benefit received. The greater the benefit received, the greater the withholding penalty (i.e., 10%, 30%, 50% of a season).
A student-athlete should check with their compliance office before selling any personal athletic award or engaging in any promotional activity.
