Why the NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) and the Graduation Success Rate (GSR) should be Abandoned and Replaced with More Effective Academic Metrics
The Drake Group released a position statement that is highly critical of the NCAA’s Division I Academic Metrics. Drake Group President Gerald Gurney argues that “Academic integrity in intercollegiate athletics requires a system of checks and balances, transparent academic metrics and safeguards that ensure that learning occurs, not just that athletic eligibility is maintained.”
Drake Group Urges NCAA Division I Presidents to Support the Establishment of a Presidential Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics
Listing eleven current conditions that threaten the financial stability of college athletics programs and the academic integrity of higher education institutions, The Drake Group issued a request to NCAA Division I college and university presidents and chancellors to support H.R. 2731 (a bi-partisan bill currently before Congress) that would mandate the appointment of a Presidential […]
If I was an FBS athletic director, my top worries in 2017 would be…
Check out a blog by a member of The Drake Group, listing the top issues that NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision athletic directors should be worrying about. Read more.
Congress Granting a Conditional Limited Antitrust Exemption to the NCAA and Its Member Institutions
Absent an antitrust exemption, which only the Congress can provide, the NCAA will continue to be the target of antitrust lawsuits whenever it tries to implement educationally defensible reforms that have commercial consequences.
Ridpath Provides Insider’s View of NCAA
B. David Ridpath, President Elect of the Drake Group, first contacted the Drake Group in 2004 during his ongoing battle with Marshall University over NCAA violations in the athletic department. Ridpath, in his new book titled Tainted Glory, documents his experiences as an assistant compliance director at Marshall. Former New York Times columnist, Robert Lipsyte […]
Don’t Reform NCAA – Replace It
By Dr. Donna Lopiano and Dr. Gerald Gurney Originally published September 11, 2014 Three weeks after a trial over the NCAA’s use of college athletes’ likenesses ended this summer, U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller’s Commerce Committee began hearings on the welfare of athletes and included testimony from NCAA President Mark Emmert. Amid the senators’ skepticism and […]
Establishment of a Congressional Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics Reform
The Drake Group urges Congress and the general public to understand the need for comprehensive federal reform legislation that goes beyond the current singular focus on college athlete name, image, and likeness rights or a slight nod to athlete health and protection. There is a clear need for an independent Congressional Commission that examines the […]
After Penn State Scandal, Congress Should Make NCAA put Students, Education First
In light of the scandal at Penn State, which reveals how big-time college sports often overwhelm the core values of higher education, Congress should closely examine whether the NCAA is running a not-for-profit enterprise or a commercial entertainment empire. Follow this link to read the Christian Science Monitor article
Real Scholarships Need to Make a Comeback
I have always believed that colleges and universities that treat athletes like employees should have to pay them and provide other employment benefits. Under common law, an employee is a person who performs services for another under a contract of hire, subject to the Follow this link to read the US News and World Report […]
How to Save the NCAA from Itself
Big-time college football has changed significantly since I played decades ago. Millions of dollars rain down from ticket sales, luxury suites, media rights, corporate sponsorships, and sales of licensed apparel. Conferences are realigned to penetrate new target markets. These changes, however, raise serious questions about the future of sport in higher education. Follow this link […]