The NCAA recently debuted "Change," a new 30-second video highlighting important reforms underway at the Association. The spot premiered on Selection Sunday and will run throughout the Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Championships on broadcast and in venues.
"Change" highlights the transformative initiatives the Association is undertaking to deliver more benefits to student-athletes. The NCAA is requiring all Division I schools to provide guaranteed scholarships, tutoring support, expanded access to health care and enhanced mental health support services. At the same time, the NCAA is advancing new bylaws to improve outcomes for student-athletes profiting from their name, image and likeness.
New benefits
Effective Aug. 1, the NCAA has mandated increased support for Division I student-athletes' physical, mental and academic well-being. It also adopted new Mental Health Best Practices that all members will be required to follow. The best practices include emerging information about the intersection of mental health and sports betting, social media, corruption in sport, suicide, and name, image and likeness issues.
Also, beginning in August, the NCAA will provide student-athletes across all three divisions access to post-eligibility insurance to cover injuries that occur while playing for their school. The coverage will be for two years after student-athletes complete their college athletics experience.
March Madness graduation rates
NCAA student-athletes are graduating at all-time-high rates. This academic success is on full display this month, with teams participating in this year's Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Championships sporting a combined four-cohort average Graduation Success Rate of 90%. The women's teams scored an average of 96%, while the men's teams registered an 84% average.
Changes underway to better support student-athletes
The NCAA is also developing recommendations to modernize Division I, including creating a subdivision for higher-resourced schools and giving members more flexibility in student-athlete educational benefits and NIL agreements.
The NCAA adopted Division I student-athlete NIL protections, effective Aug. 1, which include voluntary registration, disclosure requirements, standardized contracts and comprehensive education.
To protect student-athletes against the risks of sports betting, the NCAA has partnered with industry experts to provide education, prevent harassment on social media and monitor the integrity of competitions. The Association launched its Draw the Line campaign earlier this week to prioritize student-athlete education on the effects of sports betting.
The "Change" spot will remain in rotation over the next year in broadcast, at NCAA championships and on NCAA-owned social platforms.
