reimagining the future

College sports is at a tipping point with far-reaching implications affecting Youth Sports, Olympic Sports and Professional Sports. EmpwrU assembled a team of industry leaders, experts, and scholars to develop

 the G-A-M-E plan. 

• G = Governance - a new governance model is needed that regulates fair competition, protects and empowers athletes, and provides opportunities for schools to add sports and grow revenues. The new structure should be tied to postsecondary education, recognize the unique needs of different sports, be nimble, transparent, fair, and create incentives for profitable growth. The Governing Board composition should be: 1/3 administrators;  1/3 athletes and; 1/3 independents. This allows real transformation to take place. 
• A = Access - athletes are the heart and soul of what makes sport so special! We need more athletes playing more sports not less. Eliminating financial and cultural barriers that prevent kids and young adults from access to sport and creating a formal "Athlete Bill of Rights in College and Elite Sports" empowers athletes, provides more opportunities to participate, and gives athletes a voice in their education, health and wellness, and financial opportunities.  
• M = Modernization - is imperative. The current governing bodies' bylaws and policies severely restrict athletes, sport, and schools. The new bylaws should liberate schools to benchmark strategies that add sports and athletes while achieving a postsecondary degree. Economies of scale will be gained by playing multiple divisions within each sport and repurposing existing facilities to add new sports like pickleball and flag football. This strategy allows for profitable growth with a focus on Title IX compliance. 
• E = Employment - According to IRS 3-prong test, “under common-law rules, anyone who performs services for you is your employee if you can control what will be done and how it will be done.” D1 college sports is a business that earns billions annually in revenues. A different model is needed that fairly compensates and aligns with the unique demands, time, resources and commitment required by athletes to perform at the expected levels. Starting with FBS football in the power conferences is an appropriate catalyst for transformation. An employment contract provides protections and transparency, while encouraging longer-term partnerships between schools and athletes while attaining their degree.