Members of the Black Coaches Association went beyond the game and took an admirable stand last week when they threatened to boycott weekend games after the NCAA voted against adding a 14th scholarship to Division I men's basketball teams.

The 14th scholarship, the BCA argues, would have provided hundreds of black athletes a chance to attend college that they otherwise do not have under current scholarship rules.

In a time when it seems as if coaches are more concerned with wins and losses, and not the young men and women they coach, the BCA is trying to encourage change. As the number of black coaches increases, the BCA realizes it has the power to address important issues and make a more effective push for change.

The best way to solve the situation is to add the 14th scholarship. After all, the NCAA should do everything it can to bring athletes into the academic arena as well as the sports arena.

However, vocal coaches in the BCA have recognized the scholarship controversy as another symptom of a larger problem that can be attributed to the decay of our inner cities -- where basketball scholarships make the most impact.

The number of people who cannot afford a college education is rising, and the issue goes beyond just adding another scholarship for basketball players. It is unfortunate that the threatened loss of game and TV revenue is what may force people to address the real problems facing the nation.

Some may attempt to make the situation into a black-white issue, but the threatened boycott transcends racial lines, as the extra scholarship can benefit people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. White coaches -- including Penn State's Bruce Parkhill -- aligned themselves in support of the boycott because they recognize the potential an added scholarship would bring.

Although the NCAA's decision not to add the 14th scholarship caught many by surprise, the BCA should have pushed the issue sooner and made the threat of a boycott known before the actual vote took place.

Perhaps, when coaches are able to sign six-figured contracts and lucrative endorsement deals, and TV networks spend big bucks to televise college athletics, they lose sight of the meaning of the game. Thanks to the BCA, maybe we all have a better focus now.