Grand Canyon University going D1?!?!?

"Had the Pac-12 expressed concern about a for-profit university joining the NCAA when Grand Canyon University entered Division II a decade ago, that would have been an ideal time for such a discussion."

Y! SPORTS

 

It's pretty clear ASU is trying to cut down on potential competition from GCU. GCU knows that a winning basketball team is a great recruiting tool. In his interview from the well-known PBS documentary College, Inc., CEO Brian Mueller even mentions Gonzaga's basketball success helping to expand the school's reputation beyond the Pacific Northwest. I'm interested to see what happens.

Interviews - Brian Mueller | College, Inc. | FRONTLINE | PBS

 

It's way too late for ASU to prevent GCU from moving to Division I. That happened months ago; it's a done deal.

In reality, the only thing that ASU can do is to avoid playing GCU (and discourage other Pac-12 teams from playing GCU as well). But they probably wouldn't be playing GCU much anyway. GCU is now in the WAC, which at this point may be the weakest athletic conference in NCAA Division I. ASU is in the Pac-12, which is one of the strongest.

 

Actually the WAC is usually in the middle to middle bottom on basketball conference rankings. Anyway, I thought the article was pretty funny. When the school Presidents are worried about for-profit schools not beholden to faculty or students like non profit schools. Yeah right, as a graduate of a PAC-12 school, when have any schools really been "for the students?".

 

San Francisco's for-profit Academy of Art University has also been a member of NCAA Division II for years. (It has to be just about the only stand-alone art school that has intercollegiate athletics.) They play Basketball in the Pacwest conference (a bunch of fairly small schools like Dominican in San Rafael). Their best sport is women's track and field, where they recently won the NCAA D-II National Championship. Here's a story about one of their women winning a Gold Medal in 100m hurdles at the World University Games in Kazan Russia a few days ago.

 

Not any more.

For the 2012-2013 season, the WAC had ten schools. But eight of them then left for other conferences, leaving the WAC with only two teams.

So to survive for the upcoming 2013-2014 season, the WAC had to scramble desperately to find replacement teams from around the country. They managed to come up with seven new schools, including GCU, which was promoted from Division II. But all of the replacements are low-ranked schools that the other DI conferences didn't want (or, in the case of GCU, a DII school).

So the 2013-2014 WAC will be totally different from the 2012-2103 WAC, except for two teams. Furthermore, one of those two surviving teams will be leaving after the 2013-2014 season. And all of the newly added schools are weak (with the possible exception of GCU, which has no DI track record yet).

Basically the WAC was the biggest loser in the recent DI conference realignments. They are lucky to be alive at all.

 

Their first season in NCAA was in 2008, and they became full NCAA DII members in 2012. Again, this doesn't seem to have concerned ASU or the Pac-12, despite AAU's for-profit status.

 

Well, Dan Majerle is their new Basketball coach. There's really no stopping them now.

GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY - Dan Majerle Named GCU Men's Basketball Coach

 

Makes me wonder about the future of for-profits. As for-profit schools have to compete with traditional B&M schools will they all start playing NCAA sports? Or at least the ones that won't die out. It's crazy to think that one day tax status might not be such a huge deal like it is now.

 

Laugh at me if you like, Steve. I give you enough reason, quite often, I'm sure. :smile: Here in Canada, college sports are --well, sports -- not a mega-industry. As the late bluesman, Muddy Waters, said of his own early career, "ain't no big money, but we's doin' it."

I have to shake my head when I hear that a winning sports team is a "recruiting tool" in the US. Here, an advanced lab, a clinic or a noted professor might be thought of as "recruiting tools." I think the priority that's placed on sports in US schools is --well, just plain crackers. I say that without wishing to insult Americans or their many fine schools. If I insult the professional sports industry/racket, so be it.

But don't change the system for my sake, please -- not that you would anyway. Without your good college players -- the ones who don't make it to the NFL -- our league (CFL) wouldn't have nearly enough players! :smile: My other sports-gripe is world-wide: the money paid (post-college) in all major-league sports. When an athlete gets up to fifty times what a doctor who saves lives daily earns - or a hundred times what a history professor makes, I think something is very wrong. "Yeah, but the doc or prof can't fill a stadium," is the reply I usually get.

I thought once that there should be a league where athletes get minimum wage. I overlooked the fact that here in Canada, we have one. The aforementioned Canadian Football League! :smile: Home of the five-figure salary!

Johann