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Paying Athletes Too Costly For Big Ten? Trinity, Division III Are Still Waiting

Remember when the Big Ten said dropping to DIII was an option?

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Steve Ulrich
October 17, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

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OCTOBER 17, 2025 | composed by STEVE ULRICH
No publication covers NCAA Division III better. #whyD3

☀️ TGIF. No. More. Needed.

🗞️ In Today’s Playbook. Paying Athletes Too Costly For Big Ten? WIAC To Implement Pay-Per-View For Championships and Tournaments. U.S. Soccer Submits New Game Plan for NCAA. Uncrustables Lead to Lawsuit

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TOP STORY

1. Paying Athletes Too Costly For Big Ten? Trinity, Division III Are Still Waiting

“They were bluffing all along.

Most of us knew this, because it wasn't a particularly good bluff, even if they tried to make it sound official. Twelve years ago, the commissioner of the Big Ten went so far as to slip the ruse into a federal court declaration, making a truly laughable prediction about what would happen if college athletes were allowed to share television revenues.

"It has been my longstanding belief that the The Big Ten's schools would forgo the revenues in those circumstances, and instead take steps to downsize the scope, breadth and activity of their athletic programs," Jim Delany wrote in a 2013 court filing. "Several alternatives to a ‘pay for play' model exist, such as the Division III model."

» Driving The News. “This was the bluff: If courts ever made schools share even a sliver of the billions of dollars they were generating from televising football and basketball games, the schools would just turn the money down. They'd opt out of TV deals. They'd stop giving out scholarships. It was about the purity of the game.”

» Reality Check. “Did Delany expect anyone to take this threat seriously? This is nothing against Trinity - a nationally renowned academic institution with a long history of Division III athletic success - but were we supposed to believe the Tigers really would find themselves taking on the programs that produced Tom Brady, Archie Griffin and Saquon Barkley?”

» The Key Stat. “According to ESPN, the Big Ten is discussing a deal that would add an estimated $2 billion in private capital in exchange for equity in conference media rights, described by one ESPN source as a "small financial stake." Ah, yes. The old "accept a bunch of private capital and trust that everything will work out in the end" is a tried-and-true business strategy that never has blown up in anyone's face, right? It's not unlike what the sporting goods store owner told himself when he became partners with Tony Soprano.” (San Antonio Express-News)

2. WIAC To Implement Pay-Per-View For Championships and Tournaments

“The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) will implement pay-per-view for its conference championships and tournaments on a trial basis during the 2025-26 academic year.

Championships and tournaments that will include a pay-per-view model on the WIAC Network (wiacnetwork.com), include: men’s and women’s soccer (all rounds), women’s volleyball (all rounds), men’s wrestling, swimming & diving, men’s and women’s basketball (all rounds), men’s and women’s ice hockey (all rounds), indoor track & field, women’s gymnastics, outdoor track & field, women’s lacrosse (all rounds), baseball (all rounds) and softball (all rounds).”

» Quotable. “The WIAC has the best fan support in NCAA Division III, with thousands streaming our contests every week,” said WIAC Commissioner Danielle Harris. “By adding a nominal fee during post-season competition, we can continue to offer first-class championship experiences that our student-athletes and our fans expect and deserve. Additionally, regular season contests will continue to be free of charge.” (WIAC)

3. College Application: U.S. Soccer Submits New Game Plan for NCAA

“The future of NCAA soccer could soon be radically different - with regional conference realignment that includes promotion and relegation; a full-school-year competition calendar; professional player eligibility; and enhanced commercial opportunities - based on recommendations in a U.S. Soccer-sponsored “NextGen White Paper” released Thursday.

“We have reached an inflection point where proactive change is required,” says the report, authored by the NextGen College Soccer Committee (NCSC), a group that U.S. Soccer appointed this year from the ranks of business, college sports and American soccer’s pro leagues. “By making a series of thoughtful shifts, the sport and its student-athletes will thrive. Without these shifts, college soccer risks dwindling relevance in the U.S. soccer ecosystem and reduced support within college athletics.”

» Pitch Awareness. “The NextGen paper is the first concrete step in plans to reform the college game. It has three primary objectives: financial benefit for the colleges and universities; improvement in the “academic, physical and mental well-being of student-athletes”; and enhancement of “the identification and development of elite players” for professional and/or national team careers.”

» State of Play. “On top of that, the devolution of NCAA amateurism presents a chance to reconsider elite player development. If college participation has more links to the FIFA global professional system, the thinking goes, the opportunities to deepen the talent pool multiply.”

» Between The Lines. “That includes competition that spans the full academic year, rather than the current lone semester. That new, longer year—with a mandated break in December and January—would allow for more months of supervised training but a less condensed playing schedule, with fewer games per week and more recovery time. It would be capped by a national tournament in the spring.” (Sportico)

4. Lightning Round ⚡️ 

» Lacrosse (W). York (Pa.) assistant women’s lacrosse coach Nicky Clauter was honored as the Outstanding Assistant Coach in DIII by the IWLCA.

» Swimming. The NCAA has approved changes to the DI swimming championships for 2026-27 that could impact DIII in the future. These changes included removing ‘B’ finals, rescheduling the competition to optimize broadcasting, shuffling the order of events, and introducing a new qualification model.

» Tuition Benefit. “York College of Pennsylvania is now offering a tuition discount for dependents of Commonwealth employees. Eligible family members, enrolled full-time in a four-year degree program, will receive a reduction in their tuition of $6,000 per year.”

5. Comings and Goings 

6. Smucker Sues Trader Joe’s, Saying Its New PB&J Sandwiches Are Too Similar to Uncrustables

“The J.M. Smucker Co. is suing Trader Joe’s, alleging the grocery chain’s new frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are too similar to Smucker’s Uncrustables in their design and packaging.

In the lawsuit, which was filed Monday in federal court in Ohio, Smucker said the round, crustless sandwiches Trader Joe’s sells have the same pie-like crimp markings on their edges that Uncrustables do. Smucker said the design violates its trademarks.

Smucker also asserted that the boxes Trader Joe’s PB&J sandwiches come in violate the Orrville, Ohio-based company’s trademarks because they are the same blue color it uses for the lettering on “Uncrustables” packages.” (AP)

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