Voice in Sport™, VIS™’s Post

So, its March Madness. Admittedly, I am not a fan of Basketball, but follow along during March Madness because I love competition, and love to see stories of small programs breaking through to take down the big guys. With the NIL now becoming a major part of recruiting, how do small schools, without the income generated by big time football, compete? How do schools like St. Peter's or Gonzaga attract talent without access to those deep pockets? Look at the top NIL Collectives, then look at the $ generated by Football attendance versus Basketball attendance. Have we seen the impending end of the Cinderella story?

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: At the Division I level of college athletics, hundreds of millions of dollars are generated annually by the top college football and men’s basketball programs. Although few women’s athletic programs and the other men’s sports (also called Olympic Sports) and at a vast majority of Division I schools the football and men’s basketball programs fund the non-revenue sports. So the argument that all athletes should receive NIL income because they bring in hundreds of millions is only true in two of roughly 25-30... Get the rest at https://lnkd.in/gz2_N5_d

Great advice here for every high school and college student from Sarah Padove, J.D. about the importance of building your network. This is a core theme embedded in how MyNextPlay.org hopes to support young student-athletes …meet more people, build more relationships, and create more options for yourself. #highschoolbaseball #highschoolsoftball #juniorcollegebaseball #juniorcollegesoftball

One of the biggest challenges we've faced in youth football at Onside Football & Peace Network has been age cheating - teams using older players to win. 🧐 This wasn’t just dangerous for the younger kids, it was a direct violation of fair play. ⚽ If football is to build peace, promote education, and develop young leaders, fair play must be the foundation. Without it, we’re no better than the "win at all costs" mentality of some professional teams, leagues and governing bodies.. 🏅 So how can we make sure fair play stays at the core? 1️⃣ Player Safety Comes First: Age limits exist to protect, and enforcing them is essential to safe competition. 2️⃣ Fair Play is Non-Negotiable: Coaches must lead by example, focusing on integrity over winning. 3️⃣ Football as a Force for Good: Sport isn’t just about results - it’s a powerful tool for community, peace, and leadership. Football for development is about much more than winning - it’s about building a better future. 🌍⚽ What is your experience of 'age cheating' in grassroots football? #FairPlay #YouthFootball #SportForDevelopment #IntegrityInSport #LeadershipThroughSport #FootballForPeace #AgeCheating 🏅

Are Ivy league schools the perfect breeding ground for Division one athletes to get paid as employees due to the fact that they typically don't give out athletic scholarships? If it is, should the sports community be considering it? I would love to know what you all think. If you want to hear more of me and Zachery Creekmore discussing the Dartmouth Men's Basketball case, check out Episode 22 of Sports Business Take

Is This the Best College Basketball Team of All Time? Join the debate on whether this basketball team is truly the greatest collegiate team in history. Dive into the record-breaking point differential and explore the claims surrounding their success. Let's separate fact from fiction! #CollegeBasketballDebate #GreatestTeamOfAllTime #RecordBreakingDifferential #MarchMadness #BasketballLegends #SportsDebate #CollegeSports #BasketballRecords #BasketballSuccess #TeamAchievements

Amazing. A first for a current student-athlete…league ownership! Women’s basketball has to be the hottest ticket in college sports and the NIL opportunities for stars like Paige, JuJu Watkins, Flau’jae Johnson, etc. illustrate just that. Several recent studies have shown the ROI from partnering with female athletes on social media drives 2x the amount of engagement than that of a male athlete. It’s not surprising that female athletes made up more than half of a list of college athletes with the most number of NIL deals during the 2023-24 season, a 38% year-over-year increase (Sponsor United Marketing Partnership Report). As a result brands have a unique opportunity to expand their sponsorship portfolios with these amazing athletes that goes far beyond the court.

Check out this article from AZCentral: Tyon Grant-Foster may be top story in college basketball as he leads GCU in WAC Tournament https://lnkd.in/gUWWGrF4

"Thrilled to win the title of Football Champion at our recent Sports Day! Balancing academic excellence with sporting achievements is a testament to the power of dedication and passion. Grateful for the support of my teammates, coaches, and mentors who helped me reach this milestone. Here's to pursuing excellence both on the field and in the classroom! 🏆⚽ #SportsDayChampion #AcademicAthlete #TeamworkMakesTheDreamWork"

Week 2 of my Duke Men’s Basketball: Race, Sport & Education is in the books! I absolutely love teaching this course. I created it to think deeply just how much Duke Men’s Basketball over the last century is filled with racial questions and histories. For example: What does Tobacco Road mean? Who performed the labor? Why did Jalen Rose call Grant Hill and other Black players “Uncle Toms”? Why are we enfactuated with the “White Villain” on Duke’s teams? What is Duke’s integration story? There are many more. What questions do you have about Duke Men’s Basketball? The students are dope too. Most of them are Duke Men’s Basketball fans, Cameron Crazies, tenters, and walking encyclopedias on Duke Basketball. They take it serious and add to the discussions. Also, the Men’s basketball players add so much to the class because it’s about them! Their engagement is essential to the course because most times they are talked about and talked at. I want them to speak for themselves about what their talent allows. #duke #dukembb #raceandsports