Boosters, Alumni, Faculty, Staff & Fans
A Booster is an individual who is known (or who should have been known) by a member of the institution’s executive or athletics administration to:
- Have participated in or to be a member of an agency or organization, including corporate entities (e.g. apparel and equipment companies), promoting the institution’s intercollegiate athletics program;
- Have made financial contributions to the athletics department or to an athletics booster organization of that institution;
- Be assisting or to have assisted in providing benefits to enrolled student-athletes or their families; or
- Have been involved otherwise in promoting the institution’s athletics program.
Note: once an individual is identified as a booster, the person retains that identity indefinitely.
You are prohibited from:
- Contacting a prospect in person on or off our campus.
- Writing or calling a prospect or a member of the prospect’s family.
- Making arrangements for a prospect or the prospect’s relatives or friends, to receive money or financial aid of any kind.
- Providing transportation for a prospect or the prospect’s relatives or friends to visit our campus.
- Providing free tickets or tickets at a reduced cost for prospects or the prospects relatives or friends to attend an athletic event.
- Entertaining high school, prep school or community college coaches.
Rules Governing Contacts and Benefits for Student Athletes
In addition to regulating contact of our boosters with prospects, the NCAA also regulates contact with current Cal State East Bay student-athletes, as well as their relatives and friends.
An extra benefit is any special arrangement by an institutional employee or a booster to provide a student-athlete, prospect, or their relatives or friends a benefit not expressly authorized by NCAA legislation.
In general, you may not provide a benefit that is not authorized by NCAA legislation or make special arrangements for student-athletes and prospective student-athletes that are not available to the general student population.
Examples of prohibited extra benefits not allowed by NCAA rules, but are not limited to, are as follows:
- Providing cash or loans in any amount, or signing or co-signing for a loan
- Providing gifts of any kind, including birthday cards, gift cards and holiday gifts.
- Providing special discounts for goods and services (e.g. car repairs, legal services, meals).
- Providing free rent or reduced rent-housing.
- Purchasing complimentary admissions from a student-athlete.
Consequences to Boosters for NCAA violations:
Institutions are required by the NCAA to notify boosters of consequences regarding rules violations. Boosters found in violation of NCAA rules are subject to losing benefits and privileges.
The NCAA Committee on Infractions has processed cases in which penalties have included both the disassociation of boosters with the institution and the loss of certain privileges.
Rules Governing Student-Athlete Employment
Student-athletes are eligible for employment during the regular academic year as well as during the universities official vacation periods (winter and spring break) and the summer.
The following rules are applicable to student-athlete employment:
- The student-athlete is compensated only for work actually performed
- The student-athlete is compensated only at the “going rate” for the work performed
- The student-athlete has not been hired based on his or her athletic ability
Rules Governing Promotional Activities for Student-Athletes
Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities are available and encouraged for student-athletes to pursue. NCAA bylaws, including prohibitions on pay-for-play and improper recruiting inducements, remain in effect, in addition to the following:
- California state law for name, image, likeness must be followed (this includes that a Cal State East Bay student-athlete must disclose the proposed NIL activity through the established procedure with the Compliance Office no later than 7 days after entering into an agreement)
- No impermissible inducements. NIL compensation contingent on enrollment at a particular school cannot take place
- No pay-for-play. Student-athlete’s cannot be compensated for athletic participation or achievement (e.g. financial incentives based on points scored). Athletic performance may enhance a student-athlete’s NIL value, but athletic performance may not be the “consideration” for NIL compensation;
- Does not permit compensation for work not performed (must have quid pro quo)
- Student-athletes can use a professional service provider for NIL activities
- Student-athletes may not use Cal State East Bay’s name, marks, logos, branding or facilities for the purpose of NIL activities without obtaining the University’s prior written approval in compliance with all applicable University policies and processes
- Student-athletes may not enter into agreements regarding NIL activities that conflict with one or move provisions of an existing team contract
- Student-athletes may not engage in NIL activities during official team activities (e.g., team practices, team competitions, team travel, team tutoring, team promotional activities, team media obligations, and/or team community service events)
- Cal State East Bay strongly recommends that student-athletes do not engage in NIL activities that conflict with NCAA rules (e.g. sports wagering, tobacco, athletic performance-enhancing drugs and other banned substances).
- If student-athletes receive personal compensation for their NIL, this may affect the application of school financial aid policies (e.g. calculation of need)
- Income earned from NIL activities may also impact a student-athlete’s tax obligations.
- International student visas may be impacted by participation in NIL activities.
Rules Governing Agents and Amateurism
A student-athlete who loses his or her amateur status shall not be eligible for intercollegiate competition in a particular sport if:
- The student-athlete or family member negotiate, sign or enter into any written or oral agreement with an agent (outside of NIL related agents)
- The student-athlete or family member accepts or receives any extra benefits from an agent or anyone who wishes to represent the student-athlete
- The student-athlete competes with a professional sports team or competes as a professional in any individual sport and receives any compensation for participation
- The student-athlete uses his or her skills for pay or promise of pay (outside of NIL deals)
Rules Governing Gambling
A student-athlete coach and/or employee of the Cal State East Bay Athletic Department may not provide information to individuals involved in any type of organized gambling concerning sporting events. In addition, student-athletes, coaches and staff of the Cal State East Bay Athletic Department may not solicit or accept any wager on any intercollegiate or professional athletics contest.
FAQs
Q: What if a prospect approaches/calls me with questions about playing for Cal State East Bay?
A: You should not speak with him/her in excess of a friendly greeting and explaining that NCAA rules prohibit you from talking with them further. You can tell them they will need to contact the coach and then take steps to end the conversation.
Q: What if a prospect knows I’m a Cal State East Bay graduate and calls me with general questions about Cal State East Bay?
A: If a prospect initiates a phone call to you, a booster, you may answer questions regarding various aspects of attending East Bay as long as NO discussion occurs regarding the Cal State East Bay athletics program. If a prospect asks about Cal State East Bay athletics, you must refer him/her to the appropriate coaching staff member.
Q: May I provide anything to a recruit?
A: No. The NCAA’s “extra benefit” rule (as defined above) prohibits you from providing any benefit to a prospect or his/her family or friends when the benefit is no available to the general public or all Cal State East Bay students (e.g. tickets to an athletic, institutional or community event).
Q: If I have family friends with a son or daughter who is a prospect, do the rules change my relationship with them?
A: Not necessarily. The rules are not meant to alter relationships that started for reasons unrelated to athletics, especially prior to an individual reaching such an age or status. You may continue relationships with family friends who have a son or daughter of recruit-able age and is considered a prospect (e.g. backyard BBQs, picnics). But, you cannot encourage the PSA's participation in Cal State East Bay athletics or provide benefits that you were not providing before he/she became a prospect.
Q: Do the extra benefit rules also apply to enrolled student-athletes and their families and friends?
A: Yes. You are not allowed to provide any benefit or special arrangement to an enrolled student- athlete (e.g. tickets to a sporting event or concert, a meal or snack, an award or gift for athletic performance, special discounts). Again, the rules are not meant to alter pre-existing relationships, but note that the benefits provided must be the type of benefits that you provided prior to the student-athlete's enrollment at Cal State East Bay.
Q: I am a parent and would like to host my son's team at my home for a meal while they're traveling to our hometown. Is that ok?
A: Yes. Parents of current student-athletes can provide an "occasional meal" to their son/daughter's team.
Other types of boosters can provide student-athletes with an "occasional meal" too, BUT there are restrictions on where they can provide the meal. Boosters can provide student-athletes with a meal in their home, on campus, or at a facility that is regularly used for home competition. The meal can even be catered but it can only happen "occasionally" and with prior-approval from the compliance office. The meal cannot be at a restaurant.
Q: Can an Athletics Representative be involved in any way when a prospect is on an
official or unofficial visit?
A: Yes. However, the Athletics Representative may have contact only on campus during the
prospective student-athletes official or unofficial visit. Off campus contact is prohibited.
Q: Is it permissible for an Athletics Representative to provide summer employment for student-athletes?
A: Yes. Please remember that compensation must be paid only for work actually performed and at a rate commensurate with the going rate in that locality for services of like character.
Q: Can I contact prospects to encourage them to attend the institution?
A: No, any such contact could result in the prospect being declared ineligible to participate in athletics at Cal State East Bay.
Q: May I engage in evaluation activities on behalf of the institution?
A: Yes, you may view a prospect’s contest on his/her own initiative, provided no contact is made with the prospect or his/her family. However, this evaluation may not take place at the request or direction of an institutional staff member, and you are not permitted to contact anyone associated with the prospect in an effort to evaluate him/her.
Q: May I attend a public event (e.g., high school awards banquet or dinner) at which prospects are in attendance?
A: Yes, however contact with prospects or their families may not occur, and no attempt can be made to recruit the prospect.
