The National Athletic Association (NAA) is a fictitious professional athletic association comprised of the same institutions, conferences and organizations found in its parent organizations, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and, to a lesser extent, the GAME (G.3).
As a professional athletic association, the NAA leverages the tradition, passion and pageantry of the NCAA’s sports, institutions and conferences, and extends it to the professional sports arena. Until the formation of the NAA, most collegiate athletes could not continue their athletic careers at a professional level; especially those participating in “non-revenue” sports. The NAA enables those who have used all of or forgone their NCAA eligibility to do the following:
- Continue to develop and to maximize one’s physical abilities in a highly competitive and professional environment.
- Provide a competitive platform for those who wish to extend their athletic careers at the very same institutions they attended as NCAA athletes.
- Serve as a conduit for athletes to ultimately reach the most elite levels of play throughout the world.
- Serve as a resource for intellectual growth while one pursues his or her professional athletic endeavors.
The NAA was founded in 1999 as a 50-50 joint venture between the NCAA and G1 Ventures, the holding company that owns and operates G.3. The President of the NAA is nominated by the NCAA Executive Committee and is confirmed by a majority vote of the G1 Ventures Board of Directors to a four year term. At the end of his or her four year term, the NAA president may be retained for another four year term by a majority vote of both the NCAA Executive Committee and the G1 Ventures Board of Directors.
Since it is a professional athletic association, the NAA governance structure, unlike the NCAA, is not made up of numerous committees, subcommittees, et cetera. Instead, the NAA has a more traditional top-down leadership structure led by the NAA President.
All revenues from and expenses incurred by the NAA are divided evenly between the NCAA, G1 Ventures and the NAA.
Some Key Rules Regarding NAA Athlete Eligibility
- In order to participate in the NAA, one must first attend or have attended an NCAA institution for at least one academic year.
- Those who have used up all of or forgone their NCAA eligibility are automatically eligible for the NAA.
- Those participating in the NAA are eligible to continue their studies at their corresponding NCAA institutions; however, they are not eligible to participate in its NCAA athletic competitions.
- Depending on the sport or node, a very select number of roster spots may be designated as “open” for players from the high school, international or professional ranks. These players may be eligible to study at their corresponding NCAA institutions.
