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
Katie Lever, member of the The Drake Group Board of Directors and its Chief Communications Officer joins Jay Bilas, Maddie Salamone, Marc Edelman, Christina Chenault for a Power Check Ball Podcast discussing the end of NCAA restrictions on college athletes making money from endorsements outside their participation in intercollegiate athletics. LINK to: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-4-nil-a-live-celebration-feat-an-all-star-panel/id1572131357?i=1000528338120
Andrew Zimbalist, Smith College and President-Elect of The Drake Group, speaks on the implication of the June on the implications of the Supreme Court decision on compensation for college athletes on the June 23, 2021 Bloomberg Baystate Business Podcast: The Truth LINK
Julie R. Sommer is a Seattle attorney, a former collegiate swimmer at the University of Texas and U.S. National Team member and serves on the Board of Directors of The Drake Group, a national think tank dedicated to academic integrity and advocacy on behalf of college athletes. She pens an insightful op-ed on the role … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
By Dr. Donna Lopiano and Dr. Andrew Zimbalist Originally published June 13, 2020 On June 12, the University of Houston suspended all athlete workouts when six players tested positive for COVID, less than two weeks after June 1 when college fall sports teams were allowed to return campus for supposedly voluntary summer workouts. Why the rush? As … Read more
By Dr. Donna Lopiano and Dr. Andrew Zimbalist Originally published June 28, 2020 College coaches, faced with justifying why they were bringing fall sports athletes back to campus for voluntary on-campus workouts in June when the U.S. pandemic was not close to being under control, came up with some pretty compelling storylines. They argued and … Read more
By Dr. Gerald Gurney and Dr. Richard M. Southall Originally published August 9, 2012 Last month, the NCAA announced its latest team Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores, highlighting the institutions whose four-year averages fell below the 900 threshold score. Among the offending teams was notably the University of Connecticut, which will be ineligible for the … Read more
By Dr. Allen Sack and Dr. Gerald Gurney Originally published March 22, 2016 Since 2006, the National Collegiate Athletic Association has been carefully studying the time commitments of college athletes. The findings indicate that those participating in revenue-producing sports at the most competitive levels exceed the 40-hour-per-week limit set for actual workers by the Fair … Read more