October 19 Webinar Asks if Athletic Departments are Willing to Make the Investment in College Athlete Mental Health
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 […]
Clear and Present Dangers — Sports Gambling. NCAA and Higher Education Must Respond Now
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, […]
Conference Realignment Decisions Ignore Impact on Health, Well-being and Education of College Athletes
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 […]
2023 Sack Symposium Proceedings
Check out the proceedings of the 2023 Sack National symposium including video recordings of each panel session, resource materials recommended by panelists, speaker bios, national award winners and more. CLICK HERE
WEBINAR #25: 2023 Sack Symposium Proceedings – Session Four – “Are We Getting What We Paid For? Entertainment or Education?”
A panel of experts explores the economic drivers of college sports and how they affect athlete education. The NCAA’s Division I athletics enterprise generates $15.8 billion in annual revenues of which only $2.9 billion –18.2 percent — is returned to athletes in the form of athletics scholarships and only 1 percent is spent on medical […]
Meet Our Executive Director
MEET OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JULIE SOMMERThe Drake Group (TDG) and The Drake Group Education Fund (TDGEF) Boards of Directors (TDGEF) unanimously voted to appoint Julie Sommer as the organizations’ first Executive Director. “Both boards are thrilled to announce that Julie Sommer has agreed to serve as our Executive Director,” said Andrew Zimbalist, TDG President. “Julie […]