The Bold Type, with Commissioner Dan Butterly – May 12, 2025

Good morning!  I hope you all had a great weekend and were able to celebrate and commemorate all the mothers in your lives on Sunday.  Having lost my Mom on New Year’s Day, I took time on Sunday to reflect on the impact she had on my life, and how much she is missed by our family.   

Before we get into this week’s update, each of you need to PLEASE watch this video from this week’s Big West Softball Championship.  

This is true emotion, a key reason WHY we do what we do, and provide championship experiences for our student-athletes. 

With the addition of the first-ever softball championship, and baseball championship later this month, we now have conference championships FOR ALL Big West sports.  Thank you to our institutional leadership for moving in this direction and providing these opportunities for our student-athletes, and for all of our fans for their support in celebrating The Big West postseason in each sport all year long.  

Congratulations to UC Santa Barbara for winning the first-ever Big West softball championship! The Gauchos impressively came all the way through the consolation bracket after falling in the first game of the week! Read more >>> 

Thank you to The Big West staff and Cal State Fullerton for hosting and managing the 2025 Big West Softball Championship last week. It was a great event for student-athletes, staff and fans alike – even if Championship Saturday was hot!  

Last week brought the unveiling of a proposed new governance structure for NCAA Division I, the NCAA press release on academic progress rates, and a Big West “Final Four” team in beach volleyball and women’s water polo as well as two teams in the men’s volleyball semifinals!  

Song of the week is “Higher” from Creed.  Maybe this is my walk-up song, but maybe it is because we all want to wake up to a world full of positives rather than negatives. 

Let’s get to The Bold Type! 

  PLAYING FOR THE TITLE – LONG BEACH STATE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL   

• Congratulations to our Big West men’s volleyball champion Hawai’i for their run to the penultimate round and best of luck to Long Beach State as they drive for five. A victory over defending champion UCLA would give The Big West their fifth national collegiate championship since Big West sport sponsorship began in 2018. WOW! Watch the game today on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. PT. Watch here >>> 

  

   CONGRATULATIONS!   

• Congratulations to NCAA Elite 90 Award winners Raha Peiravani from Hawaii women’s water polo and Georgi Binev of Long Beach State men’s volleyball!  This is a tremendous honor from the NCAA. 

• To a new record already set in The Big West Track & Field Championships during multis weekend. Congratulations to UC Santa Barbara’s Brad Thomas and Long Beach State’s Claudine Raud-Gumiel came out as winners in the decathlon and heptathlon, respectively! Read more >>> 

• To Long Beach State freshman phenom Moni Nikolov, named the AVCA’s Player of the Year! Moni is the fifth straight national player of the year from The Big West! Read more >>> 
• To prolific outside hitter Hilir Henno of UC Irvine, who was announced Friday as the recipient of the AVCA Distinction of Excellence Award, presented by Nike Volleyball. Read more >>> 
• To Hawai’i women’s water polo, who took down California in the quarterfinals before falling to eventual national champion Stanford in the semifinals! 
• To top-seeded Long Beach State men’s volleyball who has dispatched Fort Valley State and Pepperdine in their quest for the National Collegiate Championship! 
• To Hawai’i men’s volleyball for their 3-1 quarterfinal victory against Penn State before falling to defending champion UCLA in the semis!  
• To Cal State Fullerton women’s golf, who qualified for the NCAA Championships beginning this weekend at Omni La Costa in Carlsbad!  It is the first time we’ve had a team at the Championships final site since 2015, and eighth all-time! Read more >>> 
• It’s also a year of firsts for the Titans: 
  • First Big West Championship and spot in the NCAA Regionals! 
  • First time advancing to the National Championships! 
  • First No. 10 seed to advance in the NCAA six-regional era!  

• After yet another stellar year on courts across the league, five programs from The Big West are represented in the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s (AVCA) 35th National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball All-America Team, unveiled on Monday. Congratulations to the  10 student-athletes on the first and second teams, over 40 percent of all honorees, and another 12 on the honorable mention listings.  Read more >>>  
• To Big West softball champion UC Santa Barbara, who was selected as the No. 4 seed in the UCLA regional! The Gauchos open the double-elimination region on Friday at 4:30 p.m., facing off against the Bruins. Game 2 will be Saturday afternoon at either 2 or 4:30 p.m. Read more >>> 
• To The Big West softball award winners and all-conference teams as voted on by our head coaches around the league! Read more >>> 
• To Long Beach State senior Charlie Forster, Big West Golfer of the Year, and the 2024-25 All-Big West Teams, as voted on by the league’s 12 head coaches! Read more >>> 
• To UC Irvine baseball, who this week is ranked: 
  • 13th by D1Baseball 
  • 15th by USA Today Coaches 
  • 17th by Baseball America 
  • 11th by NCBWA15th by Perfect Game 

• Also to Cal Poly, UC Santa Barbara and Hawai’i baseball programs who are receiving votes by NCBWA! 

And, to our Big West Players of the Week! 

• Baseball – Matthew O’Brien, UC Riverside (pitcher); Nate Castellon, Cal Poly (field player) 
• Softball – Eva Hurtado, Cal State Fullerton (pitcher); Ava Arce, Cal State Fullerton (field player); Giselle Mejia, UC Santa Barbara (freshman) 
• Track & Field – Chase Walter, Cal Poly (men’s track); Rory Devaney, Cal Poly (men’s field); Makiah Parker, Cal State Bakersfield (women’s track); Lilian Turban, Hawai‘i (women’s field) 

   ONLY THE BOLD STAND FOR FAIRNESS   

SONG OF CHOICE – “Right Now” by Van Halen 

On Wednesday, the NCAA unveiled a proposed new Division I governance model on YouTube—one that could fundamentally reshape the future of college sports, and in my opinion, not for the better (LINK).  The CCA-22 commissioners were presented with the draft model on Monday afternoon, but were told not to share the model outside of the presentation.  

If adopted as presented, it will hand unchecked control of the Division I governance process to four conferences: the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12. These leagues would gain a 65% weighted voting bloc on NCAA committees—an insurmountable majority that effectively silences the voices of the rest of Division I, including conferences like The Big West. In short: a structure in which a few decide for all. 

This is not shared governance. This is consolidation of power by the very conferences,  institutions and leadership that helped drive the NCAA into its current legal and financial crisis. And now, they seek to rewrite the rules to insulate themselves from accountability, while expecting others to share the financial burden of settlement costs from cases like House v. NCAA. 

Let’s be bold and honest: the only thing holding Division I together right now is a legal settlement. NCAA President Charlie Baker has said as much—that if the A4 conferences walk away, they alone would be responsible for the full financial cost of the House settlement. Rather than risk that, this proposal looks like an effort to force out those of us who still believe in education, access, parity, and opportunity for student-athletes across all institutions—not just the richest ones. 

And once governance is centralized, what’s to stop them from restricting national championship access? From changing scholarship rules in ways that disadvantage mid-majors? From building a postseason system that rewards only the highest-resourced teams? Absolutely nothing. 

This isn’t bold leadership. It’s power consolidation masquerading as progress. 

The Big West will not stand by silently. We are committed to championing the principle that all Division I student-athletes deserve meaningful access to championships, fair representation in governance, and the chance to succeed on and off the field—regardless of conference affiliation or athletic budget. 

In the weeks ahead, The Big West will work with our peer conferences to demand a better model—one that respects the diversity of Division I and honors the values of equity, education, and competition. If this system is truly for the benefit of college athletes, then all their voices—not just the loudest or wealthiest—deserve to be heard. 

We cannot let financial pressure become the pretext for undermining fairness and opportunity in college athletics. The integrity of higher education depends on leadership that is inclusive, principled, and forward-looking. 

After all, we’re The Big West. 

Only The Bold. 

   GRADUATES OVER GUARANTEES: THE BIG WEST DIFFERENCE   

SONG – “My Hero” from Foo Fighters 

In an era when college athletics headlines are dominated by name, image and likeness (NIL) deals and multimillion-dollar transactions, it’s easy to lose sight of what truly defines success. In The Big West, we’ve chosen a different path—one that puts purpose before profit, and student before athlete. 

Our member institutions are among the most respected public universities in the country. Academic rigor is not a slogan for us—it’s a standard. Our student-athletes don’t just play for wins; they commit themselves to the classroom, the community, and a degree that will serve them far beyond their years of eligibility. 

This year’s Academic Progress Rate (APR) data reflects that commitment (LINK). The Big West earned 38 perfect team scores of 1,000 across 11 institutions. More than 61% of our programs meet or exceed the national four-year average. That doesn’t happen by accident—it happens because our campuses invest in the academic success of student-athletes with the same intensity as they invest in competitive success. 

While others are paying millions to rent talent for a season, we’re investing in futures that will impact generations. That’s not to diminish the opportunities NIL can offer—but at The Big West, we believe the most powerful name, image, and likeness is the one on a diploma.

Our student-athletes are earning more than statistics. They’re earning degrees, building character, and preparing for lifelong achievement. That is the Big West difference. 

We’re proud of our champions. We’re even prouder of our graduates. In The Big West, we choose graduates over guarantees—every time.

  

   ESPN TO ANNOUNCE “FLAGSHIP” NAME AND PRICE THIS WEEK   

Flagship is the handle ESPN has used for about a year now to refer to its developing and highly anticipated direct to consumer app, which will for the first time make all of ESPN’s channels available for standalone sale. This week ESPN will retire the place setter name “Flagship” and replace it with the real thing. (LINK) 

   BROADCAST TRAILBLAZERS   

On May 3rd, Long Beach State hosted a unique softball event between Cal Poly and Long Beach State, which became the first on-air execution of ESPN’s cloud-based production model. The event, broadcast on ESPNU, utilized a Discrete cloud-based production setup, which mirrors traditional production with multiple operator and production positions, including video switchers, audio consoles, replay and graphics operators, and directing/production user stations. The core production team operated remotely from ESPN’s facilities in Bristol, CT. 

Thanks to the coordination between Long Beach State’s Mike Habura and the institutional  IT department, a 1GB data line was set up to support the production. This milestone is a point of pride for Long Beach State and The Big West! 

 

   MEDIA ARTICLES ON NCAA AND LEGAL ISSUES   

• Lawyers for NCAA and plaintiffs in proposed House settlement say in filing that they have made changes to roster limits that Judge Claudia Wilken said two weeks were unfair and preventing from granting final approval. (LINK)  Judge Wilken is allowing three lawyers for objectors who focused on the proposed roster limits to file responses by May 13. Wilken also is allowing the plaintiffs and the NCAA/Conferences to file replies by May 16. 
• Attorney Steve Molo, who represents a group of objectors, has already voiced opposition to the revision: “While the NCAA and Class Counsel have acknowledged our objection to roster caps is valid, their proposed mushy modification doesn’t go far enough. Many, many student athletes have had something taken away from them. The fight will continue.” (link); Molo, attorney Laura Reathaford, and the Buchalter firm will be those allowed to submit responses to the revision by May 13. (link) 
• Sportico’s Michael McCann writes on how a potential Trump administration executive order on college athletics could face a bevy of legal pushback. (link) 
• Kennyhertz Perry attorney Mit Winter: “The NCAA is appealing the order granting Jett Elad’s motion to preliminary enjoin the NCAA’s 5 year eligibility clock rule. It’s also appealing the lower court Pavia decision. Those 2 appeals will tell us a lot about how courts will look at NCAA eligibility rules going forward.” (link) 

   CELEBRATE ASIAN AMERICAN, NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH!   

May marks Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the diversity and impact of AANHPI individuals across college sports. 

Why it matters: AANHPI student-athletes are making significant strides in college sports, with record growth in participation, leadership roles and academic success. 

• By the numbers: Total AANHPI student-athletes competing across all NCAA divisions in 2023-24 reached 13,739, a 54% increase over the past 10 years. 

Top sports for student-athletes: Football and women’s soccer lead in total numbers, but sports like fencing and gymnastics include high percentages of AANHPI student-athletes. 

Leadership trends: AANHPI representation is rising in leadership roles, with a 49% increase in head coaches and a 53% increase in presidents/chancellors since data collection began. 

   QUOTE OF THE DAY   

“The world is not fair, and not everyone gets to be heard, but if you want to change it, you have to fight for it.” – From the musical Hamilton.  This quote, while not stated verbatim in the musical, is a powerful distillation of the themes explored in Hamilton.   

And, from one of our major partners, as I discussed the formation of a marketing, branding, ticketing and attendance subcommittee once the 2026-27 membership is set:  “But they better not recommend a change to the logo…that branding is too good!” 

As I have noted, the next 4-6 weeks could be the most dynamic time of change for NCAA Division I athletics.  

In closing, be sure to thank our athletic trainers, game managers and SIDs.Their work is vital to the success of your student-athletes, and to every Big West program.  

Have a great week, and good luck to all of our programs at upcoming Big West and NCAA Championships! 

Dan