Education Fund Releases Major Research Report: Improving Academic Outcomes in NCAA Division I Revenue Sports and HBCU Limited Resource Athletic Programs

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Policy Position

Education Fund Releases Major Research Report: Improving Academic Outcomes in NCAA Division I Revenue Sports and HBCU Limited Resource Athletic Programs

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

College Athlete Health and Protection from Physical and Psychological Harm

The Drake Group has released a position statement today that proposes an educational alternative to “athlete employees.” Drake Group President Gerald Gurney, stated, “Intercollegiate athletics is at a crossroads on the issue of paying college athletes. Should collegiate athletics be a mini-version of the NFL and NBA? See Drake’s Position Statement for a viable alternative.

College Athlete Codes of Conduct and Issues Related to Freedom of Speech and Expression

The Drake Group addresses constitutionally protected speech and expression rights of public college and university students who participate in intercollegiate athletics. The current national debates about the extent to which athletic departments should properly control athlete behavior, especially on social media and in connection with activism require athletic directors to respond to questions such as … Read more

Athletic Governance Organization and Institutional Responsibilities Related to Professional Coaching Conduct

The Drake Group believes that most coaches act responsibly and in the best interests of their players.  Even when using now-unacceptable pedagogy, most coaches do so without malicious intent.   However, adequate evidence shows that the coaching profession is without clear and consistent standards and that absent such guidelines, too many coaches, albeit a minority, are … Read more

Need for National Collegiate Athletic Governance Organization Rules Related to Athlete Sexual Misconduct and Other Physical Violence

Given the new Title IX sexual harassment regulations issued in May 2020, The Drake Group updated its 2016 position statement. Current issues related to college athlete sexual misconduct and other forms of violence were examined, demonstrating that, other than the U.S. Office of Civil Rights rules that have general applicability to institutions, no uniform approach … Read more

Excessive Athletics Time Demands Undermine College Athletes’ Health and Education and Require Immediate Reform

There is probably no more significant roadblock for college athletes seeking meaningful educations than the unreasonable amounts of time they must engage in practice and other athletics-related activities. In every NCAA and conference survey and through numerous research studies, athletes have made their concerns and needs concerning time spent on their sports known. Excessive athletics … Read more

Guidelines for Academic Integrity in Athletics

Recent academic scandals related to the intercollegiate athletics programs at a number of the nation’s most prestigious institutions of higher education reveal the absence of policy and practice that would ensure the primacy of academic study and the maintenance of academic integrity by institutions of higher education. The Drake Group believes that each of the … Read more

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.”

The Drake Group Response to Declaration of James E. Delany in Support of the NCAA’s Class Certification Opposition Brief

Our goal in this report is to provide information on whether NCAA restrictions on athletes’ free participation in the lucrative market for their images, likenesses and names is necessary either to uphold the principles of amateurism or to preserve the activity of intercollegiate athletics. The Drake Group is a national organization of faculty and others, … Read more