College World Series

After preliminary talks with College World Series Incorporated of Omaha (CWS, Inc.) and the city of Omaha, the NCAA began negotiations August 1, 2007, as part of the ongoing discussion about a possible new stadium or the upgrading of Rosenblatt Stadium. The NCAA had previously granted a negotiating period extension with CWS, Inc. and the city of Omaha through April 30, 2008. In the latest development, a delegation from Omaha traveled to Indianapolis to meet with NCAA staff on Tuesday, February 26.

Background Information -

• It is the NCAA’s desire and hope that with clear and honest communication, we will be able to assist CWS and Omaha officials in advancing a single, comprehensive proposal that will enhance the experience of all who participate and attend the College World Series. The proposal will need broad-based support in the Omaha community and financing in place to be successful.
• The current contract with Omaha for the Men’s College World Series expires in 2010. Omaha officials will again meet with the NCAA by April 30 to continue the negotiations. Final contract terms could be finalized after April 30.
• The most recent estimates to build a new stadium are between $130 million and $140 million - about $60 million higher than estimates to renovate Rosenblatt Stadium.  The new stadium would be partially financed by private funds, so the actual cost to taxpayers for a new stadium or a Rosenblatt renovation are about the same – approximately $60 million.
• Omaha has hosted the MCWS since 1950.
• Visit www.omahastadium.com, a Web site created by the CWS stadium oversight committee in Omaha, for more information.

Baseball Academic Enhancement Working Group

The NCAA Board of Directors established the Baseball Academic Enhancement Working Group to enhance academic performance in the sport of baseball. At its March 5, 2007 meeting, the working group developed several proposals to address the problem areas the working group identified – student-athletes using the fall term to become eligible for the spring, baseball’s high transfer rate (which is exacerbated by the one-time transfer exception) and challenges stemming from baseball’s low financial aid equivalency allocations.

 Background Information –

• Significant changes were proposed stemming from research showing incoming baseball student-athletes typically enter college with higher GPAs and SAT scores than their basketball and football peers but earn fewer credit hours per year once enrolled.
• The package from the Baseball Academic Enhancement Working Group was passed as emergency legislation, effective August 1, 2008. The legislation includes a change in the financial aid structure for baseball student-athletes and requires academic certification for those student-athletes in the fall term to be eligible to participate in the spring term. The legislation also requires a year in residence before transfer student-athletes can compete and directs the Committee on Academic Performance to implement further playing and practice season penalties on baseball teams that do not meet minimum Academic Progress Rate standards.
• The working group originally recommended the financial aid model of 11.7 equivalencies be retained while limiting counters to 27 and requiring aid packages include at least 25 percent athletics aid. The initial proposal also capped the regular-season squad size at 35 student-athletes.
• The current proposal retains the financial aid model of 11.7 equivalencies and limits counters to 30 in 2008-09 and 27 in 2009-10 and thereafter and caps the regular-season squad size at 35.
• The original proposal required a 33 percent minimum of athletics aid and was adopted from the working group recommendations. The revised version requires at least 25 percent of a baseball student-athlete’s financial aid package to be athletics aid.

Updated 3/19/08