6 College Sports Reform Groups Vie for Influence Amid NCAA Turmoil
organizations shaping the Future of College Sports
Table of Contents
The landscape of college sports is undergoing significant change, requiring input from various sources beyond the NCAA. Several nonprofit organizations have emerged as key players in the reform conversation, competing for resources within a system heavily influenced by financial interests.
Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics
Established in 1989, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics (KCIA) addresses scandals in college athletics. It operates as a project of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which holds over $2.5 billion in assets.
The foundation’s tax returns detail spending on charitable activities related to the commission’s work, with expenditures of $1.44 million in FY2022 and $1.36 million in 2023.
Knight Commission CEO Amy Perko stated that these disclosures provide a “high-level summary of the commission’s activities but are not inclusive of all projects in a particular year.”
In 2023, the commission’s spending supported national meetings, forums at the NCAA Convention and the National Association of Collegiate Athletics Directors (NACDA) annual meeting, and an analysis of FBS and Power 5 athletic department spending by CliftonLarsonAllen.
Since 2013,the KCIA has maintained a database of college athletic department financial information,based on annual disclosures to the U.S. Department of Education. This database is now managed in collaboration with syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications.
“The Knight Commission operates very much in the tradition of other educational nonprofits,” Perko said.”Our services are free to the public—we don’t charge for attending our meetings and seminars or limit access to our reports, letters, white papers, financial analyses and the like.”
The Knight Foundation also makes donations to charitable organizations in recognition of the work of the KCIA’s co-chairs. As a notable example, in 2020, $25,000 was donated to Kent state to honor Carol Cartwright, and in the past year, $50,000 each went to Chicago Cred and the National association of System Heads, honoring Arne Duncan and Nancy zimpher.
Despite its financial independence, the commission has faced criticism for being overly connected to the college sports power structure. Perko has emphasized KCIA’s history of “leading transformational change” and its efforts to enhance conditions for athletes.
National College Players association
Founded in 2001 by Ramogi Huma,a former UCLA football player,the National College Players Association (NCPA) advocates for college athletes’ rights. Huma launched the association with teammates Ryan Rock and Ali Azziz following the settlement of the White v. NCAA case.
In 2003, Huma testified for California’s “Student Athletes bill of Rights,” which sought to lift NCAA restrictions on scholarships, health insurance, and athlete earnings.
By 2014, Huma focused on labor organizing, leading Northwestern University football players’ unionization attempt. After that effort failed, he reprioritized legislation, leading to the NCPA’s role in California’s 2019 NIL law.
The NCPA operates on a limited budget, supported by the United Steelworkers Union.
“Without the steelworkers, I would never have been able to keep this group going,” Huma said. “We definitely don’t have the funds we hoped we could have. That has always been our situation. … We have applied for grants, but found that by and large over the years, foundations have been slow to catch up to public sentiment.”
Huma noted that potential donors often view his constituency as “spoiled athletes,” while professional athletes are already inundated with requests.
”They’re asked for a lot as soon as they go pro,” he explained. “the challenge for us is that we don’t want to be just another group pulling at their coattails, asking them to do something they’re not interested in.Manny pro athletes already have causes, foundations, and countless people asking for their time and resources. Because we understand what that feels like, we make sure to approach them with care and respect.”
In 2023, the NCPA brought in $294,694 in revenue. Huma received a salary of $65,782, and the organization spent $54,000 on “advocacy organizing training assistance,” $9,010 on travel, $4,298 on legal fees, and $1,737 on direct lobbying expenditures.
The Drake Group and Drake group Education fund
In 1999, Jon Ericson, then the provost of Drake University, founded The drake Group, focusing on how universities’ athletic ambitions undermined their educational integrity.
“For the 14 years we banged our heads against the wall trying to get the NCAA to reform,” said Donna Lopiano, who joined the Drake group’s advisory board in 2011 and served as president from 2023 to 2024. “When we realized we weren’t making progress with that, we thought, let’s see if we can work with Congress.”
The organization evolved to address broader issues in college sports reform.
In 2013, the Drake Group formally organized, incorporating in Connecticut and applying for IRS tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(4) general welfare organization, allowing unlimited lobbying.
the organization has never exceeded $50,000 in annual revenue. “We wanted to be small and nimble, without bureaucracies or fundraising,” said Lopiano.
In 2022, the Drake Group created a 501(c)(3) entity, The Drake Group Education Fund, to handle fundraising and management for its annual college sports symposium in Washington, D.C.
Julie Sommer, the inaugural president of The Drake Group Education Fund, said the organization operates under the fiscal sponsorship of Players Philanthropy Fund and has experienced steady growth.
“Fundraising for college sports reform is not for the faint of heart—nor the easily distracted,” Sommer said.”So much is happening so quickly that it’s hard to fully grasp the nuances and implications of an issue, and by the time you do, the next one is already here.”
College Football Players Association
Jason Stahl,a former lecturer at the University of Minnesota,founded the College Football Players association (CFBPA) in July 2021. The organization was granted IRS recognition as a 501(c)(7) social club charity in May 2024.
”We aim to be the main social organization for college football players and the main union for college football players should they be deemed employees in the future,” the CFBPA wrote in its submission for tax-exempt status.
the CFBPA was born out of Stahl’s concerns about the treatment of University of Minnesota football players.
”We have endless nonprofits, endless academics, endless lawyers,” he told The Athletic in a 2021 profile. “What do we have to show for it in the 21st century? I can’t point to a single major victory.”
In July 2022, stahl organized a covert locker room meeting with Penn State football players, but the plan fell apart when an assistant coach walked in.
Despite this setback, Stahl has become a prominent voice for college athletes.in March 2023, he testified at a House Committee hearing on college athletes’ NIL rights.
According to its 2023 tax return, the CFBPA generated $105,000 in revenue, including a $40,000 donation from an anonymous contributor. Stahl earned a salary of $22,500 for the year.
The CFBPA’s website lists two partner organizations: the Institute for College Football Research and Education and CFBPA Action.
Athletes.org
Jim Cavale, former INFLCR founder/CEO, launched Athletes.org in August 2023.
Athletes.org promotes itself as an intercollegiate players association that “enables college athletes to have a say in crucial matters affecting their future,” including group licensing deals.
The organization retains 25% of the royalties paid to its members as part of any group licensing deal.
AO has over 3,000 members and signed the entire university of Alabama at Birmingham football roster in April 2024.
Athletes.org applied for IRS tax-exempt recognition in the summer of 2023, but still does not appear to have received it.
Athletes.org disclosed a sponsorship agreement with Athletes Innovations Inc., a for-profit LLC owned by Cavale.
Cavale’s industry ties have raised conflict-of-interest concerns, which he addressed, insisting he had no ownership control in his former company’s business.
Athletes.org is registered as a domestic nonprofit corporation with the Alabama Secretary of state.
Brandon Copeland, a former Penn and NFL linebacker, is Athletes.org’s co-founder and CEO.
Cavale owns the trademark to athletes.org, while Athletes.org holds the trademark to the phrase, “The Athletes Organization.”
In July, Athletes.org hired the lobbying firm ice miller Strategies, paying the firm $50,000 for its lobbying services in 2024.
United College athletes Association
Andrew Cooper,a former track athlete,launched the United College Athletes Association in 2022.
With Mikayla Pivec, cooper launched a new organization with the same name late last year, filing its IRS application in December.
In January, the UCAA organized a letter-writing campaign involving 120 women’s college basketball players from the big Ten and SEC, requesting meetings with the commissioners of both leagues.
Cooper said that he and pivec have spent money out of their own pockets but plan to build UCAA through contributions.
“We wanted to prove we can successfully educate athletes and unite their voices within a representation structure before we started fundraising, so we knew what worked and didn’t work,” Cooper said.
“We are proud to be an athlete-led, independent nonprofit,” Cooper explained.
He added that the UCAA would explore partnerships, as long as they align with their philanthropic mission.
“We will not engage in group licensing,” Cooper stated, “because, as a nonprofit, we are not pursuing any for-profit ventures.”
okay, I’ve reviewed the provided article and identified areas where additional information or context would be beneficial. Based on that, I’ll perform targeted web searches to gather relevant details.
Here’s a breakdown of what I’ll be looking for and why:
More details on the “custom-element” (Organizations at a Glance): I’ll look for details to create a table/summary of the key organizations, including their mission, leadership, and funding.
Expanded details on the Knight Commission’s initiativesI will search for details about its main priorities.
* Details on the NCAA’s stance related to these organizations. I will search for details about how the NCAA views collaborations/opposition from these organizations
After gathering the information, I will present the updated article, incorporating the newly found key entities, insights, and filling in the gaps to improve the article’s content.