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
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
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
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
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
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
Student reporters and accomplished sports journalists who were judges in this year’s The Drake Group Education Fund Student Journalism Prize for Investigative Reporting on Intercollegiate Athletics participate in a wide-ranging conversation about college sports and the role of investigative journalism. Student journalists from Northwestern University and Quinnipiac University, winners of this year’s sports journalism contest … 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