Welcome to SportsWise: A Podcast about Sports and the Law

Episodes

115
June 24, 2026

Ep. 115: College Sports, Congress, Brendan Sorsby and the Battle with the SEC and Big Ten, with Cody Campbell

Send us Fan Mail On this episode, I'm joined again by Cody Campbell to talk about the battle for college sports legislation in Congress, the Brendan Sorsby saga, and Cody's increasingly public fight with the SEC and Big Ten over the future of college athletics, and much, much more. Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .
113
May 31, 2026

Ep. 113: The Path to Competitiveness in the Big 10, with Rutgers' AD, Keli Zinn

Send us Fan Mail On this episode, I’m joined by Rutgers Athletic Director Kelli Zinn to talk about leading a Big Ten athletic department through the most chaotic era college sports has ever seen. We talk NIL, revenue sharing, the House settlement, the future of Olympic sports, why Rutgers is betting big on revenue generation, and how to win in college sports when the rules keep changing. Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twit...
112
May 21, 2026

Ep. 112: The Battle over NIL Compensation (aka, NIL, MMR, CSC and the NCAA) with Rakesh Kilaru, Outside Counsel for the NCAA

Send us Fan Mail On this episode, we dive back into the wild world of college sports with the NCAA's lead outside counsel, Rakesh Kilaru. Over the last year, NIL deals totaling over $240 million have been cleared by the College Sports Commission, in addition to the hundreds of millions of dollars that have been shared directly with college athletes by the schools. But we are in the midst of a battle over NIL enforcement centered on whether there should be any limits on how MMR partners,...
111
May 11, 2026

Ep. 111: College Sports Eligibility Rules, with Diego Pavia's Lawyer, Ryan Downton!

Send us Fan Mail College sports’ eligibility rules are under attack, and Ryan Downton is one of the lawyers leading the charge. He represents Diego Pavia and other athletes challenging NCAA limits on JUCO seasons, redshirts, and the five-year clock. We talk antitrust, fairness, the future of eligibility, and whether the NCAA can ever find stability in this new era. Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .
110
April 28, 2026

Ep. 110: More College Sports, with UNC Athletic Director, Bubba Cunningham and Yahoo Sports Senior Editor, Ross Dellenger

Send us Fan Mail On this episode, I’m joined by the Athletic Director at the University of North Carolina, Bubba Cunningham, and Yahoo Sports Senior College Football Reporter, Ross Dellenger, to talk about the latest in college sports. Transfer portal, eligibility lawsuits, NIL enforcement, athlete compensation, Olympic sport funding, employment status, Title IX, conference realignment and whether schools can control costs, protect athletes, and create national rules that actually work? Thank y...
109
April 15, 2026

Ep. 109: Da Bears and a New Stadium!? With George McCaskey, Chairman of the Chicago Bears

Send us Fan Mail On this episode, I'm joined by the chairman of the Chicago Bears. George McCaskey, for a wide ranging conversation about one of the NFL's most iconic franchises, and the challenge of honoring the team's legacy while building for the future, including the team's looming stadium decision and the realities of modern NFL ownership. And for the first time ever, I'm joined as co-host by one of my Tulane students, Drew Schott, who does a terrific job with helping lead the conversati...
108
Feb. 4, 2026

Ep. 108: The Battles that have Shaped the NFL Into a Cultural and Economic Powerhouse (and what it can teach us about the future of college sports), with Ken Belson

Send us a text It’s a Super Bowl special episode, and I’m joined by long-time NY Times reporter Ken Belson, to talk about his book 'Every Day is Sunday,' which focuses on how Jerry Jones, Robert Kraft, and others transformed the NFL into a cultural and economic powerhouse. We discuss the financial instability of the 1980s and 1990s, and key changes such as free agency, the salary cap, and revenue sharing. The impact of college NIL deals on the NFL, and what the NFL’s battles can teach us about t...
107
Jan. 26, 2026

Ep. 107: College Sports Contract Madness, NCAA Eligibility Battles, and More with Darren Heitner (aka the Lawyer who is Probably Representing or Working with Your Favorite College Athlete)

Send us a text On this episode, I’m joined by Darren Heitner, the lawyer who has probably been involved in more college sports and NIL matters than anyone in the country—including his current representation of Duke/former Duke quarterback Darian Mensah. Darren joins to talk about college revenue sharing and NIL deals, lawsuits challenging NCAA transfer and eligibility restrictions, and much more. Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldma...
104
Dec. 16, 2025

Ep. 104: NCAA President Charlie Baker on the Latest in College Sports + Team IMPACT

Send us a text On this episode, I’m joined by Charlie Baker, President of the NCAA and former Governor of Massachusetts. Charlie discusses the biggest misconceptions about the NCAA, prospects of federal legislation for college sports, the ongoing athlete eligibility lawsuits, the NCAA’s new partnership with Team IMPACT, and much more. Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .
103
Nov. 20, 2025

Ep. 103: Senator Richard Blumenthal on the Future of College Sports and the SAFE Act vs. the SCORE Act

Send us a text On this episode, I’m joined by United States Senator Richard Blumenthal. With the push for college sports reform heating up in Congress, Senator Blumenthal breaks down why the SAFE Act—and not the SCORE Act— is the right path forward for college athletics. He describes the NCAA as an abject failure in protecting athletes' rights, and explains how the SAFE Act establishes a basic floor for athletes' rights and puts enforcement directly in their hands, while the SCORE Act w...
102
Nov. 13, 2025

Ep. 102: The Most Powerful Man in College Sports? Cody Campbell and his Plan to Save College Sports

Send us a text On this episode, I’m joined by arguably the most powerful man--and one of the wealthiest--in college sports, Cody Campbell. Cody is co-founder and co-CEO of Double Eagle Energy Holdings and chair of the Board of Regents of the Texas Tech University system. Cody joins to discuss his plan to save college sports, including amending the Sports Broadcasting Act to permit the pooling of college football television rights, capping spending on athletes and coaches, protecting collegiate O...
102
Nov. 11, 2025

Episode 102: The NBA's Gambling Problem, with Andrew Sharp

Send us a text On this episode, I'm joined by longtime NBA writer, short-time lawyer, and host of Sharp Tech and Greatest of All Talk podcasts, Andrew Sharp. Andrew joins to discuss the NBA gambling scandal, DOJ indictments, player prop scandals, and what it all means for the integrity of the game. Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .
100
Oct. 5, 2025

Ep. 100! Jon Gruden's Battle with the NFL & Roger Goodell, with Jon Gruden's Lawyer, Adam Hosmer-Henner, and ESPN Investigative Reporter, Don Van Natta

Send us a text On this episode, we go back to the NFL, where one of the biggest stories off the field is Jon Gruden’s ongoing lawsuit against the NFL and Roger Goodell, where he alleges that the NFL and Goodell “engaged in a malicious and orchestrated campaign to destroy the career and reputation of Jon Gruden.” To break down the big new developments in the case and what might happen next (and the reaction from within the league), I’m joined by Jon Gruden’s lawyer, Adam Hosmer-Henner, and Don Va...
99
Sept. 30, 2025

Ep. 99: Behind the Scenes of the NFL-NFLPA Battles, with De Smith, former NFLPA Executive Director,

Send us a text On this episode, I’m joined by De Smith, the former longtime executive director of the NFLPA. De discusses his new book Turf Wars, his battles with Roger Goodell, the "petulant" NFL owners and their "diabolical general counsel," his perspective on the current NFLPA saga and the quest for guaranteed contracts, whether there might be any under the table deals with NFL players designed to circumvent the salary cap, and why a union might not be the best option for college football ...
98
Sept. 24, 2025

Ep. 98: The Room Where it Happens for College Sports, with Julie Roe Lach

Send us a text On this episode, I'm joined by Julie Roe Lach, Commissioner of the Horizon League. Most of the talk about the new era of college sports has focused on the Power Four conference, but Julie helps break down what a group of non-FBS Division I conferences are doing to prepare for the future, how they aim to protect collegiate Olympic sports funding and opportunities and maintain access to championships, what compromises need to be made to keep all of the DI conferences under the sa...
97
Sept. 16, 2025

Ep. 97: The Case for College Athletes as Unionized Employees. With Jennifer Abruzzo, former NLRB General Counsel

Send us a text On this episode, I'm joined by the former General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board, Jennifer Abruzzo. Jennifer discusses: 1) Why she thinks college athletes should be unionized employees who engage in collective bargaining 2) Why collective bargaining help, not hurt, college athletics as a whole 3) How and why conferences should collectively bargain with college athletes 4) Why she wasn't surprised to be fired by President Trump, and 5) Her perspective on th...
95
Aug. 19, 2025

Ep. 95: Breaking Down the NFLPA Saga, with Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio

Send us a text Mike Florio, creator and longtime editor of Pro Football Talk, author, radio host, television commentator, co-host of the Daily NFL Talk Show on Peacock with Chris Sims, and contributor to NBC's Sunday night NFL Studio show, Football Night in America, joins to talk about the latest in the ongoing NFL Players Association saga, why he believes that Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns was the worst transaction in the history of professional football and what the future battles ...
94
Aug. 13, 2025

Ep. 94: An Inside Look at Buying and Selling Pro Sports Teams, Stadium Development, and Private Equity in Pro and College Sports, with Sports Business Lawyer Irwin Raij

Send us a text Irwin Raij, partner at Sidley and Co-Chair of their Entertainment, Sports, and Media Group, joins the pod to discuss what it means to be a sports business lawyer, issues around buying and selling pro sports teams, trends in sports stadiums and real estate development, and the influx of private equity money in US pro sports and the complexities of bringing private equity money into US college sports. Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can...
93
July 30, 2025

Ep. 93: Federal Legislation for College Sports? Breaking down the SCORE Act with Congresswoman Lori Trahan on the

Send us a text Congresswoman Lori Trahan, a former DI college volleyball player and a go-to voice in Congress on college sports issues (among many other issues) gives her perspective on the SCORE Act, the college sports bill that has progressed further than any other piece of college sports legislation. Rep. Trahan also gives insight into the debates in Congress around college sports and where things might be headed from here. Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analy...
92
July 24, 2025

Ep. 92: The Collision between Immigration Law and College Sports: Can International College Athletes be Paid in the New NIL Era? With Sports Immigration Lawyer Catherine Haight

Send us a text On this episode, we tackle the collision of immigration law and college sports. With 100s of millions of dollars now flowing to college athletes, are international athletes allowed to get a piece of the new revenue pie? To help me break it all down, I’m joined by Catherine Haight, founder of Haight Law Group and a veteran sports immigration lawyer. Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .
91
July 17, 2025

Ep. 91: The Collision between Title IX and the New NIL Era in College Sports, with Arthur Bryant.

Send us a text On this episode, we tackle the pending and looming Title IX challenges to NIL payments to college athletes from collectives and challenges to the new payments that schools will be making directly to athletes. To help me break it all down, I'm joined by Arthur Bryant, the lawyer who is bringing many of these lawsuits, and it was represented female athletes in Title IX cases for over 30 years and counting. Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, yo...
90
July 7, 2025

Ep. 90: The Future of Olympic Sports, with Dr. Jaime Gordon.

Send us a text Dr. Jaime Gordon, CEO of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, joins the pod to discuss the future of Olympic sports and the impact—including schools dropping sports-that the new rules in college sports will have on Olympic sports on college campuses and beyond, and what can be done to protect these opportunities. Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .
89
July 2, 2025

Ep. 89: The Final House vs. NCAA Podcast (for now) with...Grant House!

Send us a text After five years of talking about the House case and the House settlement, I'm joined by none other than Grant House, the actual House in House. Grant talks about his role and goal with the lawsuit, his views on the settlement, and much more. Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .
88
July 1, 2025

Ep. 88: Title IX in the New College Sports Landscape and an Appeal of the House Settlement. With John Clune, Partner at Hutchinson, Black and Cook.

Send us a text John Clune, partner at Hutchinson Black and Cook, joins the pod to discuss the Title IX lawsuits that many schools will likely face because they are (reportedly) planning to distribute up to 90% of the new payments under the House settlement to male athletes, primarily football and men's basketball players. We will also talk about the appeal of the House settlement that John recently filed on behalf of a number of female athletes, and what that could mean for the future of college...