NCAA Clarifies Facebook Policy

The National Collegiate Athletic Association clarified its warning about athlete participation in Facebook pools yesterday, saying that the NCAA did not yet have an official policy regarding the ubiquitous social networking site.

NCAA spokeswoman Stacey Osburn responded to news reports suggesting that participation in the Facebook pools constituted a violation of NCAA rules and could result in suspension from athletic activity for a year. Osburn said in a telephone interview that the University of Georgia student newspaper had misinterpreted a statement suggesting that participating in those pools was tantamount to gambling.

Still, she urged students to err on the side of caution when considering entering pools, saying that the NCAA does “not encourage student-athletes to participate.”

While the Facebook pools are free to enter, contestants can win up to $25,000 for submitting the best predictions for how the 65 teams in the NCAA’s annual basketball tournament will fare.

Osburn’s statement from last week generated heated discussion among NCAA members, Harvard Assistant Director of Athletics Nathan T. Fry wrote in an e-mail yesterday. He urged the NCAA to develop a firm policy regarding Facebook.

“The NCAA needs to take a hard look at how these pools affect college sports, if at all, and make a definitive ruling on their permissibility,” he wrote. “If there’s no money placed on a bracket, is it really gambling?”

In her statement last Wednesday to the Red and Black, the daily newspaper at the University of Georgia, Osburn said, “It is a violation of NCAA rules for student athletes, coaches and administrators to participate in bracket contests when there is a fee required to participate and when there is an opportunity to win a prize. A prize would be the same as monetary gain.”

“There was confusion with the reporter,” Osburn said, adding that she was unfamiliar with Facebook. “He mischaracterized what I said.”

NCAA rules apply to all student-athletes and athletic staff.

In order to change them to include Facebook as a direct violation, the NCAA membership would have to submit a proposal to the Association itself.

Osburn said the NCAA objects to bracket contests with fees or prizes because they promote gambling.

The NCAA has launched an anti-gambling campaign under the slogan “Don’t Bet On It.” It sponsors a Web site under the same name that is an interactive online resource for student athletes and staff.

According to Osburn, wagering is defined as “putting something at risk with the opportunity to win something in return” whether it’s cash or a prize.”

Director of Athletics Robert L. Scalise did not respond to repeated requests for comment yesterday.