The Bold Type

The Bold Type, with Commissioner Dan Butterly - Nov. 3, 2025

Good morning after a great last week that had me in Honolulu, site of the 2025 Big West Women’s and Men’s Cross Country Championships.  It was great to see and speak with many coaches and student-athletes during practice and competition day as they raced on Waikiki.  Thank you to the University of Hawai’i for hosting!

Congratulations to our first Championship teams of the season – Cal Poly! The Mustangs swept the team titles for the fourth consecutive year. Also, to our individual champions Muhammed Ahmed of UC Davis and Sylvana Northrop of UC San Diego who crossed the finish line first to lead the pack. Read more about the race and the see complete results here >>> 

Each weekend in the month of November brings some big events: 

AND – I cannot leave out the fact that the 2025-26 women’s and men’s basketball season begins TODAY! 

Because we are just wrapping up cross country week, the song of choice is of course “Chariots of Fire.” 

  

Happy Halloween if you celebrated on Friday, and let’s get to The Bold Type.  


 

   CONGRATULATIONS   


 

   MEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD SET   

The field and seeds are set for the 2025 Big West Men’s Soccer Championship after Saturday’s five matches to conclude the regular-season slate. With a three-way tie at the top of the table, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine and Cal Poly will share the regular-season title as tri-champions.  Read more >>>  

CONGRATULATIONS to our final two sides who punched their tickets to participate on the final day of the regular season!
 


 


   NEW BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE SPONSOR!   

Credit Union 1 Named Title Partner of 2026 Big West Basketball Championships Read more >>>  A BIG thank you to Todd Gunderson and Credit Union 1 for our tremendous partnership, and to Van Wagner for connecting two great brands! 


 

   THE BIG WEST ON NCAA NATIONAL GOVERNANCE COMMITTEES   

With the significant change in the NCAA governance structure that took effect on September 1, The Big West continues to play an influential role in shaping the future of collegiate athletics, with conference leaders, institutional administrators and student-athletes serving on a wide range of NCAA national committees during the 2025–26 academic year and beyond.  

From governance groups to sport-specific oversight, Big West representatives are helping guide policy and competition at the highest level of NCAA Division I. Meet these impressive leaders here >>> 


 

   THE BIG WEST GIVES FANS 350+ NATIONAL TELEVISION BROADCASTS IN 2025-26   

 Building on one of the most successful men's and women's seasons since the 1990's, The Big West has announced that more than 350 men's and women's basketball games will be available nationally on the ESPN family of networks and Spectrum SportsNet during 2025-26 season. 

"The Big West is building tremendous positive momentum in men's and women's basketball, and fans nationwide will have more opportunities than ever to experience it," said Big West Commissioner Dan Butterly. "From game-winning shots to championship moments, we're proud to showcase the players, programs and passion that make Big West basketball unforgettable."

See the full television schedule, including the dates of the five ESPN wildcard games and 14-game Spectrum SportsNet package here >>> 



 

   ONE MORE ON BASKETBALL   

Did you miss The Big West basketball media day on Field of 68?  All the coach, player and administrator interviews from the Field of 68 basketball previews are now on our YouTube channel!  

 MEN | WOMEN 

 
 

   OPPORTUNITY - McCLENDON POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS   

The McLendon Foundation is now accepting applications for the 2026 Postgraduate Scholarship Program, continuing its mission to cultivate the next generation of sports leaders through access, mentorship, and opportunity. Now in its 26th year, the McLendon Foundation has awarded more than $1.75 million in scholarships to graduate students pursuing careers across the sports industry. Each year, the McLendon Foundation awards seven (7) $10,000 postgraduate scholarships, with additional opportunities supported through key partnerships.  The program continues to prioritize creating opportunities for historically excluded communities in sport, with full eligibility criteria available on the McLendon Foundation website.  
 
The 2026 Class of McLendon Scholars will be selected through a competitive, multi-phase review process that evaluates academic performance, leadership potential, experience, and a demonstrated commitment to advancing innovation and positive change within the sports and entertainment industry. The selection process will conclude in early summer, with the new class of twelve (12) scholars announced shortly thereafter.  
 
CLICK HERE to apply for the 2026 McLendon Postgraduate Scholarship. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM PST on February 1, 2026. Application questions can be directed to mclendonfoundation@gmail.com.

  

 

   MEDIA REPORTS ON NCAA AND LEGAL MATTERS   

  • U.S. Congressman Michael Baumgartner (R-WA) has introduced a bill that would provide a limited antitrust exemption to cap college football coaching salaries. A release from the Baumgartner camp breaks down the fine points of the COACH Act, as it’s called: “The Mechanics: Amends Title IV of the Higher Education Act and provides a limited, targeted antitrust exemption so schools can collectively set a reasonable compensation ceiling for athletics department employees. The Cap: As a condition of participating in federal student-aid programs, institutions agree to limit total compensation of any athletics department employee to 10x the institution's tuition and required fees for a first-time, full-time undergraduate for the most recent year. … No loopholes: ‘Total compensation’ is defined broadly to include salary, bonuses, deferred compensation, severance/buyouts, in-kind support, housing/mortgage or debt relief, personal-services contracts, and other remuneration-from the university or any affiliated or controlled booster organization. Why it matters: A single season's buyout can mirror a full year of operating revenue at many programs and rival top-tier budgets. Instead of paying coaches not to coach, resources should be used to control costs, limit financial liabilities of federally subsidized programs, and preserve scholarships and Olympic sports.” (link) 
  • North Carolina Women’s Tennis student-athlete Reese Brantmeier’s class-action lawsuit against the NCAA challenging its restrictions on tennis players accepting prize money from non-NCAA tournaments would not go to trial until November 2026 after Chief U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles issued an order last week setting the date more than a month later than recommended by parties in the case. (link)  
  • The NCAA has adopted emergency legislation specifying DI student-athletes can lose eligibility if NIL deals aren’t reported. Kennyhertz Perry attorney Mit Winter notes that “if a school discovers an athlete may not have reported a deal it has 2 days to review & report to the CSC. If a deal isn’t then reported, athlete is ineligible.” (link) 
  • The College Sports Commission has finalized rules resulting from the House settlement, including new NCAA bylaws requiring high school and both junior college and transfer prospective student-athletes to comply with the rules around disclosure of third-party NIL deals, including being prepared to disclose all NIL deals worth $600 or more to the CSC upon enrollment at a Division I institution. These rules are enforced by the CSC and participating institutions and student-athletes are required to comply with all settlement-related rules or face penalties, including eligibility consequences for student-athletes. Full rules summary. (link) 
  • Attorneys representing current and former members of Division I rowing, volleyball, and swim and dive teams filed opening briefs this week asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to reverse U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken’s approval of the House settlement. Sportico’s Michael McCann: “But Grace Menke, who was a Yale rower, and her nine objectors-appellants face challenging odds. Wilken had significant discretion in determining that the settlement is, as required under the law, ‘fair, reasonable and adequate’ and that it adequately addresses economic harms caused by alleged violations of antitrust law. On behalf of the objectors, Steven F. Molo and other attorneys insist that the settlement’s damages and injunctive relief features violate Title IX, which they argue does apply to revenue sharing.” (link) 
  • The College Sports Commission’s NIL Go clearinghouse and the College Athlete Payment System (CAPS) are expected to cost at least $15M annually, according to Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger, who adds: “In addition, there was an implementation cost for those two platforms of at least $10M. There is a third number as well: the annual operational cost of the CSC (staffing, travel, etc.), which is expected to be in the seven figures but is a bit more murky and can certainly change over time.” Key additional notes… 
    • As for who’s footing the bill, Dellenger explains the Big Ten, ACC, Big 12, SEC and Pac-12 covered the entire $10M plus implementation cost of the two platforms. But the other two bills are being split between the power leagues, NCAA headquarters and the non-power league DI schools. “For the ongoing $15M costs of NIL Go and CAPS, the 68 power conference schools will assume 50% of those costs, and the more than 300 non-power league Division I schools will pay for the other half. For the ongoing operational cost of the CSC (3), the power leagues and NCAA headquarters will split it 50-50.” 
    • Why? “The House settlement is under appeal, which makes it more complicated to change settlement terms, and this $2.5M reduction is a settlement term. There’s something else, too: Not everyone necessarily agrees with eliminating the reduction. … A proposal is currently being vetted that would permit schools to exceed the cap by $2.5M with a sort of ‘luxury tax’ as a penalty for doing so. We’ll see if this gains any traction as the debate continues onward.” (link
    • Dellenger also notes that college sports leaders had been considering increasing the cap on the revenue-share pool available to schools by $2.5M, and “most power conference programs have added at least $2.5M in new scholarships, making most true athlete rev-share budgets $18M, not $20.5M. Well, many of those in the SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 were working to get rid of that $2.5M reduction to expand the rev-share pool for their athletes. At least for next year, this will not happen, according to those briefed on the issue recently.”  
 

   QUOTE OF THE DAY   

“Get busy living or get busy dying” (LINK) – Andy Dufresne from “The Shawshank Redemption” 

  

It was exciting to watch our student-athletes compete, share their championship experience and hand out two trophies at Queen Kapi'olani Regional Park for The Big West Cross Country Championships. And now today as basketball tips off around the country, Big West Soccer Championships get underway and more, I can’t wait for the busy month ahead!  

Continued success to all! 

Dan