Amateurism
In order to be eligible to become a NCAA athlete, students must maintain their status as an amateur both leading up to and continuing through their time at a collegiate university. If a student fails to maintain his or her status as an amateur, they risk losing their eligibility as a NCAA athlete. To avoid the risk of losing the ability to compete at an NCAA institution, high school students should be clear as to what constitutes amateurism.
An amateur athlete is one who has not competed in his or her sport for pay. This means that an amateur athlete can never:
· Sign contracts with professional teams
· Earn a salary for participating in athletics
· Win prize money above actual and necessary expenses for competing in the competition for which the prize was won (there is an exception in Tennis)
· Play with professionals
· Tryout, practice, or compete with a professional team
· Receive benefits from an agent or prospective agent
· Agree to be represented by an agent
· Delay initial full-time collegiate enrollment to participate in an organized sports competition
Prospective NCAA athletes should also be aware of the negative effects of interacting with college boosters. Receiving benefits from a college booster can also put student-athletes at risk of losing their eligibility to compete as an amateur.
