<P> In August 1973, the current three - division system of Division I, Division II, and Division III was adopted by the NCAA membership in a special convention . Under NCAA rules, Division I and Division II schools can offer scholarships to athletes for playing a sport . Division III schools may not offer any athletic scholarships . Generally, larger schools compete in Division I and smaller schools in II and III . Division I football was further divided into I-A and I - AA in 1978 . Subsequently, the term "Division I - AAA" was briefly added to delineate Division I schools which do not field a football program at all, but that term is no longer officially used by the NCAA . In 2006, Divisions I-A and I - AA were respectively renamed the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). </P> <P> Intercollegiate sports began in the US in 1852 when crews from Harvard and Yale universities met in a challenge race in the sport of crew . As rowing remained the preeminent sport in the country into the late - 1800s, many of the initial debates about collegiate athletic eligibility and purpose were settled through organizations like the Rowing Association of American Colleges and the Intercollegiate Rowing Association . As other sports emerged, notably football and basketball, many of these same concepts and standards were adopted . Football, in particular, began to emerge as a marquee sport, but the rules of the game itself were in constant flux and often had to be adapted for each contest . </P> <P> The NCAA dates its formation to two White House conferences convened by President Theodore Roosevelt in the early 20th century in response to repeated injuries and deaths in college football which had "prompted many college and universities to discontinue the sport ." Following those White House meetings and the reforms which had resulted, Chancellor Henry MacCracken of New York University organized a meeting of 13 colleges and universities to initiate changes in football playing rules; at a follow - on meeting on December 28, 1905 in New York, 62 higher - education institutions became charter members of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS). The IAAUS was officially established on March 31, 1906, and took its present name, the NCAA, in 1910 . </P> <P> For several years, the NCAA was a discussion group and rules - making body, but in 1921, the first NCAA national championship was conducted: the National Collegiate Track and Field Championships . Gradually, more rules committees were formed and more championships were created, including a basketball championship in 1939 . </P>

What was the reason for the establishment of the national collegiate athletic association
find me the text answering this question