On the eve of March Madness, one of the biggest sports gambling days of the year, a former NBA referee and an attorney who were gambling addicts, a professional gambler and founder of a betting tips newsletter, and experts on match-fixing and treatment of gambling addiction discussed how gambling has the potential to destroy college … Read more
Another historic phase of college football conference realignment occurred in 2023. The Big 12, Big Ten, and Atlantic Coast Conference all embarked on another round of expansion that destroyed the 108-year-old Pac-12 Conference. Two new super-conferences were created in the South and Midwest. The new national map of college football will exist for the foreseeable … Read more
NCAA President Charlie Baker took office in March 2023, and inherited several significant lawsuits regarding pay-to-play, name, image, and likeness, and health and safety issues. In response, in late 2023 Baker challenged NCAA member schools with a plan to create a new Division I tier in which schools would be required to pay a minimum … Read more
In the third year of college athletes being allowed to profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL), many college athletes have taken advantage of their new opportunities entering various types of NIL deals. While NIL has opened the door for these athletes to reap some of the financial benefits of their labor, it has … Read more
A stellar panel of Drake experts review college-athletics-related bills that have been filed or announced as “discussion drafts” in the 118th Congress (2023-2024) as of November 16, 2023 and discuss key questions. Is Congressional intervention in the conduct of intercollegiate athletics justified? Will proposed legislation protect the outside employment rights of college athletes, ensure fair monetization … Read more
A stellar panel of experts will explore what it looks like to truly cover the mental health needs of college athletes by moving beyond opinion and digging into the budget line items and numbers. After hiring a clinician or two, what are the other costs associated with college athletes’ mental health care? How are the investments currently … Read more
Current and former coach, athletic administrator, and coach pedagogy experts will examine why too many college coaches continue to demonstrate behaviors that negatively impact the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of college athletes and how this issue should be addressed. Are there domestic or foreign programs that should be emulated and is it feasible to … Read more
On September 5, 2023, Julie Sommer, Executive Director of The Drake Group Education Fund, issued the following statement via a national press release, cautioning higher education and athletics leaders to take immediate action on college athlete gambling and improper relationships between higher education institutions and the gambling industry. Sommer warned, “A tidal wave of match-fixing, … Read more
There is probably no more significant roadblock for college athletes seeking meaningful educations than the unreasonable amounts of time they must engage in practice, travel to competitions, and other athletics-related activities. College presidents and boards of trustees continue to seek more favorable conference memberships pursuing the highest media rights fee payouts, ignoring the impact of … Read more
The finances of college sports are in peril. Desperate for cash, college athletic departments are embracing sports betting. Many colleges have entered partnerships with sports book companies and some schools receive a payout whenever a student opens an account with the sports book. An international panel of experts examines the threefold threat to athletics and … Read more