BY: Jason Martin
In the middle of all the uncertainty around college athletics as a result of the COVID-19 virus, the NCAA made the right move and shut down sports for the foreseeable future. One thing that had sports fans and student athletes concerned was the question surrounding students’ eligibility. There is a lot that goes into giving a student-athlete their eligibility back. Scholarships, incoming freshmen, and promised playing time makes for an interesting and difficult decision on how to continue with this decision.
Winter sport athletes like basketball may have a more difficult time arguing an extra year of eligibility because their season was either over or ending within the next few weeks if the virus had not shut everything down. Spring sports, however, had major concerns over the lost year of eligibility. The NCAA has a rich history of constantly letting down its fans in the decisions they make. However, giving credit where credit is due, the NCAA knocked it out of the park with the decision to give spring sport athletes the chance to compete again next season without losing a year of playing time.
This was absolutely the right call for an organization that needs to spread positivity in a difficult time such as this. After cancelling the men’s basketball tournament, the NCAA took a lot of criticism from fans and media about the way they should handle the student athletes. Whether or not you believe that basketball players should receive another year of eligibility, allowing spring sports seniors to compete again in 2021 is a huge step in the right direction.