CSC: More Questions Than Answers

The College Sports Commission, established by the NCAA’s Power Five conferences to police college athlete NIL transactions, leaves more questions than answers about what it is and who’s running the show.

June 10, 2025

College Sports Commission Gives off Nonprofit Web Impression
Sportico’s Daniel Libit reports: “The commission, which was established by the NCAA’s Power Five conferences—the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC and Pac-12—to police college athlete NIL transactions, registered as a Delaware limited liability company in April…

“This sets the College Sports Commission (CSC) apart from the numerous nationally recognized ‘commissions,’ many of which are government agencies—such as the FEC, FTC, FCC and the other SEC—or federally recognized nonprofit organizations exempt from income tax.

“Notably, its official legal name—College Sports Commission LLC—does not appear anywhere on the site, including in the ‘Terms of Service’ or ‘Privacy Policy.’”
^Sportico

Colleges Prep for Athlete Title IX Lawsuits of the Revenue-Share Era
Sportico’s Daniel Libit and Michael McCann write, “With the revenue-sharing era now officially underway, Title IX defense attorneys say colleges are preparing for a potential wave of gender-equity lawsuits from athletes, especially challenges over how that revenue is distributed. These preparations, months in the making, include budgeting for costly and prolonged litigation—and potential settlements with classes of athletes—as well as commissioning audits to identify other areas of Title IX vulnerability.

“Todd Shumaker, a sports law and higher education partner at Church Church Hittle and Antrim, told Sportico that some of the FBS schools he advises are allocating anywhere from a few million dollars to $20 million in anticipation.”
^Sportico

Disney to Pay Comcast an Additional $439 Million for Hulu Stake as Streaming Saga Comes to an End
THR’s Alex Weprin writes, “The years-long saga over the fate of Hulu is officially resolved, with Disney set to pay Comcast $439 million to finally complete the sale of its 33 percent stake in the streaming service. Back in 2023, Disney officially agreed to pay a floor of $8.61 billion for Comcast’s stake in Hulu, but the companies couldn’t agree on a final valuation for the stake, leading to an extended appraisal process.”
^{The Hollywood Reporter}

WBD Splitting Up Cable, Streaming Businesses
Warner Bros. Discovery is splitting itself into “two stand-alone publicly traded entertainment companies,” separating its HBO Max streaming service, movie studio and TV production business from its cable networks. One company “will be home to CNN, TNT, TBS and Warner’s dozens of cable channels, as well as its international holdings.” That entity, called Global Networks for now, will “hold as much as a 20% stake in the second entity,” which WBD is referring to as Streaming & Studios.
^{Wall Street Journal via Sports Business Journal}

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

Clearinghouse Denial of NIL Deals to Be Limited by Arbitration
SBJ’s Michael McCann writes, “One of the more controversial features of the approved House settlement is a clearinghouse review of NIL deals that exceed $600 to ensure they are legitimately about use of an athlete’s right of publicity and not veiled payments to convince an athlete to attend and remain at a school. Some have speculated that the denial of proposed NIL deals will motivate athletes and the businesses with whom they seek to partner to sue the clearinghouse, and perhaps other defendants.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

Colts Announce Ownership Transition Details
The Colts today announced details on the transition of team ownership from late owner & CEO Jim Irsay to his daughters -- Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson. With the transition, which was pursuant to longstanding plans set forth by Irsay, Irsay-Gordon will become owner & CEO. In this role, she will serve as the team’s principal owner, but all three sisters will share leadership duties for the club. Foyt will become owner & EVP. Jackson will become owner & Chief Brand Officer and President of the Indianapolis Colts Foundation (Colts).
^{Colts via Sports Business Journal}

A Momentous Week in Chicago; Does Fire Stadium Project Affect White Sox Hopes For the 78?Matt 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 Bret McCormick writes, “Last week, the Fire unveiled a privately financed $650 stadium project in Related Companies’ The 78 development, due west of where the MLS team plays at Soldier Field.

“Whether The 78 could handle two venues is a question with huge implications for the White Sox. There would be some complications because the White Sox and Fire’s seasons currently overlap, but issues arising from that (parking!) could be accounted for this early in the design and master planning processes, the sources said.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

Iowa Hires Former NFL Exec Pioli as FB Consultant
The Univ. of Iowa athletic department has hired former NFL exec Scott Pioli as a “consultant to help the football program transition into a new financial model” in the wake of the landmark House settlement getting approved last week. Pioli has attended Iowa football practices and was “retained last fall in preparation for the athletic department sharing revenue with Iowa athletes.” Pioli -- who has worked in exec roles with the Patriots, Chiefs and Falcons over the past 20-plus years -- will continue to work with all of Iowa’s programs, but his “expertise lies with football.”
^{The Athletic via Sports Business Journal}

Cal Poly Director of Athletics Don Oberhelman to Retire
A national search for Don's replacement will begin immediately. Oberhelman is in his 15th year leading the Mustangs after coming to San Luis Obispo in 2011. During this time, Cal Poly Athletics has experienced an era of unprecedented growth, and competitive and academic success. The Mustangs have captured 54 team conference championships, including 51 in Cal Poly's 16 Big West sponsored sports—more than any other Big West university in those sports over this span.
^{Cal Poly}

Looking to fill an open position with top talent in the sports media industry? Advertise in the Sport & Story Daily to reach over 25,000 senior-level executives and professionals—and connect your job opportunity with the right audience.

Elevate Launching PE-Backed College Initiative
SBJ’s Ben Portnoy and Chris Smith report: “Elevate is set to announce the creation of the Collegiate Investment Initiative, a $500M initiative backed by PE firm Velocity Capital Management and the Texas Permanent School Fund … The investment vehicle will provide a new funding source for collegiate athletics programs pursuing capital-intensive projects like facility upgrades and renovations.

“Jonathan Marks, Chief Business Officer of Elevate College and Global Marketplace, said the platform has already closed funding deals with two Power Four athletic departments, though he declined to share details.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

College Sports Commissioners Laud $2.8B Antitrust Settlement, Call for Congress to Act
AP News’ Eric Olson reports: “In a 30-minute virtual news conference Monday, commissioners of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC renewed their call for congressional action to supplement and even codify the settlement and emphasized that cooperation at every level of college sports would be necessary to make it work.”
^{AP News}

Thanks for reading!

Sport & Story Daily is the sports industry’s daily resource for business news. In addition to serving up exclusive trends, Q&As, and columns, the newsletter connects readers to top platforms and stories from across the sports landscape.

Place your brand in front of the Sport & Story Daily audience and connect with the most influential people in sports.

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here!

Feel free to read our Privacy Policy