The Business of College Sports

Big announcement this week: Kristi has a new co-host, Jeff Schemmel! Jeff is the President and CEO of College Sports Solutions, a consultancy focused on helping athletic departments maximize their efficiency, leverage their resources and increase revenue.Kristi and Jeff are joined this week by Cole Gahagan, CEO of Learfield—a leading media and technology services company in intercollegiate athletics. They discuss: Recent changes at Learfield and how they help Learfield be better positioned for the future The current state of the college sports multimedia rights landscape The Learfield Allied NIL program Conference realignment With Colorado as a Learfield partner, what “The Prime Effect” has been like this season Visit Learfield.com to learn more about the many services they offer within intercollegiate athletics. You can follow Kristi on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of her analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes. Need data and real-world experts to help you make decisions in your athletic department? Check out College Sports Solutions and connect with Jeff on LinkedIn.

Thomas Thomas Jr. is the co-founder and CEO of Basepath, whose software is used by student athletes, collectives, and universities to automate name, image, and likeness operations. Thomas joins the show to discuss: How Basepath started, the work they currently do, and how they work with collectives The first steps they take when onboarding a collective and its athletes The ways they help partner with universities to bring clarity to the financial complexities of student athletes How Basepath's services differ between for-profit collectives and nonprofit collectives The NIL Collectives Consortium - what it is, who it's for, and how it has benefited collectives . . . and much more! For more information about Basepath, visit basepath.co.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

In this episode, I'm joined by Ksenia Maiorova and Amy Maldonado. Ksenia and Amy are very accomplished immigration attorneys who work with international athletes seeking to take advantage of NIL. They've been able to secure O-1 visas for several athletes and are sharing with us both their successes and the challenges.Topics we covered include:The limitations on a student visa and how it complicates an international student's NIL possibilitiesThe types of visas that are available to international student athletes beyond student visas, including O-1 VisasWhen a student athlete might consider pursuing an O-1 visaWhy some sports are easier than others for getting other types of visasPotential passive income opportunities for international student athletesCompleting NIL activities out of the countryThe potential consequences of failing to adhere to visa requirements/guidelinesKsenia Maiorova can be reached on Instagram at @sportsvisalawyer.Amy Maldonado can be reached on her website at amaldonadolaw.com. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

This episode, I am joined again by Wesley Haynes, President and Founder of The Brandr Group. If you missed the first episode from last year, it's available here.The Brandr Group remains one of the leaders of the group licensing sector of NIL, with more than 70 schools signed to group rights partnerships. In this ever-changing NIL scene, Wesley gives updates on: The Brandr Group's growing list of partners and licensees A breakdown of group licensing categories and trends and how these have changed over time How royalty rates are determined for jerseys and other merchandise Potential relationships between NIL collectives and group licensing Future opportunities within the group licensing sector How universities and their athletic departments unite to embrace group licensing and the benefits for both the university and the student athletes Check out some of the latest news on Business of College Sports involving The BrandR Group:New NIL Deal Provides Flights for the Families of Student AthletesThe Brandr Group and AJS Collective Partner to Create NIL Opportunities for Female AthletesMore Player Apparel and Jerseys Coming Thanks to The BrandR Group Partnering with FollettSubscription Box for UNC Tarheel Fans Latest Creative NIL IdeaYou can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

This episode, I'm joined by Jordan Acker, the Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Regents at the University of Michigan and a partner at Goodman Acker in Detroit.A lifelong sports fan, Jordan was an early advocate of allowing student athletes to monetize their name, image and likeness. We chatted about the role of the Board of Regents relative to athletics issues and opportunities and where he seems college athletics heading from here.Some of the things we discuss include:The process of being elected to the University of Michigan Board of RegentsThe benefits of having younger RegentsThe impact a successful athletics program can have on the universityWhen the Board of Regents should defer to the athletic director or president on decisionsHow the Board of Regents participates in processes and decisions regarding the Big TenThe biggest developments he sees coming in college athleticsHow the Board of Regents at Michigan prepared for NILHis thoughts on how Michigan has approached NILIssues facing college athletics such as athletes becoming employees and revenue sharing...and more!You can follow Jordan on Twitter. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

I'm joined this episode by Chris Giles, co-founder and CEO of FanRally, a platform that replaces traditional season tickets with a tech-enabled subscription service.  Members pay a monthly subscription fee instead of paying for tickets and can reserve seats directly on their phones, finding games that work best for their schedules.FanRally is aimed at modern consumers, including younger fans, who are comfortable with subscription services. Also, the seat reservations can't be resold, so it helps teams identify the fans attending games and to build more direct relationships with them.The company was founded in 2020 after Chris had served as COO of the Oakland A's and VP of Sales & Strategy for the San Francisco 49ers.  Backed by Capital One, it has already partnered with more than 20 teams across the NCAA, NBA, MLB, MiLB and NHL.In the episode, we discussed:How university partners have used FanRallyHow FanRally can replace season tickets in a way that benefits both fans and the athletic departmentIntegrating an existing point-based system into FanRallyHow FanRally allows athletic departments to reclaim revenue currently going to third-party resellersThe data available to departments using FanRallyWays professional sports teams are doing ticketing better than college athleticsUsing FanRally to increase student attendance at gamesHow sponsors can benefit from FanRallyHow FanRally increases a team's yield from a revenue perspective on premium seatsYou can follow FanRally on Twitter and LinkedIn.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

We're joined this episode by Marty Ludwig, Director of Trademarks and Licensing at University of Cincinnati, where he is responsible for managing all internal and external relationships regarding the commercial use of the university's brand (including its name, identifying marks, and still and moving images) to protect and promote the goodwill and reputation of the university, ensure the university receives appropriate value, and to actively enforcing the university's rights to prevent the unauthorized use of its brand.In this episode, we discussed:How licensing is typically divided between University operations and the athletic departmentHow university and athletic administrators work with sponsors that want to use marks from both sidesThe biggest issues facing licensing administrators todayHow university and athletic administrators can collaborate better How Cincinnati is handling requests from athletes who want to use school marksExamples of current sponsor campaigns that involve student athletesMarty's thoughts from a licensing perspective on NCAA President Emmert's idea on compensating athletes as university ambassadorsHow group licensing is working so far for student athletes and universities, including examples from CincinnatiMarty's career path to working in university licensingTrends in licensing to watchMarty is a member of the University's Brand Review Committee, Communicator's Cabinet, Marketing Advisory Committee, International Working Group, and Chair of the Institutional Sponsorship Committee. An active member of higher education trade groups, Marty was elected to serve as the first President on the Board of Directors for the University Partnerships Community of Practice (UPCoP) and is also an active member and Past President of the International Collegiate Licensing Association (ICLA). Under Marty's leadership the Cincinnati licensing program has been recognized as one of the top licensing programs in the nation including recognition as the 2021 Institutional Marketing Program of the year by the Collegiate Licensing Company, and the 2016 Licensing Program of the year by ICLA.  Marty is frequently asked to consult, contribute articles, and give presentations on various topics related to branding, contract and relationship management, licensing, marketing, strategic planning, and trademarks. You can follow Marty on Twitter.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

This episode I'm joined by industry veteran Steve Hank, currently an Executive Vice President at Affinaquest, to talk about how athletic departments can leverage the data they already have to increase fan engagement and revenue for the department. We discuss:The main revenue struggles he sees over and over again in college athleticsHow pro teams have done a better job creating a personal connection with fansOvercoming silos in athletics and higher educationHow to collaborate better with the universityThe opportunities and challenges conference realignment brings for engaging with fansEngaging fans who might consider staying home or out at the tailgate instead of going to the gameLeveraging data to give fans a better experience while also making more moneyHow NIL might play a role in the future of fan engagementHank also shared about his career journey in college athletics. In his current position, Hank oversees the collegiate athletics market at Affinaquest and strategies for clients with a focus on business intelligence, fan engagement, revenue outcomes.Prior to joining Affinaquest, Hank worked as the Chief Revenue Officer at the University of Texas at Austin where he led the sales, marketing, and revenue operations of the nation's largest collegiate athletic department.  Prior to Texas, Hank was with at Arizona State University for twelve years, where he led the revenue generating areas of Sun Devil Athletics, including marketing, ticket sales and operations, branding, licensing, contract negotiation, and sponsorship relations. He also led the rebranding of Sun Devil Athletics culminating with the launch of the Pitchfork logo in April 2012.You can follow Affinaquest on social media: YouTube | Twitter | LinkedInYou can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

On Friday, September 9th, I was joined on campus at the University of Florida by NCAA President Mark Emmert. Special thanks to the UF Institute for Coaching Excellence for hosting this, which was an interview for both of the NIL courses I teach at UF in the Sports Management and PR departments. Students and athletes alike were invited, and I appeared in my capacity as a professor. Although this was not a media interview, the NCAA has granted me permission to share it.In our nearly 90 minutes together, we discussed:How Year 1 of NIL played outBiggest challenges ahead for NILWhether Congress will pass a bill to regulate NILThe debate over student athletes becoming employeesCompensating student athletes as ambassadors of universitiesThe challenges of student athletes unionizingWhere NIL goes from hereThere were so many great nuggets in this conversation, but especially the concept of student athletes as brand ambassadors, which comes up several times throughout the interview.You can read a summary of the parts of this discussion that interested me the most on Business of College Sports.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

I'm joined this episode by Rob Seiger, a partner in Archer & Greiner P.C.'s Sports Law Group, who has joined us once before to talk about issues international student athletes have been trying to navigate in order to take advantage of the NCAA's new name, image and likeness rules.   Rob represents college and university athletic departments in immigration and related compliance issues for their foreign athletes. If you didn't hear our first episode, listen to it here. In this episode, we're taking a look at a few specific instances where international student athletes have attempted to take advantage of NIL without violating the restrictions of their student visas. Are these situations good examples of how international student athletes can take advantage of NIL opportunities? Or, will we see the government make an example out of them for violating visa laws?This is an important topic that still has more questions than answers, unfortunately.You can follow Archer & Greiner on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Former UGA quarterback Aaron Murray joins the podcast to chat about his new venture, The Players' Lounge. This NFT community was built by lettermen to empower relationships within the collegiate sports community through connecting current and former athletes with their respective fan bases while providing opportunities for student-athletes to monetize their individual brands.Aaron joined the podcast back in January to talk with us ahead of their first NFT launch. That launch ended up generating $305,000 for the student athletes involved, a total of $28,000 each. Now Aaron is back to tell us how they've expanded their concept beyond NFTs and taken it beyond UGA to other schools.We discuss:How The Players' Lounge got startedThe ways in which college athletes are engaging more with fansHow NFT drops are translating to in-person eventsTheir relationship with the UGA athletic departmentThe pursuit of licensing agreementsExpanding the model to additional universitiesBig picture goals for the futureYou can follow The Players' Lounge on social media: Twitter | Instagram | FacebookAre you a collective or thinking about starting one? Check out the new NIL Collectives Insider!You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

In this episode, I'm joined by Gary Veron, Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Experience at BYU. BYU has been very proactive in its approach to name, image and likeness, so I invited Gary on to discuss what's going on in Provo. We dive into:How Gary's position morphed from compliance to an NIL focusWhy BYU took a more proactive approach toward NIL right off the batThe overwhelming response from Provo and alum to NILWhy BYU has seen so many team-wide and group NIL dealsHow the story of the BYU athlete is differentThe course the athletic department created around NILThe Shark Tank-style competition they hosted for student athletesWhat student athletes have said they want more education onThe role public speaking has played in NILHow collectives are impacting NIL and recruitingThe letter of inquiry they received from the NCAA'You can connect with Gary on LinkedIn or Twitter.Are you a collective or thinking about starting one? Check out the new NIL Collectives Insider!You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

In this episode, I'm joined by Eddie Rojas, the founder of the Gator Collective. Eddie was a former baseball player at the University of Florida and was one of the first to start an NIL collective to support student athletes in their name, image and likeness endeavors.The Gator Collective's success is marked by it's more than 2,000 members and $500,000 in annualized revenue, in addition to numerous one-time gifts. It was also the first collective to sponsor the athletic department it supports, which has allowed it access other collectives are missing.In this episode, we discuss:The idea behind the Gator Collective and how its model worksThe in-person events and activations the Gator Collective has stagedHow they've mobilized Gator NationWhat the formal sponsorship arrangement looks like with Florida's athletic department and how it benefits both partiesHow the Gator Collective built the relationship with the athletic departmentBig upcoming goals for the Gator CollectiveYou can follow the Gator Collective on Twitter and Facebook. Are you a collective or thinking about starting one? Check out the new NIL Collectives Insider!You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

There is so much creativity and innovation happening in the NIL space right now, and Oklahoma State's The Brand Squad is a terrific example. If you aren't on a campus, you might not realize the level of interest non-athlete students have in being part of NIL. I've heard from law students, accounting students, PR students and all sorts of other students on campus who are trying to help their student athlete friends or siblings.Well, at Oklahoma State, they've found a creative way to allow their marketing students to get hands-on experience in a way that benefits their student athletes. Today, I have Dr. Maribeth Kuzmeski on the podcast to tell us all about The Brand Squad she created in Stillwater. Through this innovative program, marketing students are getting certified to work with student athletes who opt in to get additional help with personal branding, working with brands and more.We chat about:How the The Brand Squad was formedThe training The Brand Squad goes throughThe ways The Brand Squad is working with student athletesHow other schools could implement this ideaHer new NIL textbook and coursewareDr. Maribeth Kuzmeski is a professor in the Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University. She teaches marketing including Personal Branding: Name Image & Likeness. Maribeth is also the President of Red Zone Marketing, an award-winning marketing consulting firm with clients throughout the United States. Maribeth started The Brand Squad at Oklahoma State, a select group of business students who have been trained and certified to assist student athletes with their NIL efforts. She also has a unique perspective and understanding of student athletes as her son played D1 hockey, nephew just signed to play football at Wisconsin, and she has nieces playing D1 volleyball and soccer. Maribeth has a bachelor's degree from the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, an MBA from The George Washington University, and a PhD in Business Administration from Oklahoma State University. Here links to some of the things we mentioned in the episode:Textbook and Courseware: https://www.stukent.com/higher-ed/name-image-likeness/The Brand Squad: www.BrandSquad-OSU.comMaribeth's marketing agency: www.RedZoneAthletes.comConnect with Maribeth: https://linktr.ee/mbkuzmeskiYou can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

I'm joined this week by Porter Grieve, CEO of Mercury, a white-label NFT platform that focuses on helping universities and sports teams to create one-of-a-kind digital fan experiences.Mercury recently partnered with Kansas Athletics (read my piece on the deal) to create a new NFT platform. What I thought made this deal really interesting was how it was being combined with an NIL deal for the Kansas men's basketball team.The Kansas men's basketball team will have a personalized NFT platform called Rock Chalk where fans will be able to buy, sell and trade Jayhawk collectibles. The first NFT drop is available on February 19.Porter joined me to chat about:How the deal with Kansas came to beNew revenue possibilities with NFTsHow athletic departments can work with their student athletes on NFTs and allow them to benefit financially thanks to the new name, image and likeness rulesThe benefits of creating a community within your NFT platformHow much time and effort it takes an athletic department to create an NFT platform like the one at KansasThe benefits of pairing in-person experiences, tickets, products and more with NFTs Creative ideas for using NFTs to drive fan engagementAnd so much more!Previously, Porter co-founded Trace Innovations, a biosecurity and contact tracing software company he started in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, which delivered Bluetooth- based health and safety technology solutions to private middle and secondary schools and small businesses nationwide. Prior to that, he founded Sage Wellness (acquired by Bearn), a holistic wellness app and engine that provided customized recommendations based on data ingested from fitness apps and wearables.Porter also was Special Projects and Digital Development Manager for Italian soccer club AS Roma, actively shaping club and brand-wide strategy across digital media, communications, and PR, as well as managing all technology partnerships and third-party integrations for the digital team. Porter graduated from Washington and Lee with degrees in Economics and Philosophy.Porter: Twitter Mercury: TwitterYou can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

This week, I'm joined by Jason Belzer, CEO and co-founder of Student Athlete NIL, and Kimberly Beaudin, President and CEO of the College Football Hall of Fame, to talk about the inaugural NIL Summit being held June 13-15, 2022 in Atlanta at the HOF. The NIL Summit is an immersive multi-day professional development experience and gathering place for college sports' most important stakeholder to share cutting-edge ideas, discover new interests, and learn how to maximize NIL opportunities to build their brands and amplify their voices.Jason and Kimberly join me to discuss:The vision for the NIL SummitThe NIL AwardsHow schools can help their student athletes grow through participation in the NIL SummitThe tracks available for student athletes to learn from industry leadersHow NIL fits into the College Football Hall of Fame's missionand so much more!Jason Belzer: Twitter | LinkedInKimberly Beaudin: Twitter | LinkedInYou can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

For this episode, I'm joined by David Kaplan of The Hockey Guys,  a group of 10 NCAA hockey players who got their start on TikTok. The Hockey Guys have grown their reach to over 1.4 million followers and subscribers across multiple social media platforms.I recently had David, along with two other members of The Hockey Guys, on my Game Face podcast, and we touched on a few things that warranted a deeper dive. In this episode we touch on:How they plan and create content as a groupHow their venture has evolved from a social media account into a thriving businessThe hands-on entrepreneurial experience the group is gettingHow they've tackled things like pricing and other negotiationsThe challenge of having international student athletes in the group and the solution they've foundThe opportunities for DIII student athletesHow they found the right advisors and resourcesThe reaction from their coaches, administrators and teammatesWhat happens to The Hockey Guys after graduation...and so much more! David serves as the CFO and Head of Consulting for THG Media, Inc. Since NIL legislation was passed, and with a background in Accounting and Finance, the majority of his work has happened behind the camera. David has been an integral part in corporate structuring as well as maximizing the revenue potential for The Hockey Guys. He plans on pursuing his CPA and was a former intern at a Big 4 Accounting Firm with an offer to rejoin the firm upon graduation.You can follow The Hockey Guys on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and check out their podcast, No Bad Days.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

Former UGA football players Ty Frix, Keith Marshall and Aaron Murray, along with Ty's brother Trent Frix, recently created The Players' Lounge, a digital collaborative space for college fanbases, with the University of Georgia as its initial focus. In addition to using a Discord channel to connect fans, the group will launch an NFT collection called DGD Mafia on Sunday, January 9 to benefit current UGA football players.Those who purchase the NFTs will also gain access to exclusive content and experiences, both within The Players' Lounge and also in physical locations. Fifty percent of all profits will go to current UGA football players who will leverage their name, image and likeness to help promote the NFT launch.I recently sat down to speak with Ty Frix and Murray about this creative new approach that leverages the platform of former UGA players to benefit current student athletes. In this podcast, you can eavesdrop on our conversation about their plans and why they felt compelled to create something that benefits current student athletes after their own experience as players.We also discussed how this model could be duplicated for other schools and fanbases, which I think makes it an intriguing listen for all college athletic admins and fans.You can join The Players' Lounge community here and follow them on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

This episode, I'm joined by Wesley Haynes, President and Founder of The Brandr Group. His company has been on the leading edge when it comes to group licensing in the NIL era, signing nearly 20 schools to deals that allow their student athletes access to group licensing opportunities.The Brandr Group currently has agreements with the following schools: UNC, Ohio State, Texas, Alabama, App State, Indiana, Michigan State, UF, NC State, Villanova, Nebraska, Maryland, Marquette, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Xavier, Purdue, and UGA.Haynes and I discussed:How TBG's background in pro sports is helping them navigate NILHis meetings with the NCAA about group licensingHow TBG's alumni programs opened the door for NIL work nowWhich student athletes are benefiting from group licensingWhat TBG's agreement with schools looks likeThe education is required to get student athletes on boardWhat group licensing with student athletes looks like for brandsThe results for schools and student athletes that are working with TBG alreadyPassive vs. active group rightsIn the podcast, we teased some results from Ohio State and UNC, which you can read more about here.You can follow TBG on Twitter or check out their website for more information.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

In this episode, I'm joined by Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Commissioner Dr. Dennis E. Thomas to chat about the MEAC's new partnership with Syracuse University and how his conference is approaching name, image and likeness for its student athletes.Dr. Thomas is the third full-time commissioner of the conference and entered his 20th year this summer. He's retiring in December, but he's made some big moves for the conference ahead of his exit.In this episode, we discussed:His approach to NIL at the conference level for MEAC student athletesWhat he thinks makes MEAC, and other HBCU, student athletes uniquely marketableHow HBCUs will benefit from their student athletes landing NIL dealsHow the MEAC's partnership with Syracuse came to beWhat he hopes MEAC student athletes, staff and professors will get out of the partnership with SyracuseHow partnerships like this one and the SWAC's with the Pac-12 can drive changeYou can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

I'm joined on this episode by Trevor Bechtold, Director of Sports, Recreation + Entertainment at HOK. He's an architect who has worked on projects like the expansion to the Penn State University Lasch Building and Clemson University's new Allen N. Reeves Football Complex.After hearing the news that Clemson is developing a new student athlete branding institute as part of their Poe Indoor Practice Facility renovation, I asked Trevor if other athletic departments are starting to think about how to adapt facilities to assist student athletes with their NIL activities. He gave a resounding "yes," so I asked him to come on the podcast and tells us more about how he thinks facilities will be impacted by student athletes' new NIL rights.In this episode, we chatted about:How athletic departments are starting to factor NIL into facilities planningThe types of spaces, tech, graphics and other features that can enhance NIL opportunities for student athletesWhat features seem to be most popular right now in these discussionsHow spaces might be adapted with recruiting in mindHow even departments with smaller budgets can take NIL into considerationYou can connect with Trevor on LinkedIn or by email.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

In this episode, I'm joined by Zach Beebe, the co-founder of NIL Management. Based in Columbus, Ohio, NIL Management has secured a steady stream of local deals for Ohio State student athletes, including cars for six football student athletes from one dealership. After interviewing Zach for my piece on all of the car deals we've seen so far, I asked him to come on and talk more about the NIL economy in Columbus, Ohio. A few cities and schools have stood out to me while reporting on NIL, and Columbus and Ohio State are among them. Zach is at the epicenter of it all, so I wanted to learn more about how local businesses are embracing NIL and how it's benefitting Ohio State student athletes. We chatted about:The opportunities he's seen student athletes get the most excited about and the strategies they're buildingThe reception around Columbus to the opportunity to work with student athletesHow Zach got a local dealership to give cars to six different student athletesThe comprehensive marketing plan he helped build with Coughlin ChevroletHow much content creation a marketing agency like his is having to do with student athletes to maximize dealsHow he thinks Ohio State has embraced NIL from an athletic department standpointOpportunities for female student athletesYou can follow Zach on Instagram.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

In this episode, I am joined by Dave Capitano, the Higher Education Practice Leader at Baker Tilly. Dave has worked with hundreds of universities on a variety of higher education matters, from finance and operations issues to esports and name, image and likeness. I was recently on Dave's podcast discussing the first 50 days of NIL. In our time off air, he mentioned his passion for esports, and I jumped at the chance to have him come on and educate me because I've admittedly been sleeping on esports.Did you know more than 175 colleges and universities have an officially recognized varsity esports program with more than 5,000 student athletes participating in esports? There's a whopping $16M in scholarships for elite esports players--a fact I was shocked to learn. In addition, more than 475 institutions have esports clubs.Dave joined me this week to share what it takes to add esports, the revenue opportunities, and even the crossover opportunities with athletic departments. Sneak peek: he shared a fantastic idea I think all athletic departments should steal with regards to engaging donors!Some things that Dave and I discussed on the podcast were:The popularity of esports at college universities ranging from the Division I to the club sports levelThe scholarship opportunities involved with esportsThe different revenue opportunities involved with esportsFacility considerations for esportsThe challenges of policing your team in a competitive, virtual worldA look at esports recruitingCrossover opportunities for athletic departments and esports programsCheck out Baker Tilly's esports evaluation guide for more information. You can follow Baker Tilly on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. As mentioned, you can also follow Dave on TikTok. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

This episode I am joined by Katie Davis, a CPA, Partner, and Collegiate Athletics Practice Leader at James Moore & Co., an accounting firm that works with collegiate athletics departments, athletic associations, booster clubs, and other higher education-related organizations nationwide. Katie has dedicated her career to providing accounting and consulting services to universities and advocating for the financial voices in college athletics. She helps to educate the sports business industry on relevant issues that impact us now and in the future. I was previously on Katie's News & Brews podcast discussing the first day of NIL.In this episode, Katie joins me to explain the tax implications and questions surrounding NIL activity by student athletes. Some of what we discuss includes:Tax liability for a student athlete who is a resident of a different state than the state where their university is located, plus what happens if their NIL activity takes place in another state (like a commercial shoot)How a student athlete reports the value of merchandise, products and travel vs. cash paymentsWhether things like iPads provided by athletic departments to student athletes are taxableTax implications of car dealsHow much student athletes should set aside from NIL revenue for taxesHow NIL might impact need-based aid or dependent statusExpenses student athletes might be eligible to deduct in relation to their NIL activitiesPaying quarterly taxes vs. annual as as student athleteYou can follow Katie on Twitter and check out her podcast, News & Brews.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

This episode I'm joined by Oliver Luck, former WVU football student athlete, NFL player, NCAA administrator...and perhaps most important to this conversation, the former WVU athletic director who guided the Mountaineers through the last round of conference realignment. While Luck considered it an honor to be the athletic director at his alma mater, he was faced with challenges during his tenure. Not the least of those was Pittsburgh and Syracuse leaving the Big East in 2011, which necessitated a move for WVU. Luck chats about his career, the history of conference realignment, the challenges that an athletic director faces and the impact that television and other schools have in the realignment process.  In this episode we discussed: How Luck found out the Big East was in troubleLuck's first actions once he realized WVU needed to find a new conference and which conferences he called firstThe challenges realignment brings for an athletic director The tight knit circle that an athletic director has when making decisions about realignment The different factors that a school considers when weighing the options of realignmentHow schools can salvage old rivalries even when changing conferences The lawlessness of conference realignment The amount of stress involved for an athletic director during realignmentIf you've ever wanted a peek behind the curtain of conference realignment, you've come to the right place! Strap in and learn all about what it was like to guide WVU through the last round of realignment.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

I'm joined this episode by Rob Seiger, a partner in Archer & Greiner P.C.'s Sports Law Group, to talk about the issues facing international student athletes when it comes to taking advantage of new name, image and likeness rights. Rob represents college and university athletic departments in immigration and related compliance issues for their foreign athletes. So, we chatted about the advice he's currently giving to his clients when it comes to international student athletes and NIL.In this episode, we discussed:Current rules for international student athletes on student visasIs there a difference for international student athletes between getting paid $50 for an Instagram post and getting free food from a local BBQ restaurant for your entire offensive line?Gifts vs. compensationWhat we can learn from the issues the NHL faced with visas for international athletesHow and when the federal government might provide guidance for international student athletes re: NILHis advice for international student athletes right nowHow things would change for international student athletes if student athletes were considered employeesYou can follow Archer & Greiner on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.Some NIL trackers that may be of interest:State-by-State Legislation TrackerSchool Policy TrackerNIL Marketplace TrackerYou can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

I'm joined this week by Malik Jackson, an associate attorney at Smith Hulsey & Busey in Jacksonville, Florida who is a member of the firm's sports litigation department.A former Princeton quarterback, middle school teacher and football coach, Jackson has taken a particular interest in how NIL impacts student athletes prior to their arrival on a college campus.Although we used Florida's law as an example in some of this discussion, it has broad applicability based on where most states (except California) and their high school sports associations have come down on NIL thus far.We discussed:Advice for the parents of elite high school student athletesHow the advice might be different for high school basketball athletes versus other sports when it comes to NILWhat questions high school student athletes and their parents should be asking relative to NIL during the recruiting processHow the early NIL deals we've seen impact recruitingThe complication of everyone not playing under the same rules right now for NILWhat parents need to watch out for when it comes to NIL and their high school student athleteHow parents might become the problem for some student athletesWhen student athletes should engage an attorney for NILMentioned in this episode:High school basketball student athlete Mikey Williams signing with Excel Sports ManagementHigh school QB Quinn Ewers considering bypassing senior year of high school because of NILYou can follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

This week, I'm joined by a former U.S. Navy Seal and Purple Heart recipient who now serves as a D3 athletic director. Mike Wisecup  is the AD at Colby College and joined us to discuss his background as a Navy Seal and how he applies it to his athletic department. Wisecup also discussed the challenging aspects of his job--one of which is maintaining cohesiveness within an athletic department.Colby College recently opened the Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center, a facility with more than 350,000 square feet, making it the largest athletic facility in D3. The complex includes the only Olympic-sized Myrtha pool in Maine, an ice arena with year-round regulation ice, the Margaret M. Crook Center with three regulation-length basketball/volleyball courts and so much more.Some of the things we discussed included:His unexpected journey from Navy Seal to Athletic Director and the surprising similarities between the two positionsHis college experience as a student athlete at the United States Naval AcademyThe challenges of his positionHow departments can eliminate the “silos” inside a department and create cohesivenessWhat went into the building of D3's largest athletic facilityThings he wished he'd known about building and opening the facilityFollowing his graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1998, Mike Wisecup served as a Navy Seal for 20 years and was awarded a Purple Heart before moving into college athletics and working his way to becoming the athletic director at Colby College.  With a passion of molding students into better citizens, Wisecup discusses his journey, some challenging aspects of his position and how schools can eliminate siloed departments inside an athletic program and increase universal cohesiveness within the department. 

I'm joined on this episode by Drew Butler, EVP of Collegiate at Icon Source, a platform where student athletes (and professional athletes) can connect with brands for partnerships. We recorded on the second day of this new NIL Era and talked all about how it's going so far.One of our main focuses in this podcast is how female student athletes will fare in this new system. Drew talked about why some of the women are even more valuable in the marketplace than the male student athletes and what they're hearing from brands so far. We also talked about why Icon Source was already in a great position to serve student athletes and why Drew wanted to join the company. Drew is a former NFL punter for the Arizona Cardinals & Pittsburgh Steelers. While at UGA, Drew was twice First-Team Academic All-American. He is the host of the highly popular “Punt & Pass" podcast and additional shows.Some trackers I mentioned that may be of interest:State-by-State Legislation TrackerSchool Policy TrackerNIL Marketplace TrackerYou can follow IconSource on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

This episode, I'm joined by Justin Herzig, co-founder of Own the Moment NFT. He's schooling me on all things NFT, so if you barely understand what an NFT is, this episode is for you!Justin gave me some great background on NFTs and then we dove into what they might look like in the college space. Here are some highlights from our talk:The definition of an NFTHow NFT's can be beneficial for all student athletes The impact athletic departments can have on the value of an NFTHow a player's NFT can be beneficial in promoting their own content while also not creating tension within their teams.Justin Herzig is the co-founder of Own the Moment NFT, a venture-backed content and analytics company that helps people invest and collect NFTs with confidence. He has been working in blockchain technology for the past seven years combined with a background in predictive sports analytics.You can follow Justin on Twitter here and Own the Moment NFT here.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

This week I'm joined by two guests: Jim Cavale, CEO of INFLCR, and Ryan Detert, CEO of Influential. We're chatting about how AI can help student athletes improve and grow their social media platforms and attract offers from brands. INFLCR and Influential announced a partnership that will give the student athletes on INFLCR's platform the ability to tap into Influential's IBM with Watson APIs to gain insight into their current influence. These analytics will help student athletes improve their social media presence and allow brands with whom they're in alignment to find them.Jim and Ryan both shared more about how their respective companies are helping student athletes as we enter this new NIL era. Ryan also shared some great advice for student athletes based on all the many data points his AI-powered platform will share with brands.Jim on Twitter: @jimcavaleINFLCR websiteRyan on Twitter: @RyanMDetertInfluential websiteYou can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

This episode I'm joined by Jim Carr, the President and CEO of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). As I mention in the opening, we originally recorded this informally as an interview for a Forbes piece I was writing. However, we had such a great chat I decided to ask Jim if we could turn it into a podcast episode, and he graciously agreed.In this episode, we discuss:How the NAIA has relaxed its rules around NIL over the past five years Why the NAIA was able to pass NIL legislation more quickly than the NCAAThe NAIA's stance on student athletes wearing school gear in NIL-related activitiesHow the NAIA is approaching compliancePlans for educating student athletes on NILWhat the marketplace looks like for NAIA student athletesYou can review the basics of the NAIA's rule change here.In this episode, we talked briefly about NAIA student athlete Chloe Mitchell and the company she co-founded, Playbooked. You can check out my interview with Mitchell and learn more about the opportunities student athletes are getting through her platform in my piece on Forbes.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

I'm joined this week by Darren Heitner, a Florida attorney who helped draft and promote Florida's initial NIL legislation to talk about where we're at currently with NCAA, state and federal legislation.As of the publication of this episode, five states have NIL laws that go into effect on July 1, 2021, with several other states still pushing to pass legislation with the same effective date. We talk about Florida nearly changing its effective date, why some states are still holding out and what the landscape will look like if the NCAA or Congress doesn't enact something for this school year.Darren and I also discuss what we think the marketplace might look like as student athletes as the NIL era begins, how it might impact things like recruiting and more.You can follow Darren on Twitter: @DarrenHeitner. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

I'm joined in this episode by Brian Kappel, a partner in Lightfoot, Franklin & White's NCAA Compliance & Investigations practice group. Kappel is here to break down the NCAA's new Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP).The IARP is a group of lawyers, judges and arbitrators who operate separately from the NCAA to handle complex infractions cases. There are often significant disagreements between the involved institution and the NCAA's enforcement staff.Because of trial-like procedures involved in the work-up and presentation of IARP cases, the elevated stakes and penalties associated with the process, and the lack of an appellate remedy, it is critical that institutions and individuals going before the IARP understand what's involved and approach it like a litigator, with an eye toward not only NCAA practice and precedent but also advocacy.Kappel says institutions or individuals before the IARP should thoroughly understand the process and their role, as well as that of their counsel. This includes the best methods to assist or participate in fact gathering and any re-investigation done by the CCU, the drafting of early submissions to the IARP regarding procedural and dispositive rules interpretations questions, and hearing preparation.Listen in as Brian shares how the IARP works, the types of cases making it into the system and the consequences of decisions made through this process.You can learn more about Lightfoot, Franklin & White at www.lightfootlaw.com.You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

I'm joined this episode by Eric Nichols, Senior Associate Athletics Director for Marketing and Branding/Chief Marketing Officer at the University of South Carolina.This spring, South Carolina announced it would be rolling back its season ticket prices to 2010 prices in an effort to motivate fans to purchase. Like most athletic departments, South Carolina had a difficult year financially in 2020, so it was a risky move. Eric discusses  ​the​ ​methodology​ ​behind​ ​the​ ​decision​making​ ​process​, ​including​ ​the​ ​financial​ ​modeling,​ ​elasticity​ ​tools,​ ​and​ ​hedging​ ​opportunities.​ ​In​ ​addition,​ ​he shares what the​ ​response​ ​has​ ​been​ ​in​ ​the​ ​forms​ ​of​ ​KPIs,​ ​such​ ​as​ ​new​ ​leads,​ ​web​ ​chats,​ ​phone​ ​call​ ​logs,​ ​and​ ​sales​ ​trends.​ ​He also discussed​ ​how​ ​they ​will​ ​measure​ ​the​ ​success​ ​or​ ​failure​ ​of​ ​the​ ​strategy.​ ​Listen in as Eric shares the behind the scenes of this interesting decision.You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

Todd Berry, executive director of the American Football Coaches Foundation, joined the podcast to discuss the concerns football coaches across the country as name, image and likeness legislation is passed at the state level and proposed at the national level and within the NCAA.There were a lot of interesting nuggets in this one, including:What recruits are already asking football coachesHow boosters are getting involved in NIL and why it's concerningWhy you can't talk about NIL without also talking about potential changes to the transfer rulesHow NIL rights may return college football to some of the behavior seen in the 1970s and 1980sHow and why farm teams might emerge in college footballThe impact of NIL in the locker room...and more!Todd Berry coached college football for over 30 years including head coaching jobs at Illinois State, Army and Louisiana-Monroe. An Oklahoma native and graduate of Tulsa, Berry took over directorship of AFCF on March 1, 2016.The American Football Coaches Foundation is the professional development arm of the American Football Coaches association providing professional development and educational resources and tools to football coaches from high school to all levels of college football.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

It's been seven months since Tim Russell, CEO of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, joined the podcast to talk about why tennis was being cut more than any other sport during the pandemic. It was my most-listened to episode of 2020, so I asked Tim if we could revisit the subject now that we've seen several more tennis programs eliminated.The ITA is the governing body of college tennis, overseeing men's and women's varsity tennis at all levels -- NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community College. In addition to providing resources to its members to help support programs, the ITA also put together opportunities while competition was halted in collegiate tennis.Listen in to hear more about why tennis may be taking the brunt of the cuts, Tim's opposing argument and also great advice for coaches in any sport to be more proactive in demonstrating value to their administrations.Resources mentioned in this episode:Health Index (a useful tool for coaches in any sport)Tim's response to AthleticDirectorU the role of Olympic sports on college campusesYou can follow the ITA on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

In this episode, I'm joined by Samantha Arsenault Livingstone, an Olympic Gold Medalist,  high-performance consultant, speaker, educator and mental health advocate. Samantha was a member of the U.S. Swimming National Team, 1999 U.S. Pan Pacific Team and 2000 U.S. Olympic Team. As an 18-year-old, she stood atop the Olympic podium in Sydney, Australia after swimming the lead-off leg of the record-setting 4 x 200 Freestyle Relay. Post- Olympics, Samantha battled an eating disorder, depression and shoulder surgery. With the help of an amazing mentor, she rose from the rubble stronger, happier and healthier, ending her career as a 7 x NCAA All-American. To close out her career, Samantha led her teammates to the 2005 National Championship title as the co-captain of the Georgia Bulldogs.At home in the classroom, Samantha spent six years teaching high school science and coaching swimming. She is the founder of Livingstone High Performance and the Whole Athlete Initiative (the WAI) providing pillars of support to athletes, coaches, parents and organizations to elevate mental health and improve performance. In addition to private and group coaching, Samantha consults with teams and organizations on athlete wellness initiatives, leadership, strategic planning, rising skills and developing high-performance cultures.She is a certified instructor of Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement (MSPE) and a certified instructor of Mental Health First Aid. Samantha holds a master's degree in secondary science education from the University of Georgia. She lives in New England with her husband, Rob, and four daughters. In this episode, we discussed:How coaches and administrators can spot issues student athletes might have coming into their program from home or previous sports experienceHow administrators can set the tone for compliance for everything from practice limits to sexual abuse and communicate to student athletes that it mattersSamantha's message for student athletes who fear coming forward about violations will lead to retaliationHow coaches can create a culture where student athletes feel comfortable talking to them about issuesThe lack of mental health resources and education in intercollegiate athleticsAs a parent, how Samantha talks to her kids about what is and isn't appropriate behavior from their coachesSamantha's website: www.samanthalivingstone.comFollow Samantha on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

I'm joined today by Stephanie Stabulis of Social Creates Impact, who I've been partnering with on some educational programming for coaches, administrators and student athletes as we enter the NIL era.Stephanie is a former award-winning, top influencer marketing agency executive passionate about bringing more training, resources and education to influencers and brands. She has designed campaign strategies for hundreds of brands from small-startups to dream clients like ESPN, OREO, Nickelodeon, Southwest Airlines, Macy's, Gilden Apparel, and Sour Patch Kids.In this episode, I tapped into Stephanie's knowledge on a variety of topics related to how brands will likely work with student athletes once they're able to monetize their name, image and likeness, including:The difference between an influencer vs. ambassador vs. affiliateHow much of a student athlete's content should be directly related their athletic performanceWhat brand deals typically look like and the process behind themHow brands find the people they want to work withThe importance of having written agreementsSome of the risks and pitfalls student athletes need to be aware ofThe opportunities for developing content creation skills that can take student athletes beyond graduationYou can connect with Stephanie on Instagram: @socialcreatesimpact.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

I'm joined this episode by Malaika Underwood, the SVP of Licensing for OneTeam Partners. Malaika has extensive experience in the licensing arena and is a former standout intercollegiate athlete and professional athlete herself.Malaika recently joined OneTeam from The Brandr Group, where she worked on the forefront of the college NIL issue. She also managed partnerships with player associations to develop business on behalf of athletes in the college licensing and marketing space. Her career stops also include Collegiate Licensing Company where she managed all partnerships with the SEC, ACC and Big East. Malaika played volleyball at the North Carolina, and is the longest-tenured player on a USA Baseball National Team, male or female, and has earned five Women's Baseball World Cup medals, as well as two Women's Baseball World Cup All-Tournament Team selections.We discussed what group licensing opportunities might exist if legislation allows for group licensing. We also threw around ideas for how those deals might come to be without the need for a players' union. Additionally, we discussed opportunities available for female student athletes in a group licensing context.You can connect with Malaika on LinkedIn or check out OneTeam Partners on their website. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Deborah Stroman, who is a professor at UNC and the founder and CEO of the Center of Sport Business and Analytics. Dr. Stroman was also the  first Black scholarship female student athlete at the University of Virginia, where she captained the basketball team in her senior year. She also became the first Black female coach at UNC when she served as an assistant coach for the women's basketball team. In addition to her academic and Center responsibilities, Dr. Stroman is a radio personality for two radio stations and consults for the National Institutes of Health, sports teams, and sports-related organizations including the NCAA, College Football Playoff, and the Atlantic Coast Conference We chat about her experiences as a Black student athlete and coach and how she draws on that experience with her new work with the Advancement of Blacks in Sports. We talk about the organization's mission and where the shortcomings are in sports when it comes to Blacks in leadership positions, both in college sports and professional sports. This conversation was more like eavesdropping on our personal conversation than a typical episode, so we both get a little vulnerable and transparent about our work and what we can do to advance Blacks working in sports.In this episode, I recommend the book The Go-Giver. You can follow Dr. Stroman on Twitter: @drstroman.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

In this episode, I'm joined by Melissa Korn, a Wall Street Journal reporter who co-authored the newly released book Unacceptable: Privilege, Deceit & the Making of the College Admissions Scandal with her WSJ colleague Jennifer Levitz.One morning in March 2019, many of America's rich and powerful woke to three hundred FBI agents at their doors. Among them were actress Felicity Huffman, designer Mossimo Giannulli, business executives and storied college coaches, with one thing in common: They'd all worked with Rick Singer. Sought after by wealthy parents as a college whisperer, Singer helped children nationwide secure spots at the schools of their dreams--for some, by any means necessary. When his scheme crumbled, more than 50 people would be criminally charged. In Unacceptable, veteran Wall Street Journal reporters Korn and Levitz trace the rise and ruin of the largest scam of its kind ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice, dubbed Operation Varsity Blues. With unparalleled access to primary players in the case, they reveal how Singer cashed in on the ultimate status symbol: an acceptance letter at Stanford, Yale, Georgetown, or USC. They detail how the scheme exploited existing loopholes, with bribes and lies giving already privileged families an irresistible edge. In this episode, Melissa and I talked about how this story unfolded and what college athletic administrators should be on the lookout for in the future to prevent this from happening again.You can follow Melissa on Twitter @MelissaKorn. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

The topic of coaching salaries, particularly for college football and men's basketball coaches, are often pointed to as an excessive source of spending for athletic departments. With athletic departments facing unprecedented financial difficulties, it's an expense some are looking at more closely. It has been suggested that salary caps be instituted similar to what we see for professional athletes. But is that even legal?I asked Gabe Feldman, Director of the Tulane Sports Law Program, Co-Director of the Tulane Center for Sport, an NFL Network Legal Analyst and sports industry consultant to join the podcast to discuss what can--and can't--be done legally to contain or reduce coaching salaries.We broke it down in simple terms for all the non-lawyers and talked about what competition law is meant to accomplish and how it applies to college sports and coaching salaries, in particular. Gabe also shared his thoughts for courses of action that are legal and could be pursued in the future.Gabe also provided insight, along with other antitrust law experts, in my piece for Forbes on this topic: Can Athletic Departments Cap Coaching Salaries to Save Money?You can follow Gabe on Twitter @SportsLawGuy. Also, check out his sports law podcast Between the Lines.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

Prep QB coach Denny Thompson of 6Points joined the podcast to discuss the unintended consequences of the NCAA's decision to grant Division I fall student athletes an extra year of eligibility and an extra year to complete their eligibility. Denny chatted with me for my Forbes piece on the issue hours after the decision was announced, so in this podcast we're diving deeper into why this isn't a win for many student athletes. We focused on football specifically, but much of what we discussed applies to all fall student athletes. With depth charts blown and uncertainty around who will stay and who will go, and how athletic departments will fund expanded rosters, there are many questions and few answers. However, we explore of much of it as we can at this time and chew on lots of food for thought.You can follow Denny on Twitter and 6Points on Twitter and Instagram.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

What can history tell us about the ability of college football to weather a pandemic? Jeremy Swick, the historian and curator of the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame, joins me this week to chat about the 1918 Spanish Flu and how both it and World War I impacted college football. What was it like with some teams playing and others not? What was college football like when it was all over? Jeremy walks me through all his knowledge on the subject and we talk about what this fall might--or might not--look like and how it might impact the long-term health of college football.Jeremy is tasked with maintaining the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame's extensive collection of artifacts, books, photographs, artwork and publications as the Historian and Curator Coordinator. He was instrumental in establishing, and now updating databases for various educational and historical artifacts and props. In addition, Jeremy curates all new exhibits at the Hall, including exhibits for marquee matchups, the rotating specialty exhibits and Black History Month.You can follow Jeremy on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. You can follow the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook as well.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

Scott Nestler, managing partner of SafeSeating Solutions, joined the podcast to talk about his new SaaS that was developed to help athletic departments plan for the return of fans to the stands for football, basketball, baseball and other sports.Whenever fans are allowed in the stands again, stadiums and arenas will likely be operating at reduced capacity. So, how do you seat 30% capacity while following local guidelines and restrictions, keeping family units together and giving priority to certain groups? Simply input your stadium manifest and a list of groups you wish to seat and this software will spit out a proposed seating chart that takes into account the guidelines you want to follow.Scott talked through how the software came to be, how it works and all the ways it can be used by facilities managers and venue directors. It's application goes beyond college athletics and could be used for professional athletics or for other venues such as theaters.You can learn more about SafeSeating Solutions on their website and check out a demo or contact them with any questions. You can also follow them on Twitter @SafeSeating.To keep up with the latest decisions on fall sports by FBS athletic departments, check out my tracker.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

I'm joined by Matt Fairhurst, founder and CEO of Skedulo, to discuss how his company is working with BioReference Laboratories to implement COVID-19 testing protocols in professional sports leagues like the NBA and MLS.One of the hurdles faced by professional sports was how to efficiently test everyone - from players and coaches to officials, broadcasters and others involved with live competition. Matt's company partnered with BioReference Laboratories to use its deskless workforce productivity software to implement testing protocols and efficiently test large numbers of people in these leagues on a regular basis.Matt shares insights from the pros and conversations he's been having with universities about bringing students back on campus for the fall. We talk about what college athletic administrators can learn from what we know so far and how to prepare as we move into fall sports season.You can connect with Matt on LinkedIn and Twitter and follow Skedulo on LinkedIn or Twitter.In today's Business Tip, I talked about two pieces of software that make my business infinitely more efficient: Appointment for scheduling all my calls and meetings and MeetEdgar ($10/mo off with my link) for managing my social media and repurposing all of my content.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

I'm joined in this episode by Tim Russell, CEO of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. The ITA is the governing body of college tennis, overseeing men's and women's varsity tennis at all levels -- NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community College. To date, 45 tennis programs have been cut since the beginning of the pandemic -- a number that jumped from 28 when Tim and I recorded a week and a half ago. I asked Tim why he thinks tennis has become an easy target and what the future of college tennis looks like. We talked about what coaches can do to put their sport in the best decision to thrive and the resources ITA offers its members to that end. I was really impressed with the "Health Index" they've created for their members, and I encourage other sports to adopt the same approach.You can follow the ITA on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

This week I'm joined by James Coleman, a former student athlete at FSU who is currently the co-host of 1010XL's "The Sports Den" and a strength and conditioning coach. James joined me to discuss how black student athletes have begun using their voices to demand change - from calling out racist behavior by coaches to demanding fight songs, chants and building names be changed. James talked about his own experience as a black student athlete and why he thinks right now is the perfect storm of circumstances to finally allow black student athletes to have a voice and demand change. He shares advice for student athletes, administrators and coaches on current events and necessary change. James played fullback at Florida State University where he was a three-year starter and a member of threeAtlantic Coast Conference Championships between the years of 2002–2005. James was the go-to short yardage back and scored 10 career touchdowns while playing in 46 career games at FSU. He used his skills to realize his dream of playing in the NFL while playing with the New Orleans Saints for one season. James received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science in only three years. James used sports performance training during his high school and college years before coming into the field after his playing career was finished.You can follow James on Twitter and Instagram. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

I'm joined in this episode by my friend Tim Duncan, Director of Athletics at University of New Orleans. We talked about a recent encounter he had with police where he was racially profiled and how he's shared that experience with his kids, his student athletes, his friends and his social media followers in order to better educate everyone. We discussed how he told his student athletes about what happened and the support and resources being provided to them. We also talked about what he expects from his staff and coaches. He shared his advice for student athletes on how to get involved in protests and what is and isn't appropriate on social media. We also discussed educating current and recruited student athletes on social media usage in general and giving student athletes some freedom to allow them to grow while also making them aware of potential consequences. Tim also had advice for administrators on handling conversations about race, even if you're a white administrator. From there, we talked about what fans and the communities around universities can do to promote racial equality and improve going forward. And we ended with advice for BIPOC administrators as they seek to develop professionally and move into their next career position. You can follow Tim on Twitter.You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com, on Forbes and Entrepreneur.  

Mike Snee, executive director of College Hockey Inc., joins the podcast to discuss how his organization has been working to support and grow men's college hockey for more than 10 years. We talked about the current state of college hockey, how the organization supports the addition of new collegiate programs and how both USA Hockey and the National Hockey League helps support the organization's mission. Tune in to learn more about how College Hockey Inc. helps interested universities explore the addition of hockey, what a program needs to succeed and why Mike thinks men's college hockey is one of the best ways to engage alumni. We also talked about the current state of college hockey and how it's been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Note: University of Alabama at Huntsville cut its men's hockey program after we recorded this episode. More on that here, including Mike's comments.You can follow College Hockey Inc. on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.Follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com, on Forbes and Entrepreneur.