Boosters/Fans/Alumni
Who is a booster / representative of athletic interests?
NCAA rules state that all alumni, friends, and employees of the University are categorized as "representatives of athletics interests." The NCAA stipulates that once an individual has been identified as a representative or "booster/donor" of the University's athletics programs, he or she retains this status forever even if the individual is no longer associated with the athletics program. Furthermore, the NCAA states that it is possible to be a representative of athletics interest at more than one university at the same time.
Representative of Athletics Interests (aka Boosters)
- A representative of the institution’s athletics interests is an individual, independent agency, corporate entity or other organization who is known (or should be known) by a member of the institution’s executive or athletics administration to:
- Have participated in or been a member of an agency that promotes the institution's intercollegiate athletics program;
- Have made financial contributions to the athletics department or a booster organization for the department;
- Have been involved otherwise in promoting the institution's athletics program;
- Have been a season ticket holder; or
- Have provided benefits to student-athletes or their relatives or friends.
- Once identified as a representative of athletics interests, you retain this identity for life!
Extra Benefits
- An extra benefit is any special arrangement by an institutional employee or a booster to provide a student-athlete, or his/her friends or relatives, a benefit not authorized by the NCAA.
- The extra benefits a student-athlete may not receive include, but are not limited to:
- Money;
- Providing special discounts for goods or services not available on the same basis to the general student body (e.g. movie tickets, car repair, legal services, clothing, haircuts);
- Providing gifts of any kind;
- Transportation (even if the student-athlete reimburses you for gas or expense);
- Signing or co-signing a note with an outside agency to arrange a loan;
- Use of personal property (e.g. automobiles, boats, summer homes, computers, stereos, phones)
- Promise of employment after graduation; or
- Anything given because an individual is a student-athlete.
Meals
- Occasional meals may be provided on infrequent and special occasions to student-athletes.
- Approval from the Athletics Compliance Office must be obtained before you provide the meal.
- You may only provide meals in your home, on USF’s campus, or at a facility that is regularly used for home competition (e.g. Raymond James Stadium).
- If the meal is at your home, you may provide reasonable local transportation to student-athletes to attend.
- You may NOT provide a meal at a local restaurant.
Employment
- Employers must receive approval from the Athletics Compliance Office prior to hiring a student-athlete.
- A student-athlete may not be hired based upon their athletics ability or their status as a student-athlete.
- The student-athlete must be compensated only for work actually performed at the going rate for similar services.
- A student-athlete may not be compensated for any value that he/she may have for an employer because of the publicity, reputation, fame or personal following that he/she has obtained because of his/her athletics ability.
- You may not use a student-athlete’s name or picture to advertise, recommend, or promote the sale or use of a commercial product or service of any kind.
- Examples include, but are not limited to: commercial advertisements, sales promotions, posters, t-shirts, and photographs.
- All charitable, educational and non-profit promotional activities involving a student-athlete must have prior approval from the Athletics Compliance Office.
