Charles Barkley might not like seeing college athletes get paid as much as they are, but he used to be the one giving them money.

Barkley attended the Regions Pro-Am in Birmingham, Alabama Wednesday, and prior to the golf tournament, he joined Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic on their Jox 94.5 morning show. During the interview, Barkley spoke about college sports and NIL donations, where he admitted to giving his alma mater, Auburn University a lot of money for their athletic programs. But NIL seems to have caused Barkley to reach his limit.

“I’ve given more money to Auburn, legal or illegal, than any athlete in the history of the school,” Barkley told McElroy and Cubelic. “There’s not a single person in the world who’s given more money to Auburn, legal or illegal, than me, but the notion that I’m going to come up with a couple million dollars every year so that we can be good at basketball and football, that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

It’s not surprising to hear Charles Barkley has given money to Auburn illegally, he all but admitted to it more than a decade ago. In 2014, Seth Davis posed a hypothetical situation to Barkley, asking if he would go against NCAA rules by giving Auburn $100,000 to land a top recruit. Barkley’s answer was simple, “Sure, I would do it.” And he defended his answer by saying NCAA rules are “so unfair.”


Barkley has been one of the biggest critics of NIL in recent years, regularly claiming it’s not a sustainable model, while calling on college athletes to put more money on the value of a free education. NIL is not perfect and it’s not for the better of college sports, but it is for the better of the college athlete. Athletes who, for decades, were taken advantage of by the NCAA, particularly in college basketball and football.

Charles Barkley shouldn’t have to spend more money on Auburn athletics now that it’s legal to do so. But his criticisms of NIL do sound a little hypocritical when he admits to bankrolling Auburn’s rosters in the past.

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Mizzou chapter.

The University of Missouri’s gymnastics team made history on April 17 when they made it to the NCAA Championships for the first time in program history. So what has their season looked like, and how did they make it to the Final Four?

The team started off ranked #9 in the nation, according to the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association after their preseason performance. This is the second time the team has been ranked in the top 10 coming into the season since 2023. 

The Tigers started their season off strong with a win over Ball State, Illinois State and Southeast Missouri State. On January 3, the team was victorious after a final score of 196.700 out of 200.000 to put them above their competitors. The Denver Quad was held on January 12 where the Tigers took second place, falling behind Denver with a final score of 196.125. It seemed like the Tigers were stuck in the 197s for the rest of the season with lots of wins but also having losses along the way. 

But then, on March 9, the Missouri Tigers made history and scored their first ever 198.000 in program history against Auburn. Missouri had been leading Auburn all day but the final floor routine by senior Amari Celestine is what pushed the Tigers to 198.100. Moore tied her season best with a 9.950 out of 10.000 on floor to end their senior night. 

The Auburn meet also led to one more first in program history: being undefeated at home. Mizzou had a 6-0 win streak at the Hearnes Center beating Ball State, Illinois State, SEMO, Kentucky, Georgia and Auburn. After their match against Auburn, the Tigers moved up in the NCAA polls to #7, the highest they’ve ever been ranked during the regular season. It was clear to see that this team was a force to be reckoned with. 

The Missouri Tigers took fourth place at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama for the SEC Championship. With a total of 197.400, they clenched yet another school record, their best conference championship score; they surpassed Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky and Alabama. The Tigers also had four podium finishers. Mara Titarsolej scored her first 10 of the season, third of her career, to claim SEC co-champion on the bars. Helen Hu also took first place as the SEC co-champion for the beam with a score of 9.925. Jocelyn Moore and Kennedy Griffin both scored 9.950s on floor, earning them silver medals. 

On April 2, the Tigers took first in the NCAA Championship Second Round, knocking out Georgia and Arizona State with a score of 197.650. While this was their fifth straight year going to the regional final, it was also their best postseason score in program history. Helen Hu scored a unanimous 10 on beam from the judges, landing her the title of the first ever 10 in NCAA meet history. Amari Celestine also scored a 10 from one of the judges on her vault, which led her score to be a 9.950; she won session one’s all-around title with an almost perfect score of 39.450. 

The NCAA Championship Regional Final came next where the Tigers got their ticket to Fort Worth, Texas. Ending the meet in second place behind Oklahoma with a total of 197.425, Missouri claimed their spot in the semifinals, their third time going in program history. Going into their last apparatus, they were battling with Auburn for the second place title, but Hu was able to score a 9.925 to push the Missouri Tigers ahead of Auburn.

In the semifinals the Tigers were competing against #3 Florida, #11 Alabama and #2 Oklahoma in the first session. It had been a close meet but once again Missouri was able to pull ahead on beam, their anchor, Helen Hu, did it again and secured a 9.9875. The Missouri Tigers would move into the second place spot, beating out Florida by one-tenth of a point, sending them to their first ever NCAA Championship Final.

The Championship was nothing short of exciting to watch. All four teams were doing amazing, but Oklahoma and UCLA had been fighting for that top spot. With Missouri hanging out in fourth place for most of the meet, they were able to pull ahead on the floor. Kennedy Griffin scored a 9.9500, the highest for the Tigers on floor, followed by Amari Celestine’s 9.9125 and Jocelyn Moore’s 9.9000. Finishing third in the NCAA Gymnastics Championship, the Tigers finished off their record-breaking season ending in not only the highest spot in program history but also securing the title of the best postseason performance from any women’s team at Mizzou. 

U.S. and UCLA gymnast Jordan Chiles is a two-time Olympian and three-time NCAA individual champion.

She looks completely comfortable in her own skin as she’s performing a floor routine to music by empowering artists like Beyoncé and proudly displaying the more than 20 “amazing art pieces” she has tattooed on her body.

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For much of Chiles’ life, however, the body that helped propel her to athletic greatness made her feel “ugly” and self-conscious. But when she first saw photos of herself as a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model, “I literally started bawling my eyes out,” Chiles recently told People magazine.

Chiles said her mother, Gina, reacted similarly.

“My mom actually cried a few times from some of the photos because she’s been there literally every single moment of my life,” Chiles said, “so I think it was more of her realizing how beautiful her daughter is and what I’ve gone through.

“She was there when I would cry and be like, ‘Mom, they’re saying this. They’re saying that.’ Or I would look at myself in the mirror and call myself ugly almost every day. I think it was just really cool for her to know that I get this opportunity and that I get the ability to embrace who Jordan is.”

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Chiles was a member of the U.S. Olympic squads that won team silver at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and team gold at the Paris Games last summer. Chiles was also awarded her first individual Olympic medal, a bronze in the floor exercise, in Paris but it was taken away because of a technicality.

Read more: Jordan Chiles continues to fight for her Olympic bronze medal while leading UCLA gymnastics

At UCLA, Chiles won two national titles in the uneven bars (2023, 2025) and one on the floor (2023). She also finished second in the all-around competition in 2023 and helped the Bruins to a second-place overall finish this year. Chiles has already announced she will return to Westwood next year for her senior season.

When the 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue hits newsstands on Saturday, Chiles will be one of four models appearing on her own cover (Olivia Dunne, Salma Hayek Pinault and Lauren Chan are the others). As opposed to how she felt looking at her own reflection years ago, Chiles said she is “in awe” after seeing herself on the front of the iconic magazine.

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“I’ve embraced every single aspect of who I am and I’ve embraced the amazing body that I have,” Chiles said.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Hockey is constantly evolving, expanding into new communities and welcoming new voices. RIT alumna Julia Takatsuka ’18 (graphic design) is helping lead that change from one of the NHL’s youngest outposts: her native Pacific Northwest.

Takatsuka coaches for the Seattle Kraken’s Youth Hockey Association, a USA Hockey-sanctioned league growing the game in Washington state. She also serves as the Goalie Development Coordinator for USA Hockey’s Pacific District, representing the Pacific Northwest and identifying emerging goaltenders with national potential.

Takatsuka stands at the forefront of an innovative grassroots approach to goaltender development, helping to reshape how the league, and the sport, thinks about coaching.

Takatsuka’s unique path to the NHL dekes tradition: she didn’t play pro or college hockey, nor did she come up through elite coaching networks. For her, preparation consistently met unique opportunities. Growing up, she played the position competitively and attended USA Hockey select camps. But when Division I hockey didn’t feel like the right fit, Takatsuka felt like she was left with two options: play college hockey or attend a school with a great design program. She focused on education and enrolled at RIT. It was a decision that would subtly shape her future behind the bench.

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Julia Takatsuka ’18, left, has been with the Seattle Kraken since the team’s NHL debut in 2021. Over four years, she has helped grow the organization’s youth program to include more than 50 goaltenders across multiple age levels.

“RIT helped me to think outside the box,” Takatsuka said. “I found myself in that creative sense, and it helped me as I got into coaching.”

She stayed active on campus as a two-year member of the RIT Crew team, found a home with a local women’s ice hockey team, and honed her design skills. Returning to Washington after graduation, she realized that hockey still had a significant hold on her. Coaching hadn’t been on her radar, but a chance pairing with a local goalie coach changed that.

“I never thought I’d coach,” Takatsuka admitted. “I didn’t want to work with kids at the time. I got pulled in and paired with a goalie coach, and suddenly I was using all these tools I’d learned in design to connect with kids, meeting them where they are, and helping them embrace all the boring aspects of training. It all fell into place.”

Her ability to connect with younger and marginalized players caught the attention of hockey leaders as she moved up the ladder. By 2020, she had become the Female Goaltending Development Coordinator for Western Washington. As Takatsuka was building connections and knowledge in the hockey world, the NHL awarded Seattle an expansion franchise with the Seattle Kraken in 2021.

Takatsuka stepped into a rare opportunity: to build a goaltending model from the ground up.

“I felt like I was in the right place at the right time,” Takatsuka said.

She saw a better way to make the goaltending position accessible and appealing to young players, including providing “quick change” gear for beginners and allowing them to try the position without a large upfront investment. She is also educating individuals off ice as well, incorporating a three-pillar education system for players, coaches, and parents, so everyone involved better understands what goalies need to thrive.

The program’s success was evident, expanding from six teams to 37 in four years, with over 50 goalies having their own equipment. Takatsuka runs weekly goalie clinics, with many traveling from neighboring states like Alaska, Idaho, and Oregon. In 2024, she became one of 30 individuals to earn gold level training from USA Hockey, and that June, presented her thesis at the inaugural USA Hockey National Goaltending Symposium. Her work has received national attention, drawing features from the NHL and USA Hockey.

She still laces up the pads in adult leagues and participates in community events like the annual Seattle Pride Classic, where she receives strong support from the young athletes she coaches.

“They love to come out and make signs and support,” Takatsuka said. “They’re like, ‘you’re so good,’ and I’m like ‘I’m so bad!’ But it’s great to see them.”

As a queer woman in a male-dominated coaching world, Takatsuka doesn’t seek the spotlight but recognizes the power of visibility as she helps redefine what success looks like in the crease.

“For a while, I tried to not think about it in that way,” Takatsuka said. “For me it’s just trying to help grow the knowledge of the position and the game and be a good role model for them.”

PENNSAUKEN, N.J. – The Adrian College men’s and women’s rowing teams wrapped up their season with a strong showing at the Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta last weekend. The Bulldogs were highlighted by a third-place finish in the Men’s Varsity 2.

Kade Doyle and Evan Barletta represented Adrian in the Men’s Varsity 2 event. They placed third in their opening heat with a time of 6:51.81, advancing to the semifinals. There, they secured a spot in the Grand Final with a time of 7:16.424. The duo went on to win the bronze medal, crossing the finish line in 7:10.081.

Joseph Salvatera competed in the Men’s Single (1x), winning his heat with a time of 8:19.678 and moving on to the semifinals, where he posted a time of 7:16.424.

In the Women’s Single (1x), Gianna Morreale recorded times of 9:37.167, 9:38.785, and 9:41.164 across her races, capping off a determined performance to close out the season.

The Adrian College rowing season has officially concluded and will resume in the fall of 2025.