NCCAA's Example.(National Christian College Athletic Association)(Brief Article)

In 1968 the National Christian College Athletic Association was formed so that Christian colleges could have a basketball competition of their own. The NCCAA's growth since then is indicated by the 21 championships it will hold this year, including a football Victory Bowl and a national basketball tournament.

An August 10th Washington Times profile of the Greenville, South Carolina-based Association noted that it "happily sees itself as the antithesis of big-time, big-money college sports. It promotes sportsmanship, fellowship and missionary work. It discourages the use of alcohol and tobacco and does not tolerate homosexuality." Currently comprised of more than 120 colleges and universities, the NCCAA is specifically designed "to allow Christian athletes to enrich their spirituality by competing in sports. It promotes itself as an organization serving Jesus Christ and living by strict moral and ethical codes that reflect those beliefs."

Dan Wood, the Association's executive director, describes its mission as using "intercollegiate athletics to serve our greater commitment to Jesus Christ. We are not chest-bumping, but we are overt in our faith." Michael Lightfoot, basketball coach at Indiana's Bethel College, asserts that in contrast to the "many negatives in athletics and the things you see on TV," the NCCAA stands as "something pure that kids can look up to," where "money and fame are not the most important things. The mission is to change lives for the better." Coach Lightfoot has garnered three National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) championships and three NCCAA titles during his 15 seasons at Bethel.

Approximately half of the schools currently affiliated with the NCCAA also belong to either the NAIA or the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). ...