NCAA Delegates Table Male Practice Player Policy

Earlier this week, the NCAA's Division III Delegates tabled, for now, the Committee on Women's Athletics proposal to limit the use of male practice players. According to the NCAA, the delegates "referred a proposal to limit the use of male practice players in women’s sports to the Division III Management Council for further study, expressing a desire to obtain more data about how widely males are used in practices by women’s teams and how they are employed."

Ever since the CWA announced its proposal, we've read and linked to a number of comments by coaches of women's basketball teams. They report using male practices in a limited and responsible manner that does not take away practice time from non-starters. But see. Based on these accounts, it's hard to imagine the data the D-III delegates will receive would uncover widespread abuse of this practice. Moreover, the likelihood that coaches would rely on male mercenaries to the detriment of female non-starters seems especially small among coaches at D- III schools, which, judging by mission statements of conferences like this one, focus on equitable participation and the personal development of student-athletes.