Ivy amateur rule a relic of a bygone era

Last Thursday's article, "Ivy League Denies Olympian Eligibility," sparked controversy throughout the Princeton campus and the larger sports community as the Ivy League, citing its eligibility standards, denied freshman Olympic speed skater Joey Cheek the right to play sprint football for Princeton this fall.

Many people failed to realize, however, that the Ivy League's verdict was merely the application of clear regulations which have served as the bastion of Ivy League athletics since the formation of the league in 1954.

As a sports fan and a member of the Princeton community, I too wish Cheek had been allowed to play. Nonetheless, all of us need to acknowledge that Ivy League officials did not make this decision arbitrarily. While the overwhelmingly popular option on campus has been to criticize the authority that announced this decision, we must recognize that all we are doing is blaming a group whose job it is to enforce the rules, not to write them. It is a waste of time to blame the system. As we look for ways to remedy this situation and to prevent similar recurrences, we must reassess the rules themselves and the foundation on which they are based.

The rules, approved by all eight Ivy League schools, state that Ivy athletes must following stringent Ivy League policies in addition to NCAA regulations. For example, while the NCAA Manual states that to be eligible for a specific Division I sport, an athlete must not use "his or her athletic skill (directly or indirectly) for pay in any form in that sport," an Ivy League athlete may not "directly or indirectly receive money or other remuneration for participation in any competition in any sport." The distinction is clear: The NCAA considers an athlete professional only in a specific sport; the Ivy League deems an athlete professional in sports as a whole.

Is this rule fair in the modern world of sports? Absolutely not. The Ivy League rules do not recognize that playing two distinct sports at a Division I level is as difficult as playing two instruments or speaking two languages. As a result, the choice the Ivy League imposes on its athletes — ? college athletics or financial security — ? is unfair to those who wish to earn a living in one sport and to participate in Ivy athletics in another.

While I agree that, for example, allowing Lebron James to play Ivy League basketball would make a mockery of our league, should we deny him the right to play Ivy League squash on the basis of his ability to dunk? If James could make a case for admission to Princeton, then he should be able to play squash for Princeton, just like any other student who has not played professional squash.

It's important to remember that as we evaluate the Ivy League Manual, we do so in the context of contemporary sports culture. After all, when the Ivy League first adopted this rule, elite athletics had a very different set of values. In the mid-1950s, many prestigious athletic competitions, most notably the Olympics, mandated amateur status for eligibility. So, it follows that Olympic athletes would have no intention of making a career out of their chosen sport and would therefore have been eligible to complete in NCAA and Ivy sports upon completing their time as world-class athletes in their primary sport.

A speed skater such as Joey Cheek would not have been forced to choose between making a living as a speed skater and playing football at Princeton because it would have been inconceivable for an American athlete outside of baseball, football or basketball to earn a living as a professional athlete. He would never have signed endorsement deals because accepting them would have cost him a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. Now, however, Ivy League rules force athletes to make a choice they shouldn't have to make.

Hopefully, the Joey Cheek case will prompt the Ivy League to amend its eligibility policies. Revamping the current system will benefit not only Joey Cheek and future Ivy League Olympians but also countless varsity athletes who will benefit from the experience of playing alongside athletes who have competed at a sport's most elite level. Sam Dorison is a freshman in Whitman College from Longmeadow, Mass. He may be reached at sdorison@princeton.edu.