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TOP STORY
1. College Sports Giants Struggle to Get Rescued by Congress

by Juan Perez Jr. and Nick Niedzwiadek, POLITICO

“Colleges and universities are begging Congress to shield them from efforts to turn student-athletes into school employees who can demand salaries, union protections and other benefits.

But the bid is hitting a wall on Capitol Hill as lawmakers focus on other priorities, leaving universities’ control over a multibillion-dollar athletics industry at the mercy of the labor-friendly Biden administration and the courts.

The push to recognize athletes as workers is the latest effort exploiting a crack in the NCAA’s decadeslong governance over college sports that widened dramatically when states started letting athletes profit off endorsement deals, product pitches, or their social media following.”

» Court Awareness. “Now, a National Labor Relations Board judge is poised to conclude an extensive hearing process in February as part of a case that could set a precedent for whether student-athletes ought to be classified as employees and if certain team rules violate federal labor law. A ruling is expected in the next few months — well before Congress is likely to step in.”

» Why It Matters. “Pro-labor advocates argue that schools’ “student-athlete” designation is a legal term of art originally designed to shield institutions from player workers’ compensation claims. It deprives competitors of fair compensation for their talents or influence over the system that governs much of their day-to-day college experience, they note.”

» Yes, But. “Two other proposals would separately allow all Division I colleges and universities to offer athletes unlimited educational benefits and enter into direct publicity rights deals with players. The NCAA is also willing to consider a “conditional” antitrust exemption, an association official told POLITICO, which could sunset and be subject to renewal based on certain actions from the organization to boost health care and educational benefits for athletes.”

» What They’re Saying. “It’s hard to imagine, in this Congress, getting to an agreement on an antitrust exemption and on employment,” Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), a onetime Georgetown University volleyball player and an influential Capitol Hill voice on college sports, said last week. “It’s a moment that people are preparing themselves for, and shame on them if they’re not,” she said of the prospect for athlete employment. “But I don’t think the sky is falling in college athletics as a result of any of these decisions.”

» Keep Reading

ENROLLMENT
2. This Private College Has Been on Its Deathbed - For 15 Years

by Melissa Korn, Wall Street Journal

“When Alabama’s legislative session opens next month, Daniel Coleman has one goal: persuade lawmakers to keep his college alive. Again.

Coleman is president of Birmingham-Southern College, a private liberal arts school in Birmingham, Ala. It had 731 students in the fall - less than half its peak enrollment - and expects even fewer for the spring semester.

Coleman, staff, students and local leaders were banking on the school’s reopening next fall with help from a $30 million state loan program created last spring specifically for distressed private colleges. But Birmingham-Southern’s loan application was nixed by the state’s treasurer. Still, Coleman said the college hasn’t run out its clock quite yet.

» What’s Up. “Like many small, private colleges—and plenty of large public institutions—Birmingham-Southern has been teetering on the brink of financial crisis for years. It was felled by overzealous spending and rosy revenue projections, a hands-off oversight board, and prolonged enrollment woes. It also raided its endowment to cover operating costs.”

» Quotable. “(State Treasurer) Young Boozer III said in an interview that the school is “beyond distressed” and that its campus, which would be collateral for the loan, likely isn’t worth as much as the school thinks based on recent sales of other colleges’ properties.”

» What Students Are Saying. ““I really do love it here,” said sophomore Alexis Coughlan, whose Little Rock, Ark., high school graduating class had about 900 students. But now she is planning to leave - as are many friends, if they haven’t bolted already because of concern about the school’s future. “I don’t think that I can put myself through another year of uncertainty. You can’t run a school with no students,” she said.

» Continue Reading

WRESTLING (M)
3. Auggies Win Battle of the Burgs

“A 2-1 overtime tiebreaker victory by heavyweight Tyler Kim gave the Augsburg University men's wrestling team a 20-19 victory in the annual "Battle of the Burgs" dual meet over arch-rival Wartburg College on Friday night at Si Melby Hall.

Defending NCAA Division III national champion Augsburg entered the match ranked No. 1 in the NWCA's tournament rankings and No. 2 in the NWCA's dual-meet rankings, while Wartburg was No. 1 in the dual-meet rankings and No. 2 in the tournament rankings. The Auggies avenged an earlier 21-19 loss to Wartburg in the finals of the NWCA Division III National Duals on Jan. 6. Augsburg snapped a seven-match losing streak to Wartburg in dual meets, dating to the 2017-18 season.”

NEWS
4. Lightning Round

📰 News. Roanoke College has announced a new cannabis studies program that will launch this fall, offering two majors and a minor to prepare students for career opportunities in the growing field.

🏒 Ice Hockey (M). An impressive weekend for Hobart as the top-ranked Statesmen swept No. 3 Elmira, 7-2 and 5-0. DYK that Hobart has killed 65 of 66 opponent power plays this season?

🏒 Ice Hockey (W). Gustavus Adolphus senior GK Kate McCoy set a Division III career record for shutouts with her 32nd in a 1-0 win at St. Catherine. The previous mark of 31 was set by Sydney Aveson of Plattsburgh State (2011-14).

🏀 Basketball (M). It was a lost weekend for #2 Case Western Reserve, as the Spartans fell at Chicago, 85-75, and Washington U., 87-86, in overtime.

STREAMING
5. What 2 Watch Tonight

 
🏀 MBB: #9 Keene State (16-2) vs. Middlebury (10-10), 700
🏐 MVB: #16 Benedictine (1-1) vs. Illinois Wesleyan (3-0), 800

TRANSACTIONS
6. Comings and Goings

• DELAWARE VALLEY - Mike Isgro named head football coach

• GENEVA - Tim Taylor named assistant football coach

• HUSSON - Lynne Coy-Ogan named president

• ITHACA - Brandon Maguire named assistant football coach

• NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE - Announced addition of nordic skiing as a varsity sport beginning in 2024-25

• PENN STATE HARRISBURG - Erica Metz named assistant field hockey coach

• WESTERN NEW ENGLAND - Jenn Kolins named director of athletics

• WHEATON (Ill.) - Eric Plunkett named head volleyball coach

• WITTENBERG - Brighid Kortyna named head field hockey coach

HIGHLIGHTS
7. Plays of the Weekend

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