NCAA

NCAANational Collegiate Athletic Association

History of the NCAAThe NCAA was founded in 1906 to protect young people from the dangerous and exploitive athletics practices of the time.For several years, the NCAA was a discussion group and rules-making body, but in 1921 the first NCAA national championship was conducted: the National Collegiate Track and Field Championships. Gradually, more rules committees were formed and more championships were created, including a basketball championship in 1939.

NCAA Membership

The NCAA is made up of three membership classifications that are known as Divisions I, II and III. Each division creates its own rules governing personnel, amateurism, recruiting, eligibility, benefits, financial aid, and playing and practice seasons – consistent with the overall governing principles of the Association. Every program must affiliate its core program with one of the three divisions. Valparaiso University is a division 1 school.

The NCAA’s Role

Part of the NCAA’s core mission is to provide student-athletes with a competitive environment that is safe and ensures fair play. While each school is responsible for the welfare of its student-athletes, the NCAA provides leadership by establishing safety guidelines, playing rules, equipment standards, drug testing procedures and research into the cause of injuries to assist decision making. By taking proactive steps to student-athletes’ health and safety, we can help them enjoy a vibrant and fulfilling career.

Mandatory Medical ExamsThe NCAA requires all student-athletes beginning their initial season of eligibility and students who are trying out for a team to undergo a medical examination before engaging in any physical activity with the team. Each subsequent year, an updated medical history is administered.

The screening includes a comprehensive personal and family medical history, and physical examination. These findings would provide physicians with information from which they would decide if additional diagnostic testing is warranted. Some NCAA institutions also offer an electrocardiogram (ECG) or echocardiogram (echo) as part of an athlete’s heart screen.

NCAA Health and Safety

The NCAA focuses on the following health and safety areas:

• Concussion• Drug Testing• Heart Disorders• Sickle Cell• Sports Injuries

Concussions

• Concussions can be caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body that can change the way your brain normally works.

• Symptoms are unique for each athlete, with estimates suggesting that 1.6 to 3.8 million concussions occur in sports and recreation-related activities every year.

• Many are difficult to detect, and athletes may underreport their injuries. But by knowing the facts about concussion and taking proper steps to treatment, we can help all athletes enjoy healthy careers.

The NCAA has taken a leading role in ensuring that athletes are properly protected from and treated for concussions. The injury, even in mild forms, is recognized as a type of traumatic brain injury that requires medical attention and monitoring.

Concussion Facts• Signs and symptoms of concussion include headache, nausea, fatigue,

confusion or memory problems, sleep disturbances, or mood changes. Symptoms are typically noticed right after the injury, but some might not be recognized until days or weeks later.

• Lack of proper diagnosis and management of concussion may result in serious long-term consequences, or risk of coma or death.

• Brain injuries cause more deaths than any other sports injury. In football, brain injuries account for 65% to 95% of all fatalities. Football injuries associated with the brain occur at the rate of one in every 5.5 games. In any given season, 10% of all college players sustain brain injuries.

• Up to 86% of athletes that suffer a concussion will experience Post-Traumatic Migraine or some other type of headache pain. In fact, recent evidence indicates that presence and severity of headache symptoms may be a very significant indicator of severity of head injury and help guide return to play decisions.

Drug Testing

The NCAA shares the responsibility of promoting a drug-free athletic environment with its member institutions to protect the health of student-athletes and preserve fair competition. Each school conducts education to inform student-athletes about banned substances and the products that may contain them. The NCAA invests $4.5 million each year to conduct year-round testing in Divisions I and II and at every level of championship competition. The majority of NCAA member schools also operate their own drug-testing programs to support clean competition and promote student-athlete health and safety. Through proper instruction and screening, we can ensure all athletes have a safe and fair opportunity to compete.

The NCAA bans the following classes of drugs:

Stimulants Anabolic Agents Alcohol and Beta Blockers (banned

for rifle only) Diuretics and Other Masking Agents Street Drugs Peptide Hormones and Analogues Anti-estrogens Beta-2 Agonists

Note: Any substance chemically related to these classes is also banned.

Drugs and Procedures Subject to Restrictions:

• Blood Doping.• Local Anesthetics (under some

conditions).• Manipulation of Urine Samples.• Beta-2 Agonists permitted only

by prescription and inhalation.• Caffeine if concentrations in

urine exceed 15 micrograms/ml.

Examples of NCAA Banned Substances in Each Drug Class

NOTE: There is no complete list of banned drug examples!!

Stimulants:• amphetamine (Adderall); caffeine (guarana); cocaine; ephedrine;

fenfluramine (Fen); methamphetamine; methylphenidate (Ritalin); phentermine (Phen); synephrine (bitter orange); etc.

• exceptions: phenylephrine and pseudoephedrine are not banned.

Anabolic Agents – (sometimes listed as a chemical formula, such as 3,6,17-androstenetrione)• boldenone; clenbuterol; DHEA; nandrolone; stanozolol;

testosterone; methasterone; androstenedione; norandrostenedione; methandienone; etiocholanolone; trenbolone; etc.


Alcohol and Beta Blockers (banned for rifle only):• alcohol; atenolol; metoprolol; nadolol; pindolol; propranolol;

timolol; etc.Diuretics (water pills) and Other Masking Agents:• bumetanide; chlorothiazide; furosemide; hydrochlorothiazide;

probenecid; spironolactone (canrenone); triameterene; trichlormethiazide; etc.

Street Drugs: • heroin; marijuana; tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – no other

substances are classified as NCAA street drugs.Peptide Hormones and Analogues:• growth hormone(hGH); human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG);

erythropoietin (EPO); etc.


Anti-Estrogens :• anastrozole; tamoxifen; formestane; 3,17-dioxo-etiochol-1,4,6-

triene(ATD), etc.Beta-2 Agonists:• bambuterol; formoterol; salbutamol; salmeterol; etc.

Any substance that is chemically related to the class of banned drugs is also banned! (unless otherwise noted)

Heart Disorders

Student-athletes are viewed as some of the healthiest members of society, so sudden cardiac deaths are always shocking. Various causes of these incidents can occur in one of every 40,000 student-athletes per year. And though many athletes with heart conditions can live a normal life and not experience health-related problems, sudden fatality from a heart condition is the leading medical cause of death in NCAA athletes, responsible for 75 percent of all sudden deaths that occur during exercise, training or competition. But by providing training to coaches and team medical staff, and reporting signs and symptoms, we can provide all athletes with a healthy and exciting sports career.

Signs of Heart Disorders

• Fainting (syncope) or seizure during or after exercise.

• Fainting (syncope) or seizure resulting from emotional excitement,

emotional distress or being startled (e.g., diving into a pool).

• Chest pain during exercise.

• Unexplained fainting or seizures.

• Unusual shortness of breath during exercise.

• Unusual fatigue/tiredness during exercise.

• A racing heartbeat.

• Dizziness/lightheadedness during or after exercise.

Sickle Cell Trait

Though it has recently raised alarm in the athletic community, exercising with sickle cell trait is generally safe and with proper awareness and education poses no barriers to outstanding athletic performance. Most athletes complete their careers without any complications. But it can affect some athletes during periods of intense exercise, when the inherited condition causes red blood cells to warp into stiff and sticky sickle shapes that block blood vessels and deprive vital organs and muscles of oxygen. But through testing and proper examinations by a physician prior to competition, we can help athletes savor a healthy career.

Sports Injuries

The NCAA takes appropriate steps to modify safety guidelines, playing rules and standards to minimize those risks and provide student athletes with the best opportunity to enjoy a healthy career. The injury surveillance program collects, analyzes, interprets and disseminates data on injuries in each sport, providing a wealth of information through which we can provide athletes with a safe competitive environment.

Participation in competitive sports brings with it unavoidable risks of injury.

Health & Medicine

NCAA