#10: UMBC officially names UNC Wilmington Deputy AD/SWA Tiffany Tucker as its next AD. President Valerie Sheares Ashby: "Tiffany is a visionary leader and change agent with a demonstrated commitment to the well-being and overall development of student-athletes. She has an impressive work ethic and a track record of promoting equity and supporting student-athletes in all areas of their lives. Throughout the search process, Tiffany distinguished herself by consistently placing the physical, mental, and emotional health of student-athletes at the top of her priorities. I am excited to work with Tiffany and look forward to the great things to come for UMBC athletics and our community." (link)
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#9: The NCAA has released a statement on the Johnson ruling, which reads: “Our focus remains on the ongoing effort we are leading to modernize college sports. The NCAA is expanding core guaranteed benefits for student- athletes to include health insurance, scholarships, academic counseling, mental health support, and career preparation. The Association is also advancing a proposal to allow schools to deliver far greater direct financial benefits to student-athletes. In modernizing college sports, student-athlete leadership from all three divisions agree that college athletes should not be forced into an employment model, which they expect will harm their experiences and needlessly cost countless student-athletes opportunities in women's sports, Olympic sports, and sports at the HBCU and Division II and Division III levels. We look forward to working with all stakeholders – including Congress – to continue to promote needed changes in the best interest of all student-athletes." (link)
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#8: NCAA President Charlie Baker last month presented to the DI Council a structure for a separate governing body involving the Power 4 conferences, according to CBS’ Dennis Dodd, who notes the proposal would “accommodate the Power 4's desire to have its own governance division to make its own rules. Not a full breakaway but a recognition that those commissioners don't want Division III presidents voting on roster caps anymore.” Currently, only 14 of the 40 members on the council are from the Power 4, and Dodd notes the “concern among those power conferences is that Council members who had no stake in an issue had the power to vote it up or down.” Also from Dodd: “While the Council presentation during the June 25-26 meeting was short on specifics, it's clear the NCAA is headed toward a further power shift. Such a move would bifurcate the 40-member Division I Council that is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the NCAA. Power conference administrators have long been frustrated at both the composition and voting structure of the Council. … Sources indicated there was acrimony and concern among smaller conferences when it became evident the structure would favor the Power Four. The initiative continues. A person with knowledge of the latest NCAA Council meeting told CBS Sports, ‘This was one of the more compelling presentations just in terms of the reality of where we are in college sports.’” More from Dodd. (link)
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#7: The Houston Chronicle’s Joseph Duarte: “Source: Oliver Luck, a well-respected, longtime college administrator and former CEO Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, is a name to watch in Houston’s athletic director search.” (link)
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#6: “Nike is in a crisis,” according to Financial Times’ Sara Germano, who notes that “on June 28, the day after executives issued a dim forecast for the year ahead, its shares plummeted 20% in the single-worst day for the swoosh since its 1980 initial public offering. Consumers are not as fond of the brand’s classic shoes, such as the Air Force 1s, Air Jordan 1s and Dunks, as they used to be. Wall Street, disappointed with Nike stock that has fallen 30 per cent since the start of the year, is openly calling for ‘regime change’ in upper management.” Stifel Managing Director Jim Duffy tells Germano that Nike “took its eye off the ball” coming out of the pandemic, and “having a tech executive who came in to run a consumer product company and introduce a strategy shift, it’s proven to be the wrong approach.” One point of contention has been CEO John Donahoe’s decision to reorganize Nike into men’s, women’s and kids’ categories instead of divisions devoted to individual sports, and “one longtime employee, who left the company voluntarily during Donahoe’s tenure, said the MLB [uniform] fiasco ‘would never have happened’ when Nike’s internal structure had focused teams for each sport.” Meanwhile, On’s market share of DTC customers under the age of 30 has risen from 24% in 2021 to 29%, and Duffy explains the growth is underscored not only by On’s popularity with younger consumers, but also wider growth in athletic brands among older adults, a trend that Nike has missed. “Traditionally that sweet spot was the 15- to 35-year-old age bracket. But a lot of older adults are now wearing sneakers to work, sneakers traveling, embracing that smart-casual look.” More. (link)
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#5: Texas Tech unveils its new word mark, which, “when paired with the Double T, embraces the spirit and character of Texas Tech.” VP of Marketing & Communications Mark Dewey: “Texas Tech's visual identity is more than a logo or a set of colors. It represents our values, aspirations and commitment to excellence. After months of planning, research and collaboration, we have developed a new visual identity system that captures the essence of what Texas Tech is and where it's headed.” From the Red Raiders’ release: “Texas Tech's branding reflects its modern innovation, academic advancements and continuous growth and achievements. It also ensures consistency with the brand throughout all colleges and departments within Texas Tech, presenting a flexible yet uniform appearance. The Double T, one of the most iconic logos in all of higher education, will remain the same.” Have a look. (link)
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#4: According to The Houston Chronicle’s Joseph Duarte, “another name to keep an eye on in Houston’s athletic director search – Keli Zinn, the executive deputy director of athletics and chief operating officer at LSU. Zinn has been at LSU since 2022. She previously spent 12 years at West Virginia, including as interim AD.” (link)
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#3: St. Bonaventure, in collaboration with CLC, has unveiled a new athletics brand identity. President Jeff Gingerich: “The reimagining of our brand will help create consistency across all platforms while allowing for flexibility of use with expanded secondary and alternative marks. We are excited for this new chapter in our Athletics history.” Have a look at the new logos and marks. (link)
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#2: Title IX rules will apply if/when colleges begin sharing revenue with student-athletes, according to U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights Asst. Secretary Catherine Lhamon, who tells ESPN: "Schools must provide equal athletic opportunities based on sex, including with respect to benefits, opportunities, publicity, and recruitment, and must not discriminate in the provision of financial aid. In the new NIL environment, these same principles apply." According to ESPN’s Paula Lavigne and Dan Murphy, the department “did not answer a question about whether the revenue share dollars would be deemed financial aid, which would be required to be distributed to men and women athletes proportionally based on roster spots. To date, every dollar a school provides directly to its athletes has been intended to cover educational expenses and thus has been considered financial aid.” Lhamon also addresses using third parties to funnel university money to student-athletes for endorsement activities. "As has been true all these decades, Title IX requires schools to ensure that when accepting and using private donations, the schools do not create disparities in benefits, opportunities, and treatment on the basis of sex that result in the denial of athletic opportunities. Likewise, Title IX prohibits schools from providing significant assistance to any outside organization that discriminates on the basis of sex. These core Title IX principles operate unchanged today." More. (link)
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#1: The entirety of the far east section of the north end has been removed from Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium. Have a look. (link)
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