Good morning!
Student-athletes are reporting, and the fall sports seasons are officially underway. The challenges of the summer now give way to the energy of a new academic year and the anticipation of championships to come.
The week ahead in The Big West should be of great interest to fans, as we announce schedules for the fall and winter sports. Please follow our social media feeds, or visit our website throughout each day, as the excitement of the academic year begins.
On the NCAA side, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors meets on Tuesday, August 5th starting at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time. There are multiple action items on the agenda, including the proposed overhaul of the governance structure that I have mentioned often this summer.
The Big West has done what we can do as a member conference in the NCAA, and it is now in the hands of the NCAA Board of Directors to make their decision. The Big West will continue to lead with integrity, insight, and initiative—but I am hopeful common sense prevails, and we are in the room where decisions are made.
But first, let’s get this day started with a little motivational music. Today’s choice: “Roar” by Katy Perry —a fitting anthem as our student-athletes start practice and prepare to win championships.
Time for The Bold Type!
CONGRATULATIONS
- To Isabella Cruz, women’s soccer player at Cal State Fullerton, and Bernadette Doyle, women’s water polo player at Hawaii, for being chosen as The Big West 2025 Women of the Year conference nominees! Read more >>>
- To the 11 athletes with Big West Ties who competed at 2025 USATF Championships! Read more >>> Notably, UC Santa Barbara alumnus and 2025 NCAA runner-up Brad Thomas finished sixth in the decathlon and CSUN alumnus Trey Knight threw a personal best to claim silver in the hammer throw and punch his ticket to Worlds!
- To Lelli Van Den Einde, FAR at UC San Diego, who was selected for the DI FAR Institute!
- To Angie Allen, Assistant Commissioner for Compliance and Student-Athlete Engagement, who was chosen as a facilitator for this year's NCAA Student Athlete Leadership Forum!
- To Wes Mallette, who announced on Wednesday will depart UC Riverside to become the Deputy Athletic Director at South Carolina! (link) You will be greatly missed in The Big West, Wes.
BOLD WEEK RETURNS!
We are excited to announce the return of Bold Week to tip off the conference basketball schedule during the first week of December. The start of Big West basketball deserves a spotlight, and there’s no better way to set the tone for the season than Bold Week. Read more and see the matchups for Dec. 4 & 6 men’s and women’s basketball here >>>
2025 W5 VOLLEYBALL OFFICIATING SUMMIT
Administrators and officials from the W5 volleyball consortium, representing the Big West, WCC, Mountain West, Big Sky and Big 12, came together in Long Beach for three days of important training and preparation for the 2025 season on the campus of Long Beach State. Thank you to W5 conference administrator and Big West Associate Commissioner for Championships and Sport Administration Cheryl Wong, coordinators of officials Joan Powell and Margie Ray and everyone who helped make the event a success! The Big West and our fellow conferences in the consortium have the best women’s volleyball officiating because of their continual efforts to educate, inform and improve.
UPDATE FROM THE COLLEGE SPORTS COMMISSION
On July 10, 2025, the College Sports Commission (“CSC”) issued a memorandum that included guidance on the valid business purpose (“VBP”) requirement of NCAA Bylaw 22.1.3. Based on further discussions between Class Counsel and counsel for Defendants in the House litigation, the CSC is providing revised guidance herein to replace the earlier memorandum.
Starnes Davis Florie attorney Jay Ezelle reports there have been “vast improvements in the operations of NIL Go this week. There were some bumps in the road during the initial rollout – which expectedly led to a chorus of complaints and proclamations that the system will never work – but it seems like the [College Sports Commission] is working through the issues expeditiously. For a system that is still being created and installed, it is actually remarkable how much progress they have made. (link)
COMPUTATION OF TITLE IX COMPLIANCE UNDER THE TERMS OF THE HOUSE V. NCAA SETTLEMENT
The Drake Group has issued a Congressional Briefing Paper, “Computation of Title IX Compliance Under the Terms of the House v. NCAA Settlement” in response to multiple requests from U.S. House and Senate staff members who have queried The Drake Group concerning this topic.
RECOMMENDED READ - Communication Guide for Coaches & Administrators: Supporting Student-Athletes Amid Political and Global Unrest
Joan Powell, our Coordinator of Women’s Volleyball Officials, provided a recommendation this week and I want to share with you, as well. (link)
MEDIA ARTICLES ON THE NCAA AND LEGAL UPDATES
- A federal court in North Carolina has granted the plaintiffs' motion to certify an injunctive and damages class of Division I tennis players in Brantmeier v. NCAA, per Boise State assistant professor Sam Ehrlich. For us non-lawyers, Venable LLP Partner Philip Sheng explains the “judge in Reese Brantmeier’s lawsuit challenging the NCAA’s prize money rules has officially been certified as a class action.” Ehrlich notes that “this is a fascinating case – and one that threatens to take another brick out of the NCAA's amateurism definitions and eligibility systems. One to watch as it moves towards a potential trial.” (link, link)
- Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde observes the transfer portal phenomenon thus far created what he calls the Migration Generation and notes that “from 2019–20 through ’23–24, when NCAA transfer limitations were struck down by the courts, Division I portal entrants nearly doubled, from 13,689 to 24,399. Football portal entries rose 138% in that span, while women’s basketball increased 132% and men’s hoops elevated 111%. Final figures are not in for ’24–25, but the expectation is for another significant year-over-year increase in DI transfers.” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey weighs in: “I think the issue that we miss is the number of young people lost to the system because of the transfer freedom. We can all report stories of, ‘Wow, wasn’t it great that somebody went from Point A to Point B and it worked?’ But there’s attrition, and there’s academic attrition—lost credits that our young people talk to us about.” Michigan State Men’s Basketball HC Tom Izzo voices concern about the friendships players could be missing out on by transferring so frequently: “Sooner or later in life, you’re going to need your buddies. … I am worried about mental health. I’m worried about what these [transferring] players are going to do in a year or two. If I’m wrong, that’s a good thing. But if I’m right, that’s sad.” Lots more. (link)
- According to Big West Commissioner Dan Butterly, the NCAA “has not conducted various DI governance meetings this month, as the NCAA Board of Directors will act upon the proposed new governance structure next week and NCAA staff has delayed various governance meetings until that action is taken. Unfortunately, if the new governance structure is approved, many conferences will not be ‘in the room where it happens.’ Those conferences not named to either the new DI Board of Directors or DI Administrative Committee will need to get their information from abbreviated NCAA updates or media reports after meetings. I have been vocal on this governance overhaul throughout the summer and will continue to be vocal in the time leading up to the vote. Representation is vital to protect the experience of student-athletes in The Big West, and to best inform our member institutions first-hand on what is happening in DI and how it may impact them. We have received a glimpse this summer of how future governance may work with the CFP-4 having 65% weighted voting and the NCAA handing many responsibilities to those four conferences. In summary, my earlier positions have not changed.” (link)
- The Athletic’s Brendan Marks, CJ Moore and Lindsay Schnell break down the average estimated roster costs in men’s basketball by league based on a poll of 35 coaches during last week’s Peach Jam. The SEC leads the way at $9.7M, followed by the Big 12 ($8.6M), Big Ten ($8.5M), ACC ($8.2M), Big East ($8M), “mid-major plus” ($2.3M) and low- to mid-major ($525K). (link)
- The five beach volleyball student-athletes and one bowling student-athlete who have filed a Title IX lawsuit against Stephen F. Austin on Sunday filed a notice of supplemental authority, citing President Donald Trump’s recent executive order. Sportico’s Daniel Libit reports the plaintiffs “pointed to its language affirming the administration’s policy that ‘opportunities for scholarships and collegiate athletic competition in women’s and non-revenue sports must be preserved and, where possible, expanded.’” (link)
- Elevate College & Global Marketplace Chief Business Officer Jonathan Marks joins the Sports Business Conversations Podcast to discuss several topics, including the company’s recently announced College Investment Initiative. Marks explains the fund is structured as private credit rather than equity and stresses that the goal is to leave schools in stronger positions a decade later: “Lots more. (link)
- The World Athletics Council has approved new regulations concerning eligibility conditions to compete in the female category for world ranking competitions. Effective September 1, all athletes wishing to compete in the female category at the World Championships are required to undergo a “once-in-a-lifetime test for the SRY gene – a reliable proxy for determining biological sex. This is to be conducted via a cheek swab or blood test, whichever is more convenient.” (link)
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great." – Zig Ziglar
Have the eye of the tiger today!
Dan