National experts discuss how the landscape of college sports continues to evolve, examining the shifting dynamics between education, athlete compensation, and the commercialization of college athletics. They will explore alternative academic pathways for college athletes, increased pressures affecting college mental health and well-being, and how the changing economic environment impacts gender and racial disparities among … Read more
Join us as student reporters who took top prizes in the 2025 Drake Group Education Fund Student Journalism Prize for Investigative Reporting on Intercollegiate Athletics share their reporting and discuss the vital role of enterprise and investigative journalism on college campuses. The winners will talk about their stories with an esteemed panel of sports journalists and authors from The … Read more
A stellar line-up of experts working with college athletes share research supported strategies for improving the current low graduation rates of Division I basketball and football players. This research demonstrates that there are characteristics among college athletes that institutions continue to fail to acknowledge. Also, the research demonstrates that there are institutional best practices that … Read more
A distinguished panel of experts will delve into crucial aspects of college athlete mental health. We will explore critical questions such as: At what juncture do the pressures faced by college athletes escalate to the point of contemplating suicide? Are there specific roles within athletic departments that are uniquely suited to identify and address adverse … Read more
In recent years, college athletics programs have developed formalized internal structures designed to address problems related to equity in college sports. Responding to data and issues that the Drake Group addresses in its papers, these athletic departments created DEI offices staffed by professionals with expertise in college sports, academic excellence, and equity and inclusion. However, … Read more
Our panelists discuss the impact of a free agent transfer portal, college athlete compensation tied to revenue production value with no financial guardrails, and the prospect of collective bargaining, unionization, and “employee” status. What might employee bargaining units look like within the multisport and national construct of college sport? Only 2-3 percent of Division I … Read more
The House/Hubbard/Carter v NCAA settlement has raised concerns among many that colleges and universities could soon pay athletes directly, particularly in revenue-generating sports, through NIL and revenue-sharing arrangements with the majority of these payments going to football and basketball players. These payments are poised to nearly double due to Title IX gender equity obligations, and they would … Read more
In April 2024, the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report, “College Athletics: Education Should Improve Its Title IX Enforcement Efforts.” The GAO found that 93 percent of all intercollegiate athletic programs were not offering athletics opportunities to females proportional to their percentage in the full-time undergraduate student body. The overall athletic participation rate … Read more
The Drake Group Education Fund (TDGEF) is thrilled to congratulate Advisory Council member Ashleigh Johnson on her remarkable achievement of representing the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. As a world-class athlete, Princeton graduate, and dedicated advocate for TDGEF, Ashleigh is an inspiration to us all. The extraordinary achievements of Ashleigh and other … Read more
On February 7, 2024, National Girls and Women in Sports Day, U.S. Senator Christopher Murphy (CT-D) and U.S. Representative Alma Adams (NC-12-D) introduced the Fair Play for Women Act in the 118th Congress. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Representatives Lori Trahan (D-MS-03) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-1) co-sponsored the legislation. Donna A. … Read more