The Reformation of the NCAA: The Impact of New Legislation, Re-Alignment, and NIL

Val Ackerman - Commissioner, BIG EAST Conference Amy Privette Perko - CEO, Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics Elizabeth Lindsey - Managing Partner, Wasserman Michele Steele (moderator) - Reporter, ESPN

 

While 2020 saw college sports scrambling through the pandemic, 2021 brought about a flurry of changes that reshaped the landscape of college sports. Massive changes to the NIL rules have resulted in college football recruit Travis Hunter receiving $1.5M before he even enrolls at Jackson State, Texas and Oklahoma signaled they are going to make the jump to the SEC in another conference realignment move, and the new NCAA constitution enacted in January gives significantly more autonomy to divisions to develop their own policies. As a result of these changes, schools have an entirely different regime to navigate heading into the next decade. Will there be a super division? How will the concept of scholarships be altered? Which athletes will reap the rewards? Will we still see an overhaul of the college football playoffs? What will the NIL rules mean for the Olympics? This panel brings together the key leaders from different areas of the college ecosystem, including schools, conferences, agencies, and advocacy groups to discuss all of the massive recent changes, and to answer the ultimate question: What is the future of college sports?