The Colonial Athletic Association has produced a heavy cloud over Georgia State, producing disappointment and thoughts of what might have been.
Many Georgia State athletic teams instantly felt disappointment in June of 2012 when news spread of the CAA barring the Panthers from participating in its conference tournaments because the university is moving to the Sun Belt Conference.
The SBC offers Georgia State opportunities that the CAA cannot, such as the chance for Georgia State to consistently compete against more prestigious athletic programs.
The move increases postseason possibilities in all sports. It will bring increased media attention to Georgia State and help the athletic program grow.
These are opportunities no athletic program could pass up.
Yet, the CAA did not see it that way.
They viewed the move as disloyal, one that created of a hole in their wallets.
According to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution report, CAA commissioner Tom Yeager feels the conference tournaments are only for players that are ”continuing members of the conference.”
What is most exasperating is Yeager’s ignorance placing the blame on the student-athletes for the move.
This was a decision made by the athletic department and the university, not the student-athletes. They had no say whether or not to be a continuing member of the conference.
Georgia State was a “continuing member” of the conference throughout this year, participating in the conference in just about every sport.
R.J. Hunter earned several CAA weekly awards this season and will be considered for Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year.
Yet, he and the men’s basketball team cannot be a part of the conference tournament in Richmond.
Georgia State was not completely blind-sided, however.
The CAA bylaws do state that exiting members of the conference will pay an exit fee off $200,000 and are banned from conference tournaments, according to Georgia State Athletics.
Most conferences charge the fee, but seldom institute the postseason ban.
The CAA did both.
Georgia State appealed the decision and the CAA quickly rejected.
The ban is a threat to keep remaining conference members from leaving from the low-prestige conference, as is the increased exit fee (now $1 million).
So here we stand, after eight years of being an avid member and five conference championships, the CAA has left Georgia State out to dry.
They are only concerned about their money and not about enhancing “the individual efforts and interests of its member institutions,” as is misleadingly stated in their mission statement.
The CAA cloud still lingers, but not for long.
On July 1, the sun will finally start to break through the clouds and the Sun Belt will finally shine on Georgia State.
Alec enjoys all sports, but baseball is his favorite. His favorite element of sports is the variety of emotions
involved in the game.
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