The Drake Group Education Fund: Realizing The Promise Of College Athletics
2025 Student Journalism Prize Applications Now Being Accepted
Mark Hyman, Chair of Selection Committee for The Drake Group Education Fund 2025 Student Journalism Prize for Investigative Reporting on Intercollegiate Athletics announced the application deadline and timetable for the announcement of this year’s winners. “There has never been a time when investigative journalism focused on college sports has been more needed. Student journalists have an important … Read more
Reported Increases in College Athlete Suicide and Other Mental Health Risks – Jan. 16, 2025 Free Webinar
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
WEBINAR #43 Political Assaults on DEI Programs: Implications for College Athletics
Critical Issues Webinars, Featured, Video
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
Webinar #42 Athlete Compensation, Organizing, and Employee Status in College Sport. What is the Path Forward for College Athletes?
Critical Issues Webinar, Featured, Video
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 college … Read more
Webinar #41 How will the Evolving Landscape of College Athletics Affect the USA Olympic Sports Development System?
Critical Issues Webinars, Featured, Video
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 … Read more
Webinar #40 NCAA v. House-Carter-Hubbard Proposed Settlement: The Current Legal Landscape
Critical Issues Webinars, Featured, Video
An exceptional line-up of attorneys, sport journalists, and academic experts take a deep dive into the impacts of the blockbuster NCAA vs. House-Hubbard-Carter antitrust lawsuits. They examine the current status of the proposed settlement, possible legal challenges, and how the $2.8 billion in past damages and estimated $20 billion in injunctive relief might affect Division … Read more
Education Fund Salutes Olympian, Advisory Council Member, Ashleigh Johnson
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
Education Fund Releases Major Research Report: Improving Academic Outcomes in NCAA Division I Revenue Sports and HBCU Limited Resource Athletic Programs
Athletics Reform, Featured, Racial Exploitation, Uncategorized
A new report by The Drake Group Education Fund (TDGEF) highlights the low graduation rates of Division I football and basketball players, especially Black athletes at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). It urges universities to improve academic support for these athletes, who face pressure to succeed in both academics and sports. Julie Sommer, Executive Director of … Read more
WEBINAR #39 Women in College Coaching and Administration – The Double Standard
Critical Issues Webinars, Featured, Video
A stellar line-up of attorneys, coaches, and academic experts discussed the subtle and not so subtle ways in which a double standard is applied to female coaches and athletics administrators from evaluation of performance to compensation, hiring, and termination decisions. The most current statistics on female administrator and coach employment at the college level, including … Read more
Webinars #35, #36, #37, #38 – Every Session of The Sack National Symposium on April 18 from Howard University
Critical Issues Webinars, Featured
The purpose of the 2024 Allen Sack National Symposium on April 18 at Howard University in Washington, DC was to address national issues having a critical impact on college athletic programs. Speakers and panelists discussed college athletes’ well-being with a focus on hazing, bullying, coach misconduct, and the little-known fact that thousands of college athletes … Read more