My Work
Higher Ed Specialist, Scholar, Mentor
Colleges and universities have long struggled with the financial demands necessary to operate their athletic programs at a high level. Institutions have also wrestled with the tensions between these economic realities and their educational values in conducting their traditional athletics programs and increasingly their esports programs.
This unprecedented wave of state legislative initiatives are at the forefront of the very economic and educational tensions driving the $19B college sports industry and the entire US higher education system.
How should campus, state, and federal policy makers respond to the current and forthcoming state legislation over athlete name, image, and likeness (NIL) compensation, gambling, and transgender athletes? How does the Supreme Court’s decision in the NCAA vs. Alston impact colleges and universities? Should the National Labor Relations Board create a model for college athlete employment and unionization?
I focus on these legal and legislative issues and offer practical perspectives in this swiftly changing environment.
I offer innovative perspectives and practical solutions for university leaders and legal experts as they prepare for today's legal and legislative realities in college sports. Additionally, for higher education graduate students, law and higher education scholars, and athletic administrators, I explain how we got here and how to develop strategies for change.
My work has been recognized by the Association For The Study of Higher Education, where I received the ASHE 2021 Special Merit Award.
For access to my publications visit https://linktr.ee/jlhoffman
What I'm working on now:
EA Sports, O'Bannon, & NCAA Football 2023 - How did we get here? A practical legal explainer on the re-release of the popular video game, bringing college athletes, their institutions, and video game companies into the same agreement.
What is the future of licensing, collective rights, and college athlete employment?
NIL & The Kardashianization of College Sports How NIL accelerates the distribution of college sports revenue away from the college athletes who generate $19B annually.
Power 5 Conference Realignment: How Losing On The Field Leads to Wins Off The Field An explainer illustrating college sports realignment and its influences off the field.
