College Soccer May Break Off From NCAA Model, First Congressional NIL Hearing Scheduled For March 4th,+ ICYMI | Newsletter #307
Today’s Thursday newsletter includes highlights from this week, important news from last week, and what to watch for.
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Recapping Major News This Week:
U.S. Soccer in Support of Year-Round College Model
The U.S. Soccer Federation has discussed launching a pilot program with 32 schools to participate in a two-semester trial run of a new year-long model. However, the move could force the schools to bypass the traditional NCAA legislative process.
The conversations come as U.S. Soccer has demonstrated a new interest in helping to boost the United States’ collegiate game to be more competitive with the European Model. The goal for the program is to alleviate “match compression” in the current 12-week NCAA season, and improve player training and recovery while better aligning the collegiate calendar with other professional leagues.
Last summer, there was a push to see if the pilot program could get off the ground for the 2025-26 academic year so that it could start before the 2026 World Cup in North America; the program would have included all 15 men’s soccer programs from the ACC, all 11 from the Big Ten, as well as West Virginia, Oregon State, San Diego State, South Carolina, Kentucky and UCF. However, it was put on hold due to the uncertainty revolving around the NCAA’s current governance.
As part of renewed discussions, U.S. Soccer is reportedly contemplating whether the proposed year-long model would be better aligned with the structure of FIFA, the sport’s global governing body, or the NCAA.
CLICK HERE to learn more.
College NIL to Face First Hearing in Congress
On March 4th, the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade will have its first such public session on NIL since Republicans gained full control of the House, Senate and White House.
While Tuesday’s hearing will likely focus on gathering input on the matter as opposed to advancing specific bill, the hearing arrives at a pivotal time for college athletics and higher education.
President Donald Trump has expressed his interest in college sports and in reforming the Department of Education. Since taking office, Trump’s administration has already made major changes to many government agencies, and he issued an Executive Order banning Transgender athletes from women’s sports.
CLICK HERE to learn more.
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Quick Hitter News:
Adrian Wojnarowski to auction NBA memorabilia to help St. Bonaventure basketball team - LINK
Conference-led enforcement arm will issue “severe penalties” to schools that do not abide by revenue sharing rules - LINK
UNC hiring longtime agent as new basketball GM - LINK
Louisiana proposing bill to exempt NIL dollars from taxes - LINK
Oregon proposing bill to prohibit the NCAA/any other organization from requiring college athletes to disclose NIL agreements - LINK
President Trump’s Executive Order is Facing Legal Challenges
Last week, President Trump signed an executive order that banned transgender athletes from women’s sports. Now, this order may face some legal hurdles.
Two transgender teenage girls - Parker Tirrell, 16, and Iris Turmelle, 15 - filed an amended complaint in New Hampshire’s federal district court on Wednesday in an attempt to be eligible to play on public high schools’ girls sports teams. The two brought a case against New Hampshire state and school officials last August when NH state staute, HB 1205, went into effect. HB 1205 prohibits transgender athletes from participating as it requires schools that compete against public schools designate sports teams based on biological sex - sex determined on a birth certificate.
In regards to HB 1205, Tirrell and Turmelle contend that HB 1205 violates their constitutional right to Equal Protection and denies them equal educational opportunities in violation of Title IX. Similarly, the two contend that Trump’s executive order violates the equal protection rights of transgender girls and women, and it violates Title IX. They also believe that the government lacks a “legitimate governmental interest” in the matter.
CLICK HERE to learn more.
What To Watch For: Football and Basketball In-Fighting for Revenue Share Dollars
When pay for play officially begins on July 1 (the beginning of the 2025-26 school calendar), FBS schools will be allowed to spend as much as $20 million in "pay-for-play" payments to athletes in all sports. But how will each school that “opts-in” divvy out those funds?
The North Carolina Tar Heels are considered one of College Basketball’s “Blue-Bloods”. A term that is used to recognize some of the all-time great college basketball programs. Their football program, on the other hand, is not at the same level. However, that may all change with Bill Belichick - the greatest football coach in the sports history - taking over as the school’s head football coach. Both programs will receive a portion of this $20 million, but how much? This is a question that has become a concern, as both programs believe they should receive the majority of the funds.
This is a problem for many schools - not just UNC. While the SEC is predominantly known for their football dominance, they have been this year’s best college basketball conference. As of today, four teams - Auburn, Florida, Tennessee, and Alabama - are ranked in the top 6 of the Associated Press’ Top 25 College Basketball teams. Meanwhile, all of these schools have prioritized their football programs in the past. While I still expect these schools to give out the majority of their revenue sharing dollars to their football teams, it will be interesting to see how they ultimately decide to give out their revenue-sharing dollars.
For information on the North Carolina’s current dilemma, CLICK HERE.
Thanks for Reading!
Keep up to date on all of our newsletters and content by checking out past Optimum Sports Consulting Newsletters, and following us on Twitter!