Drake Group Decries NCAA Infractions Decision concerning UMass Women’s Tennis and Former Athlete, Brittany Collens
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Drake Group decries an October 16, 2020, NCAA Committee on Infractions decision penalizing college athletes rather than the athletic program administrators who botched the computation of their scholarship checks. Over a three-year period, UMass athletic department administrators failed to properly compute payments when 12 athletes moved off-campus. Eight athletes continued […]
NCAA and NAIA Give It the “Old College Try” with NIL Proposals, but Do Not Go Far Enough
On November 16, 2020, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) issued its proposed bylaws to be considered at its January 12-15, 2021 Convention. Included therein are the long-awaited new bylaws that would allow NCAA athletes to be compensated for the commercial use of their own Names, Images, and Likenesses (NILs), subject to certain restrictions. If adopted, […]
College Athletes Should Give U.S. House NIL Bill a “C+” Grade: Kudos and Criticism of The Student Athlete Level Playing Field Act
The Drake Group issued a position statement applauding The Student-Athlete Level Playing Field Act introduced on September 14, 2020, by a bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives led by Anthony Gonzalez (OH-R) and Emanuel Cleaver (MO-D). The Act, if adopted, would prohibit the NCAA and other national or conference governance organizations or their member institutions from […]
Listen Up Congress! What’s Wrong with College Sports and How to Fix It
By William Rudelius The U.S. Congress is showing signs of life related to tackling the need for collegiate athletics reform. Why is Congress getting involved, and why should it step in and force reform of college athletics? Answer: Because the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) has become a trade association for commercialized collegiate football and […]
Message To Congress On NCAA Reform: NIL Income Yes, Cash Income No
By Dr. Andrew Zimbalist and Dr. Donna A. Lopiano Originally published September 15, 2020 Thirty-four states have proposed or passed legislation to allow their college athletes to earn income from their names, images, and likenesses (NILs). Unfortunately, there is considerable variation in what these bills provide. It would be unworkable for colleges in the same […]
Drake Applauds U.S. Senate “Athletes’ Bill of Rights,” Proposes Congressional Legislation
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — On August 3, 2020, U.S. Senators Cory Booker, Richard Blumenthal, Christopher Murphy, Kirsten Gillibrand, Ron Wyden, Mazie Hirono, and Kamala Harris issued a “College Athletes Bill of Rights” statement that sought to advance justice and opportunity for college athletes and promised future legislation to realize their position. On August 13, they […]
Drake Group Calls for Congress to Enact College Athlete Protections: A Legislative Proposal
On August 3, 2020, U.S. Senators Cory Booker, Richard Blumenthal, Christopher Murphy, Kirsten Gillibrand, Ron Wyden, Mazie Hirono, and Kamala Harris issued a “College Athletes Bill of Rights” statement that sought to advance justice and opportunity for college athletes and promised future legislation to realize their position. On August 13, they were joined by Senators […]
Drake Group Honors Nancy Hogshead-Makar, J.D. as Recipient of 2020 Drake Hero Award
The Drake Group is honoring Nancy Hogshead-Makar, J.D. with the 2020 Drake Hero Award for her determined and extraordinary efforts to advance the collegiate sports reform movement through persistent actions over the past thirty years. Hogshead-Makar’s leadership in addressing sexual abuse in sport, which began long before the recent horrific revelations in gymnastics, is path-breaking, […]
Drake Group Honors Johnasia Cash, Courageous Penn State Basketball Player, as Recipient of 2020 Drake Presidential Award
The Drake Group Presidential Award was established in 2017 to honor an extraordinary contribution by an individual or organization that has helped advance the integrity of intercollegiate athletics through a public action that demonstrates integrity, the primacy of educational objectives and the responsible and ethical conduct of intercollegiate athletics as an extracurricular enterprise. Johnasia Cash, […]
Sports Hiatus Gives NCAA an Opportunity to Rethink the Structure of College Sports
By Dr. Gerald Gurney, Dr. Donna A. Lopiano and Dr. Andrew Zimbalist Originally published April 25, 2020 Tragedy begets opportunity, calling to mind the old admonition to “never waste a good crisis.” Educators and college athletic administrators should heed those words during the current hiatus from competition and develop a plan to redirect college athletics toward […]