The University of Kentucky is moving toward housing its athletics department under a new university corporate entity that school officials say will improve their flexibility to handle rising financial pressure from the proposed settlement of three athlete-compensation antitrust cases against the NCAA and Power Five conferences and related demands. Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart and […]
The University of Kentucky is moving toward housing its athletics department under a new university corporate entity that school officials say will improve their flexibility to handle rising financial pressure from the proposed settlement of three athlete-compensation antitrust cases against the NCAA and Power Five conferences and related demands.
Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart and the university’s executive vice president for finance and administration, Eric Monday, said they were unsure of whether the new entity – being called Champions Blue LLC – would be unique in college sports. But they said that, within the school’s structure, it is being modeled on entities under which its hospitals and other medical services enterprises are housed.
Implementation of the new athletics structure is pending approval by the full Kentucky board of trustees, which is scheduled to meet April 25. The board’s athletics committee unanimously approved the plan April 24, the university said.
Kentucky’s athletics department had nearly $202 million in operating revenue and nearly $197 million operating expense in its 2023-24 fiscal year, according to the annual financial report it submits to the NCAA. That puts the Wildcats among the top 15 publics schools in both categories, according to data compiled by USA TODAY Sports in conjunction with its partnership with the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database at Syracuse University.
Barnhart said the athletics department estimates that its expenses for the 2025-26 fiscal year will increase by around $50 million because of the proposed class-action settlement, which failed to receive final approval from a federal judge on April 23 – although the judge is giving the principals 14 days to work out issues related to a component of the deal that the judge ruled is unfair to a sizable group of athlete plaintiffs.
If approved, Division I schools would be able to start paying athletes directly for use of their name, image and likeness (NIL), subject to a per-school cap that would increase over time and be based on a percentage of certain athletics revenues. In addition, the NCAA’s current system of team-by-team scholarship limits would be lifted and athletes would continue to be allowed to have NIL deals with non-school entities.
Barnhart and Kentucky spokesman Jay Blanton said the estimated $50 million increase in expenses comes from its expected NIL payments to athletes (likely $20 million to $23 million), an increase in the number of athletic scholarships it awards ($4 million to $5 million), inflation, spending by the school in connection with efforts it can make to assist athletes with outside NIL deal and an expected loss of sponsorship revenue from companies that instead choose to make NIL deals with athletes.
Monday and Barnhart said that the new entity would allow the athletics department to undertake a variety of business development opportunities and to offer pay and benefit programs to employees – and potentially to athletes – that it cannot under current university policies or cannot do so in an efficient manner.
Barnhart and Monday mentioned public-private partnerships and a number of athletic facility and fan-experience projects.
“You’ve heard other departments talk about business districts and things like that,” Barnhart said. “And those are conversations that are all on the table but really difficult to perform in our current structure. And so this gives us more flexibility to do that.”
Wake Forest, Oklahoma and Kansas are among schools working on mixed-use projects that include new or refurbished athletics facilities.
“We’ve got some ideas on some things that we’re going to have to run the run the traps on, so to speak, to say, ‘Hey, does this work? Does it make sense? Can it produce the things we think are necessary for us to move forward?” Barnhart said. “I do know this … in the old way of life, there were literally four to five buckets that you got all of your revenue from. We’re going to have those four to five buckets become eight to 10 buckets, and we’re going to have to figure out other ways to do our work.”
Brownwood volleyball coach Cheyanne Lovelady accepts same position at Austin Brentwood Christian | Brownwood News facebookexternalhit/1.1 (+http://www.facebook.com/externalhit_uatext.php) X-Middleton/1 fa7fbbd9804f1298a073639c8987cf0bcb10c880 1 Link 0
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Logo of the World Aquatics. BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) — World Aquatics, the global governing body for swimming, has denounced the concept of the Enhanced Games and instead promoted a healthy and fulfilling sporting lifestyle, according to a statement sent to Xinhua on Wednesday. The Enhanced Games, which propose allowing athletes to use performance-enhancing substances […]
BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) — World Aquatics, the global governing body for swimming, has denounced the concept of the Enhanced Games and instead promoted a healthy and fulfilling sporting lifestyle, according to a statement sent to Xinhua on Wednesday.
The Enhanced Games, which propose allowing athletes to use performance-enhancing substances while competing in swimming, track and strength events, announced plans to hold their inaugural edition over Memorial Day weekend in Las Vegas in May 2026.
“The Enhanced Games are not a sporting competition built on universal values like honesty, fairness and equity: they are a circus, built on shortcuts,” World Aquatics said in the statement.
“The enduring power of athletes to serve as role models for children and adults alike relies on their talent, hard work, respect and friendship. That’s what we see in our champions and in our competitions, and that’s what we’ll continue to showcase.”
“The way to a long, healthy and happy sporting life is readily available. It doesn’t require a costly cocktail of anti-ageing drugs. Train consistently, eat well, rest well and enjoy the company of other athletes.”
“This is something we already know from the millions of masters swimmers who continue to regularly set new records for human performance at the World Aquatics Masters Championships, some aged over 100. We invite the world to come and learn from these true champions as they compete again in Singapore this summer,” World Aquatics said.
The World Aquatics Masters Championships will take place from July 26-August 22 in Singapore, with approximately 6,000 master-aged aquatics athletes from more than 100 countries and regions competing in swimming, diving, water polo, artistic swimming and open water swimming. ■
CINCINNATI – Trevor Nolan was named to the All-BIG EAST Team on Friday. The senior earns the honors for the second time in his career. The Brownsburg, Ind., native earned a bronze medal at the BIG EAST Championships on May 16, posting a time of 8:47.44 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. He also earned a bronze medal in […]
The Brownsburg, Ind., native earned a bronze medal at the BIG EAST Championships on May 16, posting a time of 8:47.44 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. He also earned a bronze medal in the event at the 2023 BIG EAST Championships.
Nolan qualified for the NCAA Track and Field East Prelims on May 28-31 in Jacksonville, Fla. The four-day meet is being hosted by the University of North Florida at Hodges Stadium. The 3,000-meter steeplechase is scheduled for Friday, May 30 at 5:40 PM.
Nolan ranks 18th in the NCAA East Region with a time of 8:42.25, recording the time on March 27 at the Raleigh Relays.
Gov. Mifflin defeated Central Dauphin in four sets in the District 3 Class 3A boys volleyball tournament on Thursday to advance to the semifinals. The Mustangs (18-0) won by set scores of 25-21, 18-25, 25-22, 25-21. Gov. Mifflin, the Berks County champion, hosts Central York at 7 p.m. Tuesday in a semifinal match. The other […]
Gov. Mifflin defeated Central Dauphin in four sets in the District 3 Class 3A boys volleyball tournament on Thursday to advance to the semifinals.
The Mustangs (18-0) won by set scores of 25-21, 18-25, 25-22, 25-21.
Gov. Mifflin, the Berks County champion, hosts Central York at 7 p.m. Tuesday in a semifinal match. The other semifinal is Northeastern at Cumberland Valley. The championship match is Thursday.
For the Mustangs, BCIAA player of the year Angel Bermudez had 33 assists, 3 blocks, 3 kills and 7 kills, Armani George had 8 kills and 4 blocks, and Carter Weyant had 7 kills, 1 block and 9 digs.
Also for the Mustangs, Derek Kintzer had 5 kills, 4 blocks and 4 digs, and Anderson Ross had 5 kills and 2 blocks.
In the 2A tournament on Thursday, Brandywine Heights (17-3) defeated New Covenant Christian 25-7, 25-16, 25-18 in the quarterfinals.
The Bullets will play the winner of today’s Berks Catholic-York Suburban match in the semifinals on Tuesday at the higher seed.
Originally Published:
Story Links Wabash College senior Will Neubauer advanced to the finals in the 800-meter run at the 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Friday at the Spire Academy Stadium in Geneva, Ohio. Neubauer competed in the fastest of the three preliminary heats, crossing the line […]
Wabash College senior Will Neubauer advanced to the finals in the 800-meter run at the 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Friday at the Spire Academy Stadium in Geneva, Ohio.
Neubauer competed in the fastest of the three preliminary heats, crossing the line in 1:51:30. Although he finished fourth in his heat, he also produced the fifth-fastest qualifying time in the field. Neubauer slotted behind Buena Vista’s Kyle Miller and Dickinson’s Trevor Richwine, who claimed the top two spots in the heat and overall qualifying times at 1:50.88 and 1:51.14, respectively. Pomona-Pitzer’s Oscar Roering ran 1:51.27 to secure third in the heat.
Emory’s Dawit Dean won in heat three in 1:51.26, while Wisconsin La Crosse’s Cael Schoemann won the first heat in 1:52.25.
The 800-meter final takes place at 2:50 p.m. on Saturday.
NEW BRITAIN — Six New Britain boys volleyball seniors were celebrated Thursday on Senior Night when the team hosted the Xavier Falcons in its regular-season finale. Despite a loss to the visiting Xavier Falcons, New Britain had a night of celebration as they recognized their senior class that includes Casper Adamus, Eric Aguilar, Liam Alape, […]
NEW BRITAIN — Six New Britain boys volleyball seniors were celebrated Thursday on Senior Night when the team hosted the Xavier Falcons in its regular-season finale.
Despite a loss to the visiting Xavier Falcons, New Britain had a night of celebration as they recognized their senior class that includes Casper Adamus, Eric Aguilar, Liam Alape, Werner Lynes, Jakub Pelka, and Joshua Ramales.
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