Q-and-A: NAIA leader says the focus remains on 'education-based athletics'

Marc Burchard will watch as well. But when he sees the NCAA's big-money take on a postseason basketball tournament, he looks at the TV and has a simple response: "We're not that. " Burchard is the NAIA's Director of Championships, and coming off the ...

Apr. 3—MITCHELL — Plenty of sports fans will be watching the Final Four this weekend. It's as big of a college sports event as there is every year.

Marc Burchard will watch as well. But when he sees the NCAA's big-money take on a postseason basketball tournament, he looks at the TV and has a simple response: "We're not that. " Burchard is the NAIA's Director of Championships, and coming off the NAIA's basketball championships for the women in Sioux City, Iowa, and the identical men's championship in Kansas City, Missouri, he remains as steadfast as ever that the NAIA's latest marketing tagline — "The Right Way to Play" — still holds firm.

"With every decision that we make, I think we always ask ourselves a question: How is this going to impact the student-athlete? They are centered in our decision-making priorities," Burchard said. "We focus ourselves on education-based athletics.