Access to voting has become a major cause in the sports world, and now the NCAA is making its own move.
The NCAA announced Wednesday that it is forcing every Division I program to give its student athletes the day off on Election Day going forward, starting with Nov. 3 this year. No Division I program will be able to hold practices or competitions on that day.
The NCAA’s Division I Council approved the new rule at its meeting on Wednesday, among other major decisions.
The intent here is obvious: Make it as easy as possible for the NCAA’s athletes — of which there 170,000 in Division I, by the NCAA’s count — to vote preventing their athletic obligations from getting in the way.