College Sports Like Never Before

The House Settlement and paying college athletes has changed the game, and people have thoughts.

June 9, 2025

Analysis: What Final Approval of House Settlement Means for College Sports
SBJ’s Ben Portnoy write, “One of the most significant legal efforts in modern college sports history reached a resolution Friday. Judge Claudia Wilken has approved a settlement in the House, Hubbard and Carter antitrust cases, opening the door for schools to pay athletes directly beginning July 1.

“Wilken’s ruling concludes what has been a months-long process that had grown fraught at times, but will now see schools embark on a massive overhaul in the way they interact with players and develop a system of enforcement to create rules and regulations related to the settlement.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

Athletes Express Concern Over NCAA Settlement’s Impact on Non-Revenue Sports
AP News’ Maura Carey writes, “Sydney Moore and Sabrina Ootsburg were surrounded by hundreds of college athletes at a convention in Charlotte when news broke that the $2.8 billion NCAA settlement had been approved by a federal judge. In a room full of college athletes, they felt like the only two people who understood the gravity of the situation.

“‘I’m about to get paid,’ Moore said a Division I football player told her.

“‘Yes, you are about to get paid, and a lot of your women athlete friends are about to get cut,’ she responded.

“Moore acknowledged that her response might be a stretch, but while the sprawling House settlement clears the way for college athletes to get a share of revenue directly from their schools and provides a lucky few a shot at long-term financial stability, it raises genuine concerns for others.”
^{AP News}

NBA Finals Ratings: Pacers-Thunder Thriller Posts Worst Game 1 Numbers Since League's COVID-19 Downturn
Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals averaged a 4.7 rating and 8.91 million viewers on ABC, making it the least-watched Game 1 of the Nielsen meter era (since 1988) outside of the league's COVID-19-fueled ratings nadir in 2020 and 2021, according to Sports Media Watch via Yahoo Sports. Those numbers are an 18% ratings decline and 19% viewership decline from last year's NBA Finals opener in which the Boston Celtics faced the Dallas Mavericks.
^{Yahoo! Sports}

ESPN is Finalizing Sublicense Package Agreement With TNT Sports
Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger tweeted, “In a somewhat stunning move, ESPN is finalizing an agreement to extend its sublicense package with TNT Sports to include the CFP semifinal round, sources tell @YahooSports. The deal would grant TNT Sports broadcasting rights to one CFP semifinal annually in 2026, 2027 and 2028.”
^X

Eligibility Lawsuits More Likely to Increase With NCAA Revenue Shares
Sportico’s Michael McCann writes, “U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken granting final approval of the House settlement expands opportunities for college athletes to be paid—and makes suing the NCAA to remain eligible all the more enticing to seasoned athletes who want to prolong their collegiate experience. 

“Among other features, the settlement permits schools to share with athletes 22% of the Power Five schools’ average athletic revenues each year. The percentage is capped at 22% in part to promote competitive balance, meaning no college can function like the college sports versions of the New York Mets or Los Angeles Dodgers and carry large (de facto) payrolls.”
^Sportico

America’s Eyes Turn to Indiana’s Other Team as the Pacers Aim to Beat the Odds for an NBA TitleMatt Elliott to be named Wendy Hensel's pick as new Hawaii athletic directorMatt Elliott to be named Wendy Hensel's pick as new Hawaii athletic directorMatt Elliott to be named Wendy Hensel's pick as new Hawaii athletic directorMatt Elliott to be named Wendy Hensel's pick as new Hawaii athletic director
SBJ’s Tom Friend writes, “Either way, the Pacers have stolen the neon light from the Fever — not that it’s ever been a competition. Tyrese Haliburton (the Game 1 hero) is a Fever season-ticket holder, and Caitlin Clark sits in Pacers celebrity seats with Lexie Hull and Aliyah Boston. No two NBA and WNBA teams are more symbiotic. But Raines also said the Fever and Pacers have only about a 10% overlap in ticket holders — implying Indy is big enough for both.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

Adam Silver: NBA Europe Still Possibly Two, Three Years Away
[League commissioner Adam] Silver said the blueprint of NBA Europe (12 permanent teams in major markets, four more club teams qualifying on a yearly basis) will be further bandied about at the next board of governors meeting this July in Las Vegas. At the previous BOG meeting in New York, Silver said the project received “enthusiastic support from our club owners” — although no vote was taken, and the commissioner seemingly does not want to rush into one.
^{Sports Business Journal}

South Florida Pro Sports Teams Are Inspired by the Success of the Florida Panthers
“You can never have too many friendly reminders of what you’re fighting for,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. “There’s nothing more motivating than watching people that really sacrifice hard earned monthly income to support athletic performance. You can feel it.”

AP News’ Alanis Thames writes, “The Dolphins were once that team for South Florida. Nearly 53 years ago, a fiery coach named Don Shula guided Miami to the NFL’s only perfect season. Reminders of that dominant Dolphins era are still plastered throughout South Florida. But it’s been a while since Miami has been such a powerhouse.”
^{AP News}

Southern Hockey Surge: NHL Teams Thrive in Non-Traditional Markets, From Texas to Florida
AP News’ Stephen Hawkins writes, “NHL teams in the South are playing for and winning the Stanley Cup in packed arenas and there is steady growth when it comes to youth participation. Football may still be king in many Sun Belt locales, but hockey has been welcomed from Las Vegas to Texas to Nashville to North Carolina — and certainly in Florida.”
^{AP News}

MLB Exec Tabbed to Run New College Sports Governance Structure
SBJ’s Ben Portnoy writes, “College sports received one of the most consequential rulings in its history on Friday -- and the man charged with enforcing the rules laid out by it has also come into the public sphere.

“Longtime MLB exec Bryan Seeley has been named CEO of the College Sports Commission, the new governance body created in the wake of the approval of the House settlement. Seeley, an SBJ Power Player in 2019, has spent nearly 11 years in baseball, working most recently as the league’s EVP of legal and operations.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

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President Trump to Golf With SEC Commish, Notre Dame AD as College Leaders Seek Federal Help
The Athletic’s Ralph D. Russo writes, “Sankey is the longest tenured power conference commissioner and a longtime policy shaper at the NCAA and national level. Bevacqua leads the athletic department of one of the most prominent schools in college sports. The former television executive was previously the CEO of the PGA of America and has a prior relationship with the president going back to the days before he became a politician.

“The meeting comes two days after a federal judge approved a $2.8 billion antitrust lawsuit settlement that will pave the way for colleges and universities to directly pay their athletes for the first time. But the rules and regulations laid out in the terms of the agreement are still vulnerable to legal and political attacks.”
^{The Athletic}

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