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JULY 7, 2025 | composed by STEVE ULRICH

What administrators, coaches, parents and fans are reading. #whyD3
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TOP STORY
1. Could Collective Bargaining Be The Answer For College Sports?

by Ross Dellenger, Yahoo! Sports

“For more than two years now, Danny White, the athletic director at Tennessee, has quietly socialized with select colleagues a detailed presentation that, he believes, serves as a solution to what ails the college sports industry.

He’s worked mostly in the shadows, pitching his solution through a multi-slide deck in an effort to rally support for this passion project: collective bargaining with college athletes.

Well, he’s done being quiet about it.”

» Court Awareness. “The package features multiple flowcharts, a detailed explanation of the concepts and a stunning change that may make university leaders squirm: It refers to players not as student-athletes but as employee-athletes. The structure calls for the creation of a national employment organization that partners with a players association, perhaps one already formed in the professional leagues, to create a “modernized and improved ecosystem” for football and men’s basketball players, White describes, and one still tethered to higher education via requirements in a bargained agreement.”

» Why It Matters. “With college sports on the eve of its most transformative era in more than 100 years of existence, some of the industry’s leading figures fear that the new compensation and enforcement system, while a step forward in progress, fails to bring a permanent level of durability to the landscape, leaving exposed multiple avenues for legal challenges.”

» What They’re Saying. “I don’t know why we just don’t call them employees,” said one sitting FBS university president. “There is an old maxim: Something that must be done eventually must be done immediately.”

» Keep Reading

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LEGAL
2. SCOTUS To Review State Bans of Transgender Athletes

by Mark Sherman, Associated Press

“The Supreme Court agreed Thursday to hear a case over state restrictions on which school sports teams transgender students can join.

Just two weeks after upholding a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth, the justices said they will review lower court rulings in favor of transgender athletes in Idaho and West Virginia. The case will be argued in the fall.

The nationwide battle over the participation of transgender girls on girls sports teams has played out at both the state and federal levels as Republicans have leveraged the issue as a fight for athletic fairness for women and girls.”

» Court Awareness. “At the federal level, the Trump administration has filed lawsuits and launched investigations over state and school policies that have allowed transgender athletes to compete freely. This week, the University of Pennsylvania modified a trio of school records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas and said it would apologize to female athletes “disadvantaged” by her participation on the women’s swimming team, part of a resolution of a federal civil rights case.”

» Of Note. “A recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 7 in 10 U.S. adults think transgender female athletes should not be allowed to participate in girls and women’s sports at the high school, college or professional level. That view was shared by about 9 in 10 Republicans and roughly half of Democrats.”

» Quotable. “Like any other educational program, school athletic programs should be accessible for everyone regardless of their sex or transgender status. Trans kids play sports for the same reasons their peers do–to learn perseverance, dedication, teamwork, and to simply have fun with their friends,” the American Civil Liberties Union’s Joshua Block said in a statement.”

» Continue Reading

STREAMING
3. FloSports Likes to See Where Sports Streaming Industry Is Headed

by Mollie Cahillane and Austin Karp, Sports Business Journal

“The news earlier this month that streaming has surpassed linear TV in consumption will serve as an inflection point for U.S. media. And it’s not just big news for the major players in the space like YouTube, Netflix, Disney or Prime Video, but also the second tier of streamers in the sports space like FloSports.

“This is the golden age of streaming,” said FloSports co-founder and CEO Mark Floreani.

Floreani also noted that the launch of the ESPN direct-to-consumer product is high on his radar of thing to watch. “It continues to validate what we’re doing, but it’s going to be a premium price point.”

» The Big Picture. “For a platform like FloSports, the strategy has been tonnage around 25 different sports, including minor league hockey (AHL, ECHL QMJHL, etc.), college sports, wrestling, motorsports (NASCAR, High Limit Racing) and more.”

» Why It Matters. “We’re going to have 20 conferences starting next season. Behind ESPN, we’re probably the No. 2-player in terms of total tonnage for college. We’re either No. 1 or 2 in terms of women’s sports streaming.”

» What They’re Saying. “We’ve always had kind of a premium price point, because we have to create a business. We’re profitable. We’ll be doing over $200 million next year. So we’re a real business.”

» Read More

NEWS YOU CAN USE
4. Lightning Round ⚡️ 

» News. Amidst the tragic flooding in and around Georgetown, Texas, Southwestern University announced it is grateful that its campus did not sustain any damage beyond minor leaks.

» Credit Ratings. “Colleges and universities with a high percentage of international students face a credit risk as the federal government continues to target international students, according to a new report from Moody’s Ratings. Those most at risk include the 11 percent of American institutions where international students make up more than 20 percent of the student body.”

» More Moody’s. The ratings company has assigned a Baa2 rating to Wheaton (Mass.) and revised its outlook from stable to negative. The revision of the outlook to negative reflects the expectation of operating deficits through at least 2026. Moody’s downgraded Allegheny’s rating from Ba1 to Baa3 and also revising its outlook from stable to negative, citing persistent operating deficits.

» Faculty Cuts. “Dr. Todd Pfannestiel, president of Utica University, announced that it will cut $5 million from its annual faculty costs through layoffs and the elimination of programs with low enrollment.”

TRANSACTIONS
5. Comings and Goings 

ALBERTUS MAGNUS - Diondrea Silva-Brown named head cheerleading coach
AVERETT - Emma Nash named head women’s volleyball coach
BARUCH - Chazia Weste named associate athletic director for administration and finance
CALVIN - George Rodriguez named head tennis coach
CARLOW - Announced addition of baseball as a varsity sport in 2026-27
CHAPMAN - Terry Boesel announced his retirement as director of athletics in August
CONCORDIA-CHICAGO - Matt Smith named head baseball coach
CONNECTICUT COLLEGE - Kevin Steel named head women’s swimming and diving coach
CROWN - Jared Gilmore named associate athletic director for communications and operations. Jacob Van Dam named assistant AD for communications/operations and assistant coach for men’s basketball and softball
CURRY - Job Roach named head tennis coach
GETTYSBURG - Brooke Kalman resigned as head softball coach
GOUCHER - Angela Amato named head women’s soccer coach
HAMPDEN-SYDNEY - Saint Blizzard III named assistant athletic director. Betsy Leonard resigned as head swimming coach
ILLINOIS WESLEYAN - Doug Richards named director of wrestling
JOHNS HOPKINS - Nate Mulberg named head baseball coach
KEUKA - Jess Wilcox named head softball coach
LEBANON VALLEY - Julia Duggan named head women’s basketball coach
LEWIS & CLARK - Fraser Morrison named head men’s soccer coach
MARITIME - Anthony Trotta named head football coach
MARYVILLE - Jesse Lawley named head women’s golf coach
McDANIEL - Kendall Luy named head cross country/track and field coach
MILLIKIN - Connor Bernard named director of tennis 
MILLSAPS - Doug Garner named associate athletic director
NEW PALTZ - Mike Eckberg stepped down as head women’s soccer coach
NORTH COAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE - Shannon O’Brien named associate executive director
OBERLIN - Justin Blankenburg named assistant athletic trainer
ROCKFORD - Bayleigh Masterson named head softball coach. Jacky Holloway named assistant athletic trainer
ROSE-HULMAN - Ryan Truskowski named assistant sports information director
STEVENS - Maddie Buechli named head women’s lacrosse coach
STOCKTON - Bruce Chelucci named head women’s golf coach
THIEL - Brandon Litz named head cross country coach
VTSU CASTLETON - Tony Deshler named head baseball coach. Nathan Snitz named head men’s lacrosse coach

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