Conference adds eighth official, female football officials for first time
Five highlights from MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher’s State of the MAC address
Mid-American Conference Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher addresses media members July 29, 2015 at MAC Media Day at Ford Field (Photo courtesy of Mid-American Conference).
In his annual address at Mid-American Conference Media Day at Ford Field in Detroit on July 29, MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher gave his vision for the future of the conference. Between extending eligibility, making waves in officiating and looking into the issue of mental health, Steinbrecher had a variety of topics to address. Here are the highlights:
1. The Mid-American Conference adds extra official, female officials
Instead of just claiming the officials will be better in 2015, the MAC made a tangible change.
The MAC will join the Big XII and a few other Division I conferences in adding an eighth official. Under the title of ‘center judge,’ the eighth official will be positioned in the backfield opposite of the referee.
Some of the extra officials will be women. For the first time in conference history, female officials will be added to the ranks.
“We have added several females to our roster,” said MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher. “They will work games this season, not because they are female but because they have worked their way up through the officiating ranks and have mastered the rules and mechanics and are prepared for this next step in their officiating career.”
Sarah Thomas was the first woman to officiate a Division I college football game in 2007. She will become the NFL’s first full-time female official this season.
2. Freshmen should be on the field
One topic floating around the college athletic world is the question of freshmen eligibility. Is it too much to expect 18-year-old kids to handle the workload of college classes for the first time while spending the rest of their time physically building themselves into a Division I athlete?
Steinbrecher said they’ve proven they can handle it.
“My research, and research of others, has found that there is no relationship between playing as a freshman and academic achievement as measured by grade point average and graduation,” Steinbrecher said.
The commissioner said this was the subject in completing his doctoral degree and was also a topic the Big Ten has studied in depth.
While others still argue freshmen should have to sit out their first year on campus, Steinbrecher said there is no benefit to this.
3. Four years may not be enough
Steinbrecher also suggested looking into adding a fifth year of eligibility for all student athletes.
“In certain sports, especially in football and basketball, it takes more than four years to graduate. And that includes attending summer school,” Steinbrecher said. “Perhaps we should consider a new model that reduces the minimum academic load during the academic year.”
Under this model, student athletes would have the opportunity to use their summer for internships, classes or having some free time.
“The time has come to develop a new paradigm,” he said. “One that is not constrained by past models or regulations and one that is based on the 21st century student who participates in intercollegiate athletics.”
4. Mental health needs to be a focus
Physical health, including concussions, has been a major focus across all athletics. But mental health is an area just beginning to be explored.
“One in four adults between the ages of 18 and 24 are dealing with some form of mental illness,” Steinbrecher said. “One third of students entering college are coming in with a prior diagnosed mental health condition and 82 percent of certified athletics trainers believe that anxiety disorders are an issue with students participating with athletics on their campus.”
The MAC is focusing on education and awareness, including a Mental Health Awareness Week on all campuses similar to the one CMU had last spring.
“We must and we will remove the stigma associated with this topic as well as provide safe havens for students to seek and receive appropriate treatment,” Steinbrecher said. “We need to emphasize to all, that it is OK not to be OK.”
5. The mid-week MACtion is worth it
Steinbrecher acknowledged the inconvenience midweek football games cause fans, but said it has been worth it to regularly expose the conference on national television.
“Our coaches speak to the fact that they can recruit nationally and go in any door and people have good recognition of it,” he said. “I also think there’s no doubt that it creates some hardships for our fans, so we’re asking fans for one or two home games a year to work with us.”
The Chippewas didn’t have any midweek games in 2014, but will have two in 2015. They host Toledo on Tuesday, Nov. 10 and travel to Kent State on Wednesday, Nov. 18. Both games start at 8 p.m. and will be on either ESPN2 or ESPNU.
