Articles by Katie Lever, Ph. D
Touchdown?
2 Key Implications of CFP Expansion for Athletes and Fans
By Katie Lever, Ph. D|September 7, 2022
Last Friday, the College Football Playoff's board of managers unanimously voted to expand the annual College Football Playoff to 12 teams, an unsurprising move that many believe was years in...
Mid-Major Madness
Keep Your Eyes on the Little Guys: The Best Mid-Major Football Games From Week 1
By Katie Lever, Ph. D|September 6, 2022
College football season has officially begun and the young schedule has already seen plenty of drama. Although week one always has its fair share of “cupcake games” where Power Five...
Making Moves!
3 Key Impacts Conference Realignment Has on College Athletes
By Katie Lever, Ph. D|July 6, 2022
Last week, big news came out of the Big Ten conference as UCLA and USC both announced plans to move to Big Ten country in 2024. Sports media descended on...
College Athletes Are Cashing In!
Happy An-NIL-versary! Check Out These 4 Benefits of Name, Image, and Likeness for College Athletes
By Katie Lever, Ph. D|July 1, 2022
TGIF is especially significant today because name, image, and likeness rights for college athletes are officially a year old! In honor of the historic landmark, here are four key benefits...
Get Checked Out!
3 Warning Signs of Hypothyroidism in College Athletes (And What to Do About Them)
By Katie Lever, Ph. D|June 23, 2022
When most people think of an athlete's worst nightmare, they think of failure, getting benched, or missing a game-winning shot. But I can tell you from personal experience that hypothyroidism...
Look Out for These Red Flags
Three Key Warning Signs of Emotionally Abusive Coaching, According to Experts
By Katie Lever, Ph. D|June 10, 2022
In an ideal world, all athletes would have great relationships with their coaches, but sadly, athlete-coach relationships can be far more complex. Although the world is currently fixated on the...
College Athletes: Learn About Your Rights!
Allen Sack National Symposium Advancing Integrity in College Sport Panel #3: Name, Image, and Likeness: Chaos or Opportunity?
By Katie Lever, Ph. D|June 1, 2022
The inaugural Allen Sack National Symposium Advancing Integrity in College Sport was a symposium event hosted by athletic advocacy organization, The Drake Group, and held in Washington, D.C. According to...
College Athletes: Learn About Your Rights!
Allen Sack National Symposium Advancing Integrity in College Sport Panel #2: Mandating a College Athlete Bill of Rights
By Katie Lever, Ph. D|May 31, 2022
The inaugural Allen Sack National Symposium Advancing Integrity in College Sport was a symposium event hosted by athletic advocacy organization, The Drake Group, and held in Washington, D.C. According to...
College Athletes: Learn About Your Rights!
Allen Sack National Symposium Advancing Integrity in College Sport Panel #1:Giving College Athletes the Right to Unionize
By Katie Lever, Ph. D|May 30, 2022
The inaugural Allen Sack National Symposium Advancing Integrity in College Sport was a symposium event hosted by athletic advocacy organization, The Drake Group, held in Washington, D.C on May 19th,...
Learn More About Your Rights!
Recruits and College Athletes: Take Notes! 5 Key Takeaways from the Allen Sack National Symposium Advancing Integrity in College Sport
By Katie Lever, Ph. D|May 24, 2022
Last week, athletic advocacy organization, The Drake Group, hosted its inaugural Allen Sack National Symposium Advancing Integrity in College Sport. The event, which took place in Washington, D.C., addressed critical...
Drama Alert!
Nick Saban Isn’t Happy About NIL: Why Two SEC Coaches Went At It Last Week
By Katie Lever, Ph. D|May 23, 2022
Two big-time SEC coaches made headlines last week for exchanging some pretty fiery words (and Deion Sanders got caught in the crossfires, too!). The topic at hand? Name, image, and...
Overcoming Hurdles
Olympian and World Champion Georganne Moline Talks About the Importance of the Coach-Athlete Relationship
By Katie Lever, Ph. D|May 2, 2022
During her incredible collegiate career at the University of Arizona where she placed second in the NCAA finals, Georganne Moline earned a spot on the roster for the 2012 Olympics...
Money Talk
NIL Opportunity or Inducement?
By Katie Lever, Ph. D|March 15, 2022
There's recently been some controversy regarding college athletes' name, image, and likeness activity. Some of the deals athletes are signing are organized by boosters and could potentially sway athletes' decisions...
Challenging NCAA Policy
The Dystopia of Real-World College Athletics: Why I Wrote Surviving the Second Tier
By Katie Lever, Ph. D|February 22, 2022
As someone who writes about college sports on a regular basis, I wish so badly that I could stop writing about the topics the college sports industry compels me to...
Athlete-Employment Status
Will College Athletes in Iowa Earn Employee Status?
By Katie Lever, Ph. D|February 8, 2022
If anyone thought college sports would cool down after NIL restrictions were lifted, the track record since July 1st, 2021 has proven them wrong. Not only did National Labor Relations...
Flaws in Scholarship Policy
Imbalances between Equivalency and Headcount Sports
By Katie Lever, Ph. D|January 24, 2022
In a perfect world, athletic scholarships would be simple and all college athletes would have four-year, guaranteed, full-ride scholarships, but the reality of the college sports industry is much more...