Charlie Kirk Freaks Out About NCAA Cancellation, NCAA Still Plans to Grant an Additional Year of Eligibility to Some Athletes
Jose Nino
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After the NCAA decided to cancel its March Madness tournament, Conservatism Inc. golden boy Charlie Kirk began to whine about the decision.
Ever obsessed about economic growth and cheap entertainment, Kirk went on Twitter to complain about the organization’s decision.
He tweeted, “The NCAA is a disgrace. Instead of postponing March Madness they robbed seniors & players everywhere of a once in a lifetime opportunity Why didn’t they postpone by 2 weeks, pick a warm location, have no crowd, & screen players? NCAA is inept as they are corrupt Unforgivable!’
The NCAA is a disgrace.
Instead of postponing March Madness they robbed seniors & players everywhere of a once in a lifetime opportunity
Why didn't they postpone by 2 weeks, pick a warm location, have no crowd, & screen players?
NCAA is inept as they are corrupt
Unforgivable!
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) March 13, 2020
Others echoed Kirk’s sentiment about how players had their seasons and careers cut short.
Given how quick the Wuhan virus has been spreading and the public nature of these sporting events, the NCAA’s decision was reasonable.
However, the NCAA may actually be considering policies to have players retain their year of eligibility due to the freak nature of the Wuhan flu.
Basketball analyst Jeff Goodman says that the NCAA is beginning to roll out this idea.
Both winter and spring sports are being looked at for potential adjustments.
“The NCAA’s Council Coordination Committee has agreed to grant relief for the use of a season of competition for student-athletes who have participated in spring sports,” Goodman updated his followers in a tweet. “Committee will also discuss issues for winter sport student-athletes.”
Goodman gave a follow up report.
“Players in spring sports get another year of eligibility,” he said. “NCAA looking into what to do with those who played winter sports.”
The NCAA then released a statement on the decision:
The NCAA Board of Governors encourages conferences and schools to make decisions and take action in the best interest of student-athletes and their communities. In addition, the NCAA Board of Governors directs Divisions I, II and III to consider necessary adjustments to or waivers of rules where appropriate.
The Board of Governors for each division must then pass the changes for them to go into effect.
247Sports Chris Hummer wrote about certain challenges the NCAA will face when granting extra eligibility due to the Wuhan flu.
“Roster size restrictions are a thing in college athletics,” he wrote. “Division I baseball teams can only carry 35 players during the regular season. There are only 11.7 scholarships to go around among that group. Coaches allot those scholarships and roster spots based on impending graduations. But what happens if the seniors are granted an extra year of eligibility?”
That would create a pileup effect when it came to managing numbers. Scholarships would be restricted and difficult roster decisions would have to made. In many cases, high school athletes have already signed. What do you do when the numbers don’t add up? The NCAA would need to find an elegant solution, which would likely mean temporarily expanding roster sizes.
The NCAA released a statement March 13, 2020 regarding all winter and spring championships:
Today, NCAA President Mark Emmert and the Board of Governors canceled the Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments, as well as all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships. This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities.
Charlie Kirk can rest easy now.
His favorite sporting events will eventually be back on and the athletes will get another chance to perform.
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