Good morning!
The past week had me traveling from The Big West Men’s Soccer Championship in Santa Barbara to presenting before the University of California Board of Regents Working Group on Athletics at UCLA, and to watch current Big West men’s basketball programs compete against future Big West programs — UC Riverside at Cal Baptist and UC Irvine at Utah Valley. It provided a great opportunity to witness the competitiveness of our new members and to experience more of our new institutions. I have said to our membership and during media interviews that The Big West may be more nationally competitive moving forward, and watching these games did not diminish that sentiment. Thank you to CBU and UVU for your tremendous hospitality.
After a significant amount of travel, presentations and NCAA meetings , I needed a little musical motivation. I give you two options this week: “The Marvel Symphony” or an amazing song from Billy Joel – “Turn the Lights Back On”. The Billy Joel song is described as both a classic love song and a commentary on his return to songwriting after a long break — but to me, the music and video say something even deeper: enjoy the time you have today with the family you have around you, because time is moving too fast, and those you love may not be with you this time next year. Keep that in mind as you sit around the Thanksgiving table in the week ahead.
Let’s get to The Bold Type.
CONGRATULATIONS
- To our latest champions, UC Davis men’s water polo! The Aggies downed top-seeded Long Beach State on Sunday in Irvine to earn the league’s automatic berth to the 2025 National Collegiate Men’s Water Polo Championship. Read more >>
- To The Big West, whose institutions continue to soar in academic excellence according to latest NCAA Graduation Success Rate Data! Read more >>>
- To Cal State Fullerton softball alumna Kelsie Whitmore who became the first overall pick in the inaugural Women’s Professional Baseball League Draft! Read more >>>
- To Cal Poly junior Kelli Gaffney who represented The Big West as an individual qualifier in the 2025 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, hosted by Missouri at Gans Creek Cross Country Course on Saturday. Read more >>>
- To UC Santa Barbara senior Lucca Liu defeated North Carolina’s Niels Ratiu in three sets in the round of 64 to highlight The Big West's efforts on the first day of the 2025 NCAA Men’s Tennis Singles Championship on Tuesday at USTA’s Main Campus in Orlando, Fla.! Read more >>>
- To UC Irvine men’s soccer, who solidly represented the league in the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship last week, falling at Denver. Read more >>>
- To UC Irvine women’s basketball for winning the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage, Alaska this weekend!
- To Cal Poly men’s basketball for their defeat of Utah on the road, 92-85, on Thursday night!
- To UC Davis men’s basketball for their defeat of Nevada on the road, 75-71 on Tuesday night!
- To Long Beach State who announced that LBS Financial Credit Union signed a 12-year, $8.5M sponsorship agreement that will rename the iconic campus sports and events venue the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid! Read more >>>
- To our FIVE men’s water polo programs ranked in the latest CWPA poll!
- No. 7 Long Beach State
- No. 8 UC Davis
- No. 12 UC Santa Barbara
- No. 13 UC San Diego
- No. 15 UC Irvine
- To our amazing Players of the Week & Month!
PLEASE JOIN US AT ONE MORE BIG WEST FALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Championship Central >>>
The Hawaiian Islands Presents the 2025 Outrigger Big West Women's Volleyball Championship is on tap for this week - Nov. 26, 28 & 29 at Long Beach State!
With three seeds and the final spot up for grabs down to the final serve of the regular season, the seeds are set with UC Davis claiming the outright regular-season crown, their first in The Big West, followed by a three-way tie between No. 2 seed Cal Poly, No. 3 seed Long Beach State and No. 4 seed UC Santa Barbara. CSUN makes their first Championship appearance as the fifth seed with UC Irvine claiming the final spot in the bracket in tiebreaking fashion.
If you are in the area, I hope you can reserve part of your Thanksgiving week to join us in the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid! Read more about the bracket and get your tickets here >>>
MAILBAG - QUESTION FROM A FOLLOWER OF THE BIG WEST
Last week, I received a couple of questions from a follower on “X” (formerly Twitter)known as Mike (@LabDogTrainer). I responded to Mike directly, but as I like to be transparent, I thought answering the question via The Bold Type might be of-interest.
QUESTION
“Why doesn’t the Big West support Track and Field with some more ? The conference isn’t paying for Championships rings, they dont even broadcast our championships. Especially with the LA Olympics on the horizon @DanButterly
ANSWER
Good morning, Mike. I appreciate the question related to why we currently are not broadcasting our track and field championships. It is a good question. A few years ago, and for two straight years, we asked our institutions for the resources and were able to broadcast all Big West championships. We loved to be able to showcase all of our championships, and it was a major milestone for a conference that does not have the high-financial resources such as the Big 10 and SEC to broadcast all of our championships. Then, many issues started to happen that significantly impacted Big West and institutional finances. The House-NCAA settlement was negotiated and announced, without involvement by The Big West as we were not a named defendant conference. This settlement will cost The Big West and our institutions $31.47 million over a 10-year period, although it is unlikely that any of our former student-athletes will see any of this money. The payment of the back damages started immediately in 2024-25. We were forced to cut the operating budget due to its impacts. Due to institutions adding sports, The Big West added three additional sports and six additional championships over the past couple of years, which increased our operating costs. The new benefits each institution is allowed to provide student-athletes has driven up operating costs for all of our institutions, which they are gladly doing for our student-athletes, but again, the financial impacts directly impact the funding our institutions are able to provide to The Big West. As the membership approves our operating budget, financial cuts have had to be made. Our institutions made the decision to have The Big West budget broadcast only certain championships, scaling back from broadcasting all championships. Should a championship not be broadcast via The Big West budget, the host institution has the opportunity to broadcast the championship if they would like, but given the significant number of events, the spread-out nature of the events occurring and the length of the championship, track and field as a championship is a costly championship to produce for broadcast. As we continue to adjust to these new financial paradigms, we are doing all that I can with the financial resources.
One more element I wanted to mention, Mike. The Big West is the only conference in the nation to separate our track and field championship into two weekends. All other conferences conduct their championships over one weekend. This raises costs a bit, but it allows for the multi athletes to compete the weekend before the individual events the second week, allowing more opportunities for our track and field athletes. That is one way The Big West better supports track and field.
IN SUMMARY
I appreciated the question from Mike and being able to answer him directly. The Big West staff puts a significant focus on continual improvement of the student-athlete experience in The Big West within the resources provided by our member institutions. We are continually evaluating our regular-season competition and championships. In fact, we survey our student-athletes after each championship to ask their thoughts on potential improvements. In The Big West, we get better working together.
FROM THE NCAA - UPDATE ON BETTING ON PROFESSIONAL SPORTS
If you read The Bold Type each week, you are likely aware all three NCAA divisions voted in October to change rules for sports betting that would permit student-athletes and athletics department staff members to engage in legal betting on professional sports only. Friday, Division I’s procedural 30-day rescission period closed on the pending rule change for sports betting rules, and the necessary two-thirds of DI schools have voted to rescind the rule change.
Because sports betting rules are common legislation, the rule change will not move forward for any NCAA division.
All forms of betting on any NCAA-sponsored sport — amateur, collegiate and professional — remain strictly prohibited for student-athletes and athletics department staff members.
While those rules remain in place, legalized sports betting is continuing to grow nationwide, and the national office stands ready to assist schools with educating student-athletes about the harms — beyond potential impacts to their eligibility — associated with gambling behaviors.
FEDERAL LEGISLATION AND THE SCORE ACT
With the end of the government shutdown last week, the NCAA and commissioners are hearing the SCORE Act could receive a full floor vote as early as the week of December 1. If this bill doesn’t pass through the House, we likely won’t have another opportunity to address legislation until the next Congress so now is the time for schools to make their voices heard!
Here is a part of my presentation to the UC Board of Regents Working Group on Athletics on this matter:
Why the SCORE Act protects UC campuses:
For public research universities like the UC system, the wrong federal framework will impose unfunded mandates that directly affect student-athlete opportunity.
Why the SAFE Act presents serious risks:
SCORE introduces stability.
SAFE introduces unpredictability.
MEDIA REPORTS FOCUSED ON NCAA AND LEGAL MATTERS
- Power conferences are pushing back against the NCAA’s recent decision to lift the prohibition on pro sports gambling for college athletes and staff members, according to Ross Dellenger, who for On3 notes that of 148 schools that have thus far voted in favor of rescinding the decision, 54 of them come from Power 4 leagues. That’s almost 80% of the 68 power conference programs that believe college athletes should not be permitted to bet on pro sports. More. (link)
- The College Sports Commission and power conferences finalized terms of the participation agreement on Wednesday. The agreement was distributed to schools, as well.
- Per the agreement, a copy of which was obtained by On3’s Pete Nakos, schools are required to waive their right to sue the CSC. Additionally, schools are to agree to the rules in place following House settlement approval, including roster limits and other NIL compliance rules. The expectation is schools will have two weeks to agree. (LINK)
- San Diego State has proposed a 45% increase to the mandatory Instructionally Related Activities (IRA) fee, from $580 to $840 per year. According to The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Mark Zeigler, “The IRA fee primarily flows to the athletic department and represents the highest such student fees in the Mountain West Conference by a wide margin.” The proposed athletic budget for the current academic year projects student fees to account for $16.3M, more than any other line item. The proposed increase to the IRA fee – 95%, or $9.7M, of which would go to athletics – would grow the student contribution to $26M annually on a total budget around $90M. Zeigler: “So can SDSU students vote it down? Actually, no.” Lots more. (link)
- Louisiana’s Division I athletic directors united behind a plan to secure new revenue as rising costs and the House settlement squeezed budgets, and The Athletic’s Jason Schwartz details how their coordinated effort helped deliver a statewide funding boost. Former ULM AD John Hartwell proposed modeling North Carolina’s approach of directing sports-betting tax revenue to public university athletic programs, and all 11 of Louisiana’s public DI ADs — including LSU — backed the push. Their support paired neatly with Governor Jeff Landry’s interest in raising the online sports-betting tax rate, allowing lawmakers to frame the bill as a vote for Louisiana’s universities rather than a vote for higher taxes. The final legislation raises the tax rate from 15% to 21.5% and channels 25% of total revenue to athletic departments, resulting in approximately $2.2M per school each year. LSU AD Verge Ausberry underscores the stakes: (link)
- JohnCanzano.com’s eponymous purveyor outlines how San Diego State elevated its academic and athletic profile in recent years, including securing approval to offer independent doctoral degrees and hiring Huron Consulting. The coordinated strategy strengthened the university’s positioning, which now includes record enrollment (40,000+) and record freshman admits. (link)
- The Mercury News’ Jon Wilner characterizes the pause in the Big Ten’s private equity deal as a polite way of signaling the conference must “decompress, reassess and clean up this mess,” with mounting internal misalignment drawing “clear and distinct Pac-12 vibes.” Wilner draws direct parallels to the Pac-12’s fractured final years, citing the Big Ten’s “lack of alignment,” tension between campuses and commissioner, and disparate institutional priorities. (link)
- Texas Tech Board of Regents Chair Cody Campbell joins Tulane Sports Law Director Gabe Feldman to dive into a number of topics. On the subject of private equity: “I think it depends on what context and what the deal is, but I think what the Big Ten is looking at doing right now is absolutely insane. I can't make sense of it on any level because these are some of the financially strongest institutions in the country. Some of them even have AAA credit ratings or AA-plus. They can go out and borrow money at 4% or less. Why would they take capital that's going to cost them 15 or 16%? More. (link)
- As the Big Ten continues to contemplate its next steps vis-a-vis private equity, Puck’s John Ourand reports the conference’s media partners “CBS and NBC are each paying more than $350M per year for lopsided games, and their executives expected better competition. … Adding to the conference’s chaos at the moment, NBC has been exploring a deal to sublicense next year’s Big Ten Championship game; multiple sources have told me that the network has had talks with Netflix and Amazon. Sources described the Amazon deal as in early stages. Netflix, notably, expressed little interest, which came as a surprise given its previous interest in broadcasting a USC–Notre Dame game this season.” (link)
- The Wall Street Journal’s Rachel Bachman reports Michigan Board of Regents Chair Mark Bernstein says Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti even threatened to cut U-M’s revenue share or remove the school from the conference, adding: “It’s clear to us that the Big Ten is considering punishing the University of Michigan.” (link)
- University of California System Chief Investment Officer/SVP of Investments Jagdeep Singh Bachher went into some detail with the UC Board of Regents about the Big Ten private equity deal, noting that the “return profile was certainly north of 12-13%. There is no deal on the table thanks to many regental approval processes that need to happen or not. I think college sports is the next attractive opportunity within the whole sports landscape.” (link)
- The Atlantic’s Sally Jenkins argues the real crisis in college sports isn’t athlete compensation, but rather runaway institutional spending driven by coaching salaries, facilities excess, and donor-fueled escalation. Consequently, Jenkins calls for Congress to impose financial regulation on athletic departments. She notes FBS schools generated $11.7B in 2024 yet routinely overspend on luxury facilities and soaring coaching contracts — including nearly $1B in severance in just 10 years — because administrators face no structural guardrails and answer largely to wealthy boosters. More from Jenkins. (link)
- The California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) plans to invest $775M into Sixth Street’s sports and live entertainment strategy, per SBJ’s Chris Smith, who notes that as of early 2025, Sixth Street had already raised around $400M in its new sector-specific fund as it expands into team ownership having already acquired stakes this year in the Boston Celtics, San Francisco Giants and New England Patriots. Sixth Street says its new strategy will make “non-distressed investments in or relating to sports and live entertainment, including interests in sports franchises, sports federations, sports league joint ventures, sports national governing bodies, college sports, stadium debt or similar financings, real estate, strategic arrangements, entertainment, 27 media, licensing, data, merchandising, ticketing, sports agencies, talent agencies, sponsorship and other related or adjacent rights and assets.” More. (link)
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We share, to a large extent, one another’s fate. We help create those circumstances which favor or challenge us in meeting our objectives and realizing our dreams.” – Credited to Walt Disney
IN CLOSING
I want to send each of you my warmest wishes this Thanksgiving! Good food that fills your table, good health as you work hard, and good times with family and friends.
I am thankful for your friendship.
I am thankful for the membership in The Big West.
I am thankful for the experiences we can provide to our amazing student-athletes.
I am thankful for those that take care of our student-athletes.
I am thankful for every member of The Big West staff, and the work they do for you and our institutions on a daily basis.
May you have all the best delights in life. Happy Thanksgiving!
Dan