The Biggest Unknowns

What's Coming Up in the Next Few Months

Author

Steve Ulrich
July 08, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

JULY 8, 2024 | written by STEVE ULRICH

The news that you need to know about non-scholarship college athletics and those that love it.
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☀️ Good Morning. Here’s hoping you enjoyed your holiday weekend.

TOP STORY
1. Midway Through Historic Year, Here Are The Biggest Unknowns Facing College Sports

by Eric Prisbell, On3

“Take a breath, college sports.

Midway through a year so dizzying, so consequential – from landmark National Labor Relations Board developments and sizable cracks in the ACC’s foundation to a slew of lawsuits and, of course, the historic House settlement – the December unveiling of the NCAA’s reform proposal looks like ancient history.

As we eye the second half of one of the most impactful years in college sports history – soon to kick off with media days for newly expanded power leagues – the industry finds itself in an entirely new frontier yet still grappling with far more questions than answers as a more professionalized ecosystem comes into focus.”

» Driving The News. “Over the next six months, the NCAA will continue its lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill. Schools and leagues will gird themselves for a coming revenue-sharing model that will prompt difficult financial decisions. And all-important proceedings will continue in the courts and other venues, incrementally shaping this new world order.”

» What’s Next

  1. Will U.S. District Judge Wilken certify the House settlement?

  2. How many schools across the country are willing and able to share $22 million with athletes?

  3. Will there be formal Title IX guidance issued to schools related to a revenue-sharing model?

  4. Will leagues make splashes with private equity?

  5. How will the 2024 presidential election impact NCAA sports?

CONFERENCES

2. UCSC’s Merle Crafting Smiles and Setting Records on the Track

by Haneen Zain, UCSC News

“Leo Merle, a 2020 graduate of UC Santa Cruz, is on the fast track to achieving two significant life goals. One, graduate from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry with a doctorate of dental surgery (DDS). Two, be the first American with cerebral palsy to run the 1,500-meter race in less than four minutes.

With a recent gold medal win for Team USA at the Parapan American Games, making him a candidate for the 2024 Paris Paralympic stage, and a graduation date set in May 2024, Merle is down to the wire.

“May 10, 2024, I will officially go from no doctor title to doctor title,” says Merle. “So I’ll enjoy that for a bit, bask in it, and then for three months entirely focus on running. I have a great chance to make the US team to go represent the US in Paris, and I want to give myself the maximum chance to do that.”

» Driving The News. “He had been running since the 6th grade, but when it came time to attend college, continuing the sport competitively wasn’t his biggest priority. He sought out UCSC for its reputation in the biological sciences and its unique campus. As an athlete and MCD bio student, Merle recalls having consistent 15-hour days, waking up at 6:30 a.m. for track practice, having a day full of classes, labs, and studying, and then getting home around 9:30 p.m.”

» Worth Noting. “For fairness in para-sport, athletes are placed in classifications of like-ability to ensure a level playing field and strong competition. These classifications include wheelchair users, short stature, amputee’s, visual, mental and physical impairment. Merle and his level of cerebral palsy place him under the physical impairment category as part of a classification of high functioning individuals with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and/or cerebral palsy (CP).”

» The Key Stat. “If Merle can hit his current goal - being the first American with cerebral palsy to run the 1,500-meter race in less than four minutes - he will set another national record and become the second individual with cerebral palsy in the world to do so.”

ACADEMICS

3. Meet the NCAA’s 2024-25 Postgraduate Internship Program Cohort

by Olivia Brown, NCAA

“The NCAA's 2024-25 Postgraduate Internship Program cohort recently began their yearlong work experience at the national office in Indianapolis. The intern class comprises 34 college graduates, including 26 former student-athletes.

The Postgraduate Internship Program annually provides on-the-job learning experiences to college graduates who are passionate in their pursuit of a career in college sports administration. With a focus on ethnic minorities, women and former student-athletes, the program gives insight to the inner workings of college sports from the national perspective.”

Interns From DIII Institutions

  • Elise Boulton, Simpson, Championships Operations

  • Jalaun Covington, Wilmington, Executive Affairs

  • Justin Greenlee, Concordia-Chicago, Men’s Basketball

  • Joshua Perez, Willamette, Inclusion

  • Carolina Tripp, Bridgewater State, Women’s Basketball

REGULATIONS
4. Expanded Overtime Eligibility Now Law of the Land

by Katherine Knott, Inside Higher Ed

“A host of new federal regulations took effect last Monday, and Education Department officials say the new rules make up part of “the most effective system ever to oversee predatory and low-quality institutions of postsecondary education.

Employees who work in an executive, administrative or professional capacity and make less than $43,888 are now eligible for overtime pay. Previously, employees who earned more than $35,568 a year were exempt from overtime. The overtime threshold is set to increase again, to $58,656, starting Jan. 1, 2025.”

» What It Means. “On college campuses, nearly 11,000 employees across 646 institutions will be affected by the July 1 increase, according to an analysis by College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR). The Jan. 1 increase will affect many more—nearly 59,000 employees across 882 institutions.”

» Between The Lines. “Workers likely to see a pay raise or receive overtime pay are admissions officers, counselors and advisers, student affairs professionals, and administrative staff. Coaches, faculty members and nonfaculty workers focused primarily on teaching aren’t affected because of a teaching exemption in federal labor law.”

TRANSACTIONS
5. Comings and Goings

1 THING
6. The Company That Has a Monopoly on Ice Cream Truck Music

by Michael Waters, The Hustle

“In 1973, an electrical engineer named Bob Nichols was watching the film The Sting when a song on the soundtrack — Scott Joplin’s 1902 ragtime hit, “The Entertainer” — caught his ear.

The right clip of that song, Bob realized, would make for an irresistible ice cream truck jingle.

He could imagine trucks gliding through the American suburbs, the tinkling notes summoning children to buy snow cones, sundaes, and bomb pops.

And he was uniquely poised to make it happen: as the founder of Nichols Electronics, a tiny Minnesota-based company, Bob supplied the music boxes — preloaded with dozens of jingles — for the vast majority of the country’s ice cream trucks.”

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