I’ll be the first one to admit that deciding between a charge and a block is probably the hardest call to make on the basketball court. There’s no consistency. Big time players and schools always seem to come away with the charges (can anyone say … Duke?). Perhaps that is why the NCAA decided to institute a new rule for the 2009-2010 college basketball season.
Ironically enough, Duke Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski isn’t a fan. The new rule specifies an unmarked zone under the basket where referees can call only blocks and not charges on offensive players.
“It’ll be a joke, …read more

Electronic Arts (EA), the makers of the NCAA football video games, as well as Madden and a slew of other sports-related video games, is already being sued by a few players who say that they didn’t have the right to use their likeness in a college-related game. This week, two big names in the NFL stepped forward to support the lawsuit.
You may not know the name Sam Keller, who’s the former quarterback heading up the battle against EA, but it’s likely that you know the names Jim Brown and Herb Adderley, who are both Hall of Famers. On Monday, they …read more

Wendy’s is having a pretty good promotion right now. Whenever you purchase a 30 or 40 oz. drink from the fast food chain, it comes with a code. Enter that code online, and you have a chance to win some great prizes. There are actually two chances to win. First, you do the coin toss, and if you pick heads or tails correctly, you win a prize.
If you’re wrong, you start playing a football game. You just pick whether you want to do a passing play or a running play, and the simulation starts. If you get a touchdown, you …read more

Myles Brand did a lot for college football, and his death this week has been a huge blow to the sports world.
He was president of Indiana when they made the decision to fire basketball coach Bob Knight after he violated personal conduct policy, and that’s what people will probably remember most about him, but he was equally reforming in the NCAA. He actually used this decision to create a platform, saying that there needed to be more personal accountability in sports.
Brand was the first NCAA president who wasn’t an athlete, coach, or other sports professional himself. As a result, his …read more

Few people at Michigan were happy when former West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez accepted the head coach position after the retirement of Llyod Carr. We’re actually still seeing players leave the team after the mass exodus that happened nearly immediately after he was given the job. It’s not that Rodriguez isn’t a good coach; few people can argue that he’s not after what he did at West Virginia. The people and players of Michigan just don’t like his coaching style, which seems to be a big departure from the coaching of greats like Carr, Bo Schembechler, and other Michigan greats.
I …read more

Minor league baseball team the Fort Myers Miracle thought they were being clever to host an event with a Tim Tebow theme. However, their “What Would Tim Tebow Do?” night had to be changed after the team received a cease and desist letter via email from the University of Florida.
NCAA rules prohibit any college player lending his name or picture to a commercial promotion. While it is unclear whether or not Florida could be fined over an event they couldn’t control, it is better safe than sorry, and they quickly emailed the Miracle about the event. The team was a …read more

There’s a sort-of grassroots movement happening among NCAA teams as part of a sportsmanship initiative – and really, in my opinion, this is coming at a great time. The NCAA and American Football Coaches are encouraging all schools to arrange team handshakes before the kickoff on Week One. It’s symbolic, but hopefully that will remind everyone just what the game is all about.
The NCAA isn’t requiring the players/teams to shake hands, but they’re hoping that everyone opts in. Coaches are required to shake hands before and after each game. NCAA basketball teams shake hands before games, but due to the …read more

Like being able to bet on sports games? Well, if you live in a state that allows betting on single games by law, such as Delaware, you may not be able to see any live NCAA events in your area. On Thursday, the NCAA announced that they would no longer allow events to be held in such states. This decision does not apply to states that allow parlay betting, sports pools, lottery tickets, and pull tabs.Officially, though, the NCAA is against all forms of betting, and the don’t allow advertising that promotes gambling at any of their games.
Delaware, Montana, Nevada, …read more

Following the example of former Nebraska/Arizona State quarterback Sam Keller, former Rutgers quarterback Ryan Hart and former California quarterback Troy Taylor have filed suit against video game developer and publish EA Sports, part of Electronic Arts. The players say that EA Sports used their likenesses without permission for the popular NCAA Football game they publish annually.
In the lawsuit, which was filed by attorney Keith McKenna, accuses EA Sports of "unjust enrichment." They say that the use of their names and images without permission in an invasion of privacy for commercial purposes.
A spokesperson for EA Sports has said that the …read more

Since being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January, NCAA president Myles Brand hasn’t made many public appearences. This past Sunday, however, Brand came out for the Pathfinder Award Ceremony, where he was honored along with Jack and Barbara Nicklaus and the WNBA’s Tamika Catchings.
Brand’s acceptance speech was less than five minutes long, but it’s more than most expected. He didn’t come to the NCAA’s annual Washington, D.C. convention, nor did he make trips to San Antonio or Orland to pick up other awards he won.
Although he was noticably thinner and appeared weak, Brand’s spirits were good, and sources close to …read more