My guests today are two national leaders in the college athlete’s rights space. Congresswoman Lori Trahan from Massachusetts has been an outspoken advocate for college sports reform and for strengthening Title IX compliance. Chase Griffin, UCLA Quarterback and National NIL Athlete of the Year, recently appeared at a Congressional hearing…
On today’s podcast, we discuss the opportunities and challenges in streaming hundreds of live events from Division II and III campuses. The money is nowhere near the millions pouring in to some Division I programs, so the question becomes what makes it worth the significant effort? My guests today are…
Today I’m joined by Jill Bodensteiner, the Vice President and Director of Athletics at Saint Joseph’s University. Jill is a member of several key NCAA DI Committees imagining the future of college athletics. Ironically, it was 20 years ago this month that the St. Joe’s men’s basketball team was at…
Val Ackerman, Commissioner of the Big East Conference joins the podcast for a wide-ranging discussion on the substantial changes in college athletics, particularly as they impact schools that do not play big-time football. Called basketball-centric schools, they have to navigate the transfer portal, NIL, conference realignment and other tidal waves…
Today we welcome back Jason Belzer, CEO of Student-Athlete NIL (SANIL), a company that is leading the field in athletes leveraging their NIL opportunities. Jason launched the Student Athlete NIL Summit in Atlanta in 2023 (attracting over 500 athletes) and his company today supports over 1500 athletes in managing their…
Jim Cavale, founder and Chairman of Athletes.org, joins the podcast. Athletes.org, serves as a players association for college athletes. It is dedicated to maximizing their income, amplifying their voices, and providing on-demand support for key decisions as they navigate college athletics and beyond. AO enables college athletes to have a…
The 2024 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball tournament broke all kinds of viewership records. From Iowa and Caitlin Clark, to Angel Reese and LSU, to Dawn Staley's undefeated and national champion USC Gamecocks, it was a tournament to remember. I've invited Jill Bodensteiner (https://www.sju.edu/about/leadership/jill-bodensteiner) back to the podcast to take…
My guest today is Dr. Welch Suggs, Associate Professor in journalism and mass communications at the University of Georgia. Welch and his colleagues had a study published in Spring 2024 with the journal Research in Higher Education that may be interesting for university leaders to consider. Simply speaking, adding a…
Welcome to today's episode, where we’ll dive into the latest developments in the House v NCAA case. It’s a legal battle that could transform college sports forever., The attorneys in this case filed a revised settlement proposal aiming to address key concerns expressed by the Judge in this case, including…
Welcome to the podcast! I’m Karen Weaver, and today we’re tackling the evolving world of college athletics with my guest, the legendary John Canzano, reporter, owner of the substack site Bald Faced Truth (https://www.johncanzano.com/) and radio host. John’s career has given him a front-row seat to the conversations happening at…
Joining me for the conversation today is the Big Ten Conference’s Chief Medical Officer, Jim Borchers. Jim is the former Ohio State team physician and current president of the US Council for Athlete Health. We discuss the growing challenges facing athletic healthcare professionals, including burnout among athletic trainers, pressures from…
We’re coming off a spectacular 2022 season called March Madness, where all of America stops and pays attention to college basketball, whether its men’s or women’s. If we’re lucky, fans can be treated to magical moments, even magical runs where a team plays well above its tournament seeding. In 2022,…
NIL Collectives have exploded in the last few months. Defined as a group of donors/boosters/fans and others who pool their money to reward a college athlete for enrolling/succeeding or transferring to your favorite school, the evolution in this area of NIL is confusing to say the least. Today on the…
Since the Great Recession of 2008-2010, enrollment in Pennsylvania's 14-campus state university system has notably changed, with some campuses growing in enrollment, and others losing students precipitously. The Commonwealth's annual system funding was recently ranked 46th out of 50 states, a dismal statistic. Yet, there are "help wanted" signs everywhere…
Over the past few months, there have been at least five high-profile student athlete suicides on campuses across the nation. It’s a frightening and sobering trend that requires colleges and universities to take a serious look at their infrastructure in place to support the mental health and wellbeing of athletes…
Two years ago, America was embroiled in racial and social justice protests, kicked off by the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis by a police officer. Higher education, like so many other industries, took the opportunity to look inward and ask, “how are we doing when it comes to racial…
“Higher education institutions across the country are contending with significant headwinds. However, with a shared sense of purpose, a creative spirit, and sustained focus, PC can emerge stronger than ever and build a tremendous foundation for the next 140 years.” That was a part of the inauguration speech that Matthew…
With all the talk about Division I undergoing massive transformation, what is going in NCAA Divisions II and III? According to my guest, Chuck Mitrano (https://empire8.com/staff.aspx?staff=1) , long-time commissioner of the Empire 8 Conference (https://empire8.com) in New York, quite a bit. Chuck joins the conversation from two perspectives-one as a…
With the Big Ten Conference signed a brand-new media rights contract worth $1.23 billion annually, all of college sports took notice. Exceeding the NCAA’s March Madness contract, the Big Ten will soon deliver between $70 and $100 million to each school in the conference. It’s a staggering number and has…
A nightmare occurred at the University of Maryland in 2018 when freshman football player Jordan McNair died of heatstroke after an offseason practice. The confluence of events caused this nightmare scenario—a warm, humid day with a heat index over 90 degrees; practice was suddenly relocated to another field because the…
Boise State burst on the to the national stage in football over 20 years ago and made a mark few non-Power 5 schools have done. From the famous "Blue Turf" in the stadium, to 3 Fiesta Bowl victories, football put a regional state school in the national discussion. Along with…
When the news broke that both the women’s and men’s swimming programs at Michigan State would be cut in October 2020, there was shock and sadness. Citing declining department revenue resources available in the early days of the pandemic, as well as an outdated pool, former athletics director Bill Beekman…
For the 2023 Super Bowl alone, an estimated $16 billion was spent on legalized gambling, including mobile apps, live casinos and other technologies. With 21 states now allowing gambling on sports, the activity is in its infancy in the U.S. The next big sporting event-NCAA March Madness, promises to add…
My guests today hold two crucial roles in the modernization of DIII athletics. Gerard Rooney (https://www.sjf.edu/about/presidents-office/) is the President at St. John Fisher University in New York. Chuck Mitrano (https://empire8.com/staff.aspx?staff=1) is the Commissioner of the Empire 8 Conference and the Chair of the NCAA DIII Championships Committee. Our topic? How…