New Rules Threaten Sport’s Tryout Process

March 11, 2008 The Scholarship Divide New Rules Threaten Sport’s Tryout Process By BILL PENNINGTON New York Times Perhaps no college sport has better exemplified the undefined nature of athletic scholarship distribution than baseball, where some players traditionally received as little as $400 a year while stars were awarded full scholarships. For years, some coaches have signed a handful of high school athletes to what were viewed as tryout scholarships. For $1,000 or less apiece, four or five players would be enrolled and then evaluated during the college’s fall practices. Those who were deemed good players were asked to remain on campus for the spring baseball season and might have their scholarships upgraded in the future. Players not considered likely to be valuable contributors would be cut from the team and encouraged to transfer elsewhere by the spring, which an athlete could do without interrupting his eligibility. Baseball coaches and college administrators said such maneuvering evolved in part as an answer to scholarship limits. The N.C.A.A. limits Division I baseball teams to 11.7 full scholarships, but a college roster customarily has about 35 players. Since coaches are forced to split scholarships into small amounts, it is not unusual for players to be lured to a campus for as little $500 or $1,000. Complete story: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/11/sports/11baseball.html?scp=1&sq=The+Scholarship+Divide&st=nyt