INDIANAPOLIS -- A push to provide financial assistance for parents of players in the NCAA's biggest events that came to the forefront when Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer took on the cause last winter has reached the Final Four.
For the first time, parents of players traveling to both the men's and women's Final Four are eligible to receive up to $3,000 in travel expenses -- and parents of players who advance to the national championship games can get up to $1,000 more.
It's a welcome bonus for the parents and the players, but coaches here at the men's Final Four hope it's only the start.
"It's taken the NCAA 30 to 40 years, but they're beginning to change now," Kentucky coach John Calipari said Thursday. "I mean, we brought parents to the Final Four for the first time. My opinion is the parents should come to every round. Why should the parents only come to the final round? What about the other 64 teams that played in this, why wouldn't their parents enjoy being with them?"
Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan, who's long served on various National Association of Basketball Coaches committees, said he'll continue to push for more assistance, including seeking travel expenses for the season-ending Big Ten tournament.
"Football goes to a championship game and then, for the men's Final Four (suddenly) we're going to take care of the parents for that, too," Ryan said. "Well, thank you, that was awfully nice. But we think it should be more. We've even in our own conference been trying to lobby for expenses for parents coming to the Big Ten tournament. It's not going to be just in the Midwest, it's going to be on the East Coast (in coming years). From our own conference which makes money from the Big Ten tournament, parents should get some help, some type of stipend."
Driving the push for more assistance is the simple thought that the NCAA is making bunches of money from these events and should have some to share.
"The more we talked about it, it's like, for the whole NCAA tournament that parents should have some stipend," Ryan said. "Isn't it amazing that the basketball, the men's basketball tournament -- men's basketball, period -- pays 90-some percent of the NCAA's budget and expenses?"
When Meyer took on the cause during Ohio State's run to the first ever College Football Playoff title last January, the Playoff announced that it had received an NCAA waiver allowing it to reimburse parents or legal guardians for travel, hotel and meals up to $1,250 per parent. As part of that pilot program, it would also reimburse family members up to $3,000 for semifinals and $4,000 for the title game during the men's and women's Division I basketball tournaments.
Speaking earlier this week at the Hall of Fame Luncheon Club in Canton, Ohio, Meyer called the stipend both overdue and necessary and said he heard from "dozens of parents...in tears, really" who said they otherwise would not have been able to attend Ohio State's Jan. 1 Sugar Bowl semifinal game in New Orleans and the first College Football Playoff title game 11 days later in Dallas.
The ruling came six days before Ohio State and Oregon played in the title game.
"Without that money, two things happen," Meyer said. "No. 1, if you're not in the spot to come up with $5,000 insantly, you don't go. Or, No. 2, you do it illegally. You get the money some way or from some person you aren't supposed to, and all of a sudden we're in a storm."
When Kentucky was here in Indianapolis last year for the regional semifinals and finals, the mother of then-freshman Julius Randle had to leave the Sunday afternoon regional final at halftime to get to the airport and return to the Dallas area in time for work on Monday. That's just one example of something Calipari said he's spent "years" campaigning for, including last year's rule change that allowed athletes unlimited meals on their campuses.
"You won't believe this," Calipari said sarcastically, "but we're not going to try to feed them too much. We're going to feed them and we'll make it as healthy as we can. I think what we're doing with the stipends, I think we have to move to paying for their insurance. These kids have to pay their own disability insurance. It encourages them to leave early. Would you want a $100,000 debt to pay back? We should pay that. If a kid stays more than one year, maybe the NBA or someone else should pay for the loss of value. If you decide to stay longer, we'll insure you if you choose to stay in school if that's what they want to do so they're not forced.
"I think the NCAA is moving in the right direction they need to move. It's a slow-moving boat. But for 40 years (it's been), 'This is the way it is, we're not changing.' Now the NCAA has been forced to move in the direction of these young people. I think they've done a pretty good job here over the last year."
The NCAA has budgeted $300,000 to pay expenses for the families of the athletes in the men's and women's Final Fours. NCAA legislation to make this stipend available for athletes in all sports will be considered later this year, and the NCAA has discussed potential models to pay the travel stipend to athletes in all 89 championships, if the new legislation passes.
