Freshmen at Marshall University may not have recognized athletic director Mike Hamrick before arriving on campus this fall, but many have become more familiar with him than they ever anticipated.

Hamrick, who requested temporary housing after being hired in July, is living in an apartment on a female floor of a freshman residence hall until the end of the semester when his wife moves to Huntington.

"It is just like being a freshman," Hamrick told The Parthenon, Marshall's student newspaper. "I've already lost my room key!"

The United States has long been considered the world's leading nation in higher education and while it remains atop the pack, other countries are steadily closing the gap.

According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, half of all students within the United States who earn doctorates in key science and technology fields come from overseas. Similarly, a quarter of American college faculty members today are foreign-born.

The fear is that as other countries continue to fund and develop their respective higher education systems, programs within the United States have weakened, as is the case with the University of California, in the difficult economy and may become less desirable for international students than their own public institutions.

As a response to recent arrests in Colorado and New York related to a terrorism probe, the University of Michigan is banning purses, diaper bags and all other bags of any size from Michigan Stadium beginning this Saturday when the Wolverines take on visiting Indiana.

According to the Columbus Disbatch, the school said, "adjusting security measures is the prudent thing to do."

Michigan went on to say that it will require "written permission of a medical professional" before allowing bags into the game.

James L. Isch was named interim NCAA president today, succeeding Myles Brand who died of pancreatic cancer September 16. University of Georgia President and NCAA Executive Committee Chair Michael Adams made the announcement in Indianapolis following a meeting by the committee's administrative subcommittee.

Isch will be responsible for providing daily oversight and strategic direction to the organization until such time that the executive committee names a new president.

Read the full story on NCAA.org

Sarah Thomas is the first of what is hopefully a growing trend among intercollegiate athletics. Thomas, a 35-year olds with two children, is the only female referee in major college football.

Gerald Austin, the coordinator of football officials for Conference USA, discovered Thomas during a high school playoff game and after two years of "easing her into the schedule," has given her a full schedule of games this season.

According to the New York Times' article, the Southwestern Athletic Conference's first female football official worked a game this past weekend. The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference has three women on its officiating crews.

NCAA President Myles Brand, the first university president to serve as the Association's chief executive and a champion of academic reform, fiscal responsibility and student-athlete well-being, died Wednesday from pancreatic cancer.

The USC-Ohio State football game last Saturday, September 12th, became the most-watched college football game ever on ESPN when it drew 10.6 million viewers.

According to ESPN.com, the 7.3 rating was the network's highest for a college football game since Florida State-Miami 15 years ago.

Check out this cool time-lapse video Ohio State put together. It shows the entire game, including fans filing in and out, in a minute long video.

In response to the H1N1 flu outbreak, the NCAA volleyball rules committee has recommended that teams forgo the traditional pre and post game handshakes."The committee based its decision on continued monitoring of the H1N1 flu outbreak and feedback from member institutions," NCAA Director of Public and Media Relations Erik Christiansen told USA Today. "Depending on the progression of the outbreak, adjustments could be made in the best interests for the health and well-being of student-athletes who are competing in NCAA championships."

University of South Florida's seniors will take turns wearing No. 10 jersey this season in memory of the late Keeley Dorsey.

Dorsey, who would have been entering his senior season, was a true freshman in 2006 and collapsed during a team conditioning workout in January of 2007.

Defensive tackle Aaron Harris, who will be the first to wear Dorsey's jersey during Saturday's game against Wofford, told TampaBay.com, "[Dorsey's] death was such a tragic death. No one knows how it feels to lose a brother, to lose a teammate."

The senior class decided on the tribute as a group and will pay continue the initiative for the duration of the season.

Division I college football kicks off this week with a change in pregame ritual. As part of the NCAA and American Football Coaches Association's RESPECT weekend, many teams will meet for a voluntary pregame handshake.

"This is a symbolic initiative that says to the football world, our fans, our students, our student-athletes and athletics departments that sportsmanship is a vital part of the successful football programs we have in this country," said AFCA Executive Director Grant Teaff. "We wanted to show sportsmanship in a clear way."

Although support has been largely unanimous, some have taken issue with the initiative's necessity. John Rohde, sports columnist for the Oklahoman, argues the handshake will mess with a team's pregame "mojo."

Rohde writes that the handshake could potentially negate a fiery locker room pep talk. "Carefully constructed psychological preparation could disintegrate with the pressing of palms," he says.

Rohde suggests that shaking hands might make student-athletes less likely to look at an opposing team an "enemy," seeing them instead as fellow competitors seeking a similar goal.

So, what the heck is wrong with that?

It's not necessary to dehumanize your opponent in order to beat them. To win, you simply must play better than the other guys. If you're not prepared, no amount of angst will bring home the victory.

Rohde also suggests that encouraging teams to interact while emotions are at their peak, might have the effect of adding fuel to an already volatile fire. Would Rohde rather the team take it out in dangerous on-field hits?

I'm not saying that shaking hands will necessarily result in a more sportsmanlike atmosphere, but what does it hurt? It sends a signal of respect that is hopefully carried out throughout the contest and it sets a good example for fans and students.

Still, some student-athletes might need some convincing. "Wow, that's different," Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli told the Oregonian."That's unique. ... I don't like it. I don't even like shaking hands when you get out there with the captains for the coin flip."

It's clear, however, that something must be done to improve sportsmanship in college football and student-athletes like Masoli will ultimately benefit. Perhaps if there was a pregame handshake before last year's game against Boise State, Masoli might not have suffered a concussion on a late hit in the heartbreaking 37-32 loss to the Broncos.

"It's just another gesture to send a message that football is not a gentle sport by any measure," Marshall Head Football Coach Mark Snyder told The Herald-Dispatch, "but gentlemen can play it."

Brandon Deaderick, the defensive lineman from Alabama who was hospitalized after being shot during an attempted robbery, has been released from DCH Regional Medical Center. Admitted for less than 24 hours, the bullet reportedly pierced the senior's forearm and ricocheted into his hip.

It is still unclear when Deaderick will return to the starting lineup, a spot he held in all 14 games last year. Head coach Nick Saban released a statement Tuesday saying, "our concern at this time is for Brandon's continued recovery as our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family, not about when he will return to football."

University of Florida head football coach Urban Meyer signed a six-year, $24 million contract in recent weeks, and according to the Gainesville Sun, the coach of the defending national champions donated one million dollars of it to the Florida Opportunity Scholars program.

Meyer partnered with Gators basketball coach Billy Donovan to raise private donations for the scholarship program. The effort has brought in over $8 million, excluding Meyer's personal donation.

According to the Florida Opportunity Scholars website, the initiative is meant to "ensure first-generation students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds have the resources they need to be academically successful at the University of Florida."

ESPN announced that it will be showing the USC vs. Ohio State football game on September 12th in 3-D at certain venues around the country.

The Galen Center in Los Angeles, the ESPN Zone at LA Live, and single theaters in Columbus, Ohio, Hartford, Conn. and Hurst, Texas will all be distributing tickets to view the matchup free of charge.

According to the Los Angeles Times, ESPN has done in-house "practice" broadcasts using 3-D technology in the past, but the game on September 12th will be the first to use stereoscopic graphics, enabling the yellow first down marker to be seen in 3-D.

Pete Carroll loves to play pranks on his Trojans. Last year the team was surprised by Will Ferrell. This year, Carroll brought in the legendary singer/song writer Bill Withers who pretended to be an NCAA official, warning the student-athletes of a terrible new fungus danger. Withers eventually revealed his identity and played a few bars of Lean on Me for the group. The team recently began singing the hit as a motivational tool after summer practice.

Check out this video of Withers claiming to be an NCAA official warning the student-athletes of a terrible new fungus:

Watch the team singing:

Last year's prank with Will Ferrell:

An Ohio State fan created a video, asking Buckeye faithful to welcome Navy with open arms when the two teams square off on September 5.

The Sierra Club released its list of most environmentally friendly schools. The University of Colorado, the University of Washington and Middlebury rounded out the top three. In its analysis of the findings, the environmental organization also mentioned some athletics programs doing a good job promoting green initiatives. "The University of Florida," writes the Sierra Club, "has partnered with the nonprofit Earth Givers (earthgivers.org) to create the Neutral Gator initiative in an attempt to counter its game-goers' emissions. The effort includes lightbulb exchanges and reforestation operations throughout the community."

Efforts at the University of Colorado, including biodegradable disposable utensils were also mentioned.

Athletics departments have come under recent criticism for their failure to take green initiatives seriously. A recent report found that only 10 percent of Division I athletics programs have long-term plans for environmental sustainability and less than half claim sustainability as a high priority.

First-year Syracuse football head coach Doug Marrone announced yesterday that Greg Paulus, former point guard for Duke University, has earned the starting quarterback position for the 2009-2010 season.

Paulus, who graduated from Duke in four years, has a single year of eligibility remaining and will pursue a Master's Degree in Television, Radio and Film while steering the helm for the Orange. A Syracuse native, Paulus has already completed a summer semester of class work and added 15 pounds to his 6-1 frame.

Paulus last competed in organized football in high school in 2004 as a four-time all-state football selection and holder of six New York State records.

AstroTurf has agreed to pay hefty fines and replace fields installed over the last five years in its recent settlement with the California Attorney's General's Office. In its lawsuit, the Attorney's General's Office claimed the U.S. arm of FieldTurf Tarkett, AstroTurf and the Beaulieu Group "knowingly and intentionally exposed individuals within the State of California to lead."

Although the ruling will only impact California, AstroTurf has agreed to cut the presence of lead (used to keep colors vibrant) to 50 parts per million by June 2010.

"As schools and daycare centers replace grass with artificial turf, extreme care must be taken to minimize lead exposure," California Attorney General Jerry Brown said in a statement.

"This agreement is the first of its kind and will help make playgrounds and ball fields safe for our children."

For its part, the artificial field manufacturer has not admitted fault. "Out of concern for the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of California and all of the folks who come in contact with any of our products, we took immediate action," AstroTurf President Bryan Peeples said in a statement. "Our products were already deemed safe by national standards. We respect the additional concerns of California, and have already eliminated any intentionally added lead."

Last Friday a Delaware appeals court granted an expedited appeal to the NCAA and four major pro sports leagues, seeking to stop a new state law that would allow sports wagering. The state plans to begin allowing the bets on September 1. A hearing is scheduled for August 24.

The NCAA opposes all forms of sports wagering. Student-athletes can lose eligibility or suffer legal consequences if they bet on sports.

A recent New York Times Story brings to light the somewhat jarring and incomprehensible truth: left-handers aren't welcome behind the plate. What's up with the southpaw discrimination?

No one, including several major league catchers and Joe Torre have a good explanation.

"Is it because there are more right-handed hitters?" Atlanta Braves catcher Brian McCann posited in the story.

Who knows, but the fact of the matter is that there hasn't been a left-handed catcher in the majors in 20 years. There are some lefties in the youth leagues, but there's not one in the minors--according to the Times, they don't even make a left-handed glove for the pros.

Other spots, such as shortstop (there hasn't been a left-handed shortstop in the majors in 100 years) and second base seem to make more sense for a right hander. But, why no left handed catchers?

Maybe Mike Squires, a left-hander who caught two innings for the White Sox in 1980 and now scouts for the Reds, has the best reason. "You're talking about old-timers who don't want to change," he told the Times. "I always wanted to be a catcher growing up. But I was not allowed to."

Do you know of any left-handed catchers in college baseball?

According to the Columbus Dispatch, Tyler Moeller, a linebacker for Ohio State, was celebrating his grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary when he was inexplicably sucker punched by a complete stranger. The blow landed Moeller in Intensive Care and resulted in brain surgery that will sideline Moeller for the season.

When I read the story about Moeller's unfortunate injury, I was angry that a student-athlete would be forced to miss a season for such a senseless act of aggression, but was unfortunately not surprised. I, a 23-year-old female, have also been sucker-punched by an unidentified male without reason. No altercation, words or sideways glances were exchanged in my circumstance, and my hope--other than to bring to light that this does actually happen to innocent people--is that they find and prosecute whoever did it to Tyler Moeller.

I had a nasty black-eye, but am extremely lucky compared to the injuries Moeller sustained. My thoughts and well wishes go out to him and his family for a speedy recovery.

Social networking sites continue to infiltrate collegiate athletic programs this week.

Two freshmen football players at the University of Georgia updated their Facebook accounts with news of injuries from that day's practice--injuries that coach Mark Richt decided to leave out of his reports to the media. The next day, reports of the injuries were circling through online message boards.

Injury reports, especially once game competition starts, are deliberately reported so as to limit the advantage an opponent may have concerning game strategy. Social networking has thrown a loop into the equation that coaches are forced to confront.

According to the Athens Banner-Herald, Richt has a blog on his Web site MarkRicht.com and a Twitter account. Perhaps embracing the new technology rather than rejecting it will be more effective in controlling the transfer of information.

Oregon quarterbacks were recently fitted with helmet cameras, which are being used as a training device by the school's coaches.

"We're just trying to see through the eyes of the quarterback and help them make decisions faster," new offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich told USA Today. "You can get a good idea of where their eyes are at any time. It's a first-person account of exactly what they're doing. It's a way to reinforce what they are doing or what we'd like them to do."

What do you think? Are helmet cams a good training tool or simply a waste of time?

Beware sports journalists, Northwestern grad students could put you out of business and not just because the super-smart Medill grads will soon be out in the ever-shrinking journalism job market.

According to the Medill Web site, "Medill students Nicholas Allen, Tian Huang, John Templon and computer science student Thu Cung have developed a way to take raw sports scores (box scores and play-by-plays) and turn them into written news stories. All in a matter of seconds."

Ok, to be fair, the students aren't looking to unleash an army of newsbots to replace we inferior humans. Rather, they believe it's a good tool to help shrinking newsroom budgets and personnel.

"Our project is a way to keep journalism thriving," Huang was quoted as saying in the Medill release. "By expanding coverage and freeing reporters from writing the basic game stories, we're giving journalists the time to really focus on the features and analysis that drive readers to their publications."

So, what do you think? Is this technology good news or bad news for the news industry? Is there a use for it in sports information departments?

In response to the recession, the University of Maryland is cutting athletics-related expenses.

According to the Baltimore Sun, The Terps will travel by bus to and from Duke - a 270-mile trip - for the Oct. 24 game. The university estimates the savings at $80,000. The athletic department is also exploring taking buses one way - and flying the other - for games at Wake Forest on Oct. 10 and North Carolina State on Nov. 7, administrators said in interviews.

Like most schools, Maryland is trying to cut expenses without taking away from student-athlete's experience.

How is your athletics department trying to reduce spending in response to the recession?

Even the most avid golf fan may not recognize the name Bill Powell, but tomorrow the World War II African-American veteran will be presented with the P.G.A. of America's highest honor, the P.G.A. Distinguished Service Award.

Upon returning from serving in England and Scotland, Powell was denied the rights granted to him in the G.I. Bill and was refused a loan from all of his local banks in Minerva, Pennsylvania. Angry and frustrated with the injustice and racism he was faced, Powell refused to give up his dream of owning a golf course.

After borrowing money from hi s brother, Berry Powell, and two local African-American physicians, Bill Powell bought 78-acres of land in Canton Pennsylvania and got to work on his golf course. Sixty-three years and 52 additional acres later, Powell and his family continue to run The Clearview Golf Club, one of 15 places recognized by the National Register of Historic Places.

Check out the article the New York Times did on Powell, or tune in when he receives his award in Minneapolis on the eve of P.G.A. Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club.

Denis Clemente, a senior guard at Kansas State, hit this unbelievable shot during a game of H-O-R-S-E. Some are calling it the best H-O-R-S-E shot of all time, what do you think?

The SEC issued new policies for credentialed media to follow at all games, press conferences, practices or any other "event sponsored or hosted by the Southeastern conference or by any one or more of its member institutions."

The new guidelines restrict the use of game footage to clips no more than three minutes in length and can only be used within 72 hours following the event. Additionally, press credentials will be limited to "full-time salaried" employees, which is uncommon at many news outlets that rely on free-lancers and part-time employees.

Bearers of the credentials will also be forbidden from producing any form of "a 'real-time' description or transmission of the event. " The document states that periodic updates of scores and statistics is permissible, but will ultimately be subject to the discretion of the SEC on whether or not it is acceptable.

The new restrictions have many southern news outlets up in arms after years of dedicated reporting. Chris Rattey, new media director for The Tuscaloosa News and TideSports.com, likened the new rules to a monopoly of the reporting of SEC sports.

The move is to benefit and protect the new SEC Digital Network, but do you think it will help or hurt the viewing experience for the fans?

Gary Mussleman spoke to the First Team participants and stressed the importance of being a well-rounded person.

Tim Brown, a captain volunteer with the NCAA's First Team initiative, discusses the important lessons student-athletes learn from the program, which emphasizes education and athletics achievement.

This post was written by Marcia Stubbeman, associate director of publishing at the NCAA.

Suzetta Parks, a communication consultant, shared some insights with the young men participating in the First Team conference.

The new face at the Ivy League, executive director Robin Harris, will encounter a number of challenges with her new title, not the least of which is incorporating athletics into the Ivy's rich academic profile.

In working with presidents, admissions officers, deans and athletic directors, Harris will aim to promote and market the athletic conference while maintaining the importance placed on academics and the student-athlete's educational experience.

Issues regarding post-season play in football and basketball and the availability of financial aid among member institutions have long been debated, and while Harris says those are not on the table right now, she is actively looking to form a television partner to broadcast Ivy competition to increase the publicity of athletics within the Ivy League.

Student athletes at the University of Iowa are erring on the side of caution when it comes to social networking websites.

Beginning in the fall of 2008, the athletics administration began educating incoming student-athletes about the dangers of websites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Each student-athlete signs a contract acknowledging the school's internet-use policies and most coaches talk with their teams about the responsibility of representing themselves and their school in a positive way online.

At Northwestern University, each student-athlete is required to accept friend requests from members of the university's coaching staff, enabling periodic check-ups on student-athlete profiles.

Do you think this is necessary?

Are there any other initiatives happening at other schools to combat the irresponsible use of this new technology?

The New York Times reports that the F.D.A. has warned consumers to "not to use body-building products that are sold as nutritional supplements but may contain steroids or steroidlike substances, citing reports of acute liver injury and kidney failure."

The warning comes just one week after the supplements, Tren Xtreme and Mass Xtreme were found to contain steroids.

Before consuming any nutritional or dietary supplements, student-athletes should read the entire product label and check with their athletics department staff to ensure they are not ingesting any banned substances.

Seconds before jumping into the pool at the World Championships in Rome, Texas senior Ricky Berens did an impromptu test on the role the super-suits play in drag. While stretching, Berns' suit split all the way up the back. Without the time to make a repair before the heat began Berns dived into the pool with his backside exposed to every photographer in the free world.

"I kind of freaked out for just a second," he told reporters. "I felt like (the hole) was almost down to my knees. I felt like I was putting on a pretty good show."

Despite the unlucky circumstances, Berns managed to help his team qualify for the 4-by-100 relay and they eventually won the gold in the finals. A pretty good show indeed.

Legendary high school women's basketball coach Edna "Tiny" Tarbutton has died at 87. In her 33 years at Baskin High School in Lousianna, Tarbutton notched a 654-263-2 record, which included 218 consecutive victories from 1947 to 1953.

Tarbutton retired in 1977, five years after the passage of Title IX, which allowed greater participation opportunities for young female athletes.

President Obama's love of sport has highlighted his time as President and The Huffington Post put together a great photo album documenting his athletic endeavors since taking office.

Yesterday was no exception. Joseph Blatter, the president of FIFA, traveled to the White House to extend a formal invitation to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa to president Obama in hopes of boosting interest in soccer in the US.

President Obama had an agenda of his own, however, proposing Blatter and FIFA consider the US as a possible host for either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about the growing popularity of soccer in the US, and hosting this international tournament would certainly bring soccer to the center stage in this country.

Transitioning from life as a college student into life as a young professional can be challenging but the University of Kansas is looking to make it easier on its female student athletes.

The director of operations for women's basketball, Trena Anderson, is launching "Hoops 2 Heels," a program inspired by a similar series at the University of Oklahoma called "Sooner Stilettos." The program is meant to provide career-building events to female student-athletes who may have missed those put on by the University due to schedule conflicts.

The program focuses on topics such as networking, office etiquette and résumé building in order to help student-athletes trade in their jerseys for professional attire.

The New York Times reports that two popular over-the-counter dietary supplements, used regularly by high school football players, contain steroids. The supplements, Tren Xtreme and Mass Xtreme, are available nation-wide and on the Internet.

In a search warrant, investigators allege that the supplements contain man-made "designer" steroids, which include Madol.

"This is the supplement of choice for high school football players, and we have heard that from more than one source," Travis Tygart, the head of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, told the Times. "It's one of the more popular dietary supplements for these athletes because it works."

Before consuming any nutritional or dietary supplements, student-athletes should read the entire product label and check with their athletics department staff to ensure they are not ingesting any banned substances. As a whole, dietary supplements are not well regulated and may result in a positive drug test result if student-athletes aren't careful. If a student-athlete tests positive for a banned substance, they can lose their eligibility.

Like TrenXtreme and Mass Xtreme, many supplements do not list all their ingredients on their labels. Student-athletes take these substances at their own risk.

A few weeks ago we featured a post on an 67 year old pole vaulter. Well, in case you needed further proof that it's never too late to embrace sports, USA Today featured a great gallery by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Rick Rickman. Rickman is the official shooter for the senior Olympics and he recently created a book of his best stuff.

"I hope (the reader) takes away the fact that, no matter how old you are, you can be active and engaged in life and have a whole lot of fun and not be this fragile, decaying entity," he told the paper.

Check out some of Rickman's photos of amazing senior athletes.

From BaylorBears.com: The Bears, who had not made significant changes to their football uniforms since 2005, will now have three jersey colors to choose from, as well as two different colors of pants and two helmets. All told, Baylor will have 12 different uniform combinations (jersey/pant/helmet) at its disposal this season.

The word Baylor returns to the jersey front above the numbers for the first time since 2004 and the interlocking BU logo will again be featured on the shoulders.

Baylor's traditional Vegas gold helmet will again be the Bears' primary headgear of choice, however, a white helmet will also be introduced in 2009. The white helmet features a green stripe down the middle, with green interlocking BU logos on both sides of the helmet. BU wore a green helmet for select games from 2005-07.

See also: Oregon unveils new football uniforms, again

On his recent flight to Major League Baseball's All-Star Game, President Obama had an opportunity to sit down with legendary baseball player Willie Mayes. The two men reflected on the efforts of early minority stars and the impact they had in changing the public's perception of race. Obama thanked Mayes for paving the way to his election.

Check out this moving video:

The Hawaii athletics department announced it was pulling the plug on team posters -- a move the school says will save $30,000. In place of posters, Warrior fans can download desktop wallpaper of their favorite team for the computer.

At what point does cost cutting damage the school's marketing ability?

Notre Dame and Army will face off for the 11th time in the past 40 years, only this time they'll be doing it at George Steinbrenner's new-and-improved Yankee Stadium.

The two schools played each other 22 times at the old Yankee Stadium and will christen the $1.5 billion ballpark on November 20, 2010 when they square off for the 50th time in history.

The University of Utah is selling field passes for its home football games this season. The sideline ticket will include:

• Access the field stand on the field before, during and after the game.
• Tour of the football offices and locker room.
• Pregame meal and drinks.
• Personal host to ensure a memorable experience.
• VIP parking pass.

The pass costs $500 and only Only 12 will be available for each home game.

Dallas Cowboys' quarterback Tony Romo attributes much of his success in the NFL to being a multi-sport athlete as a child.

An excellent golfer, Romo draws a connection between his mental game on the football field and that on the golf course.

This reminded me of my post a couple weeks ago about the benefits of youth participation in triathlons. In recent years, many people have spoke out against sport specialization among our youth, where do you stand on the issue?

The Carroll College men's basketball program will be a family affair during the 2008-09 season.

Head coach Brandon Veltri announced Thursday that he will hire his identical twin brother Brock Veltri as assistant coach at the Division II institution.

Nike has redesigned the Golden Eagles' football uniforms. The team will have nine different uniform combinations available for the upcoming season. Three different jerseys (black, white and gold) that will be paired with three different pants (black, white and gold).

The new uniforms will be the first major uniform change for the school since 2001.

The NFL has raised objections to Delaware's recent move to allow sports wagering in the state. According to USA Today, the league has filed briefs with the state's Supreme Court.

"They have several avenues they can take," Anthony Cabot, a Las Vegas-based lawyer who specializes in gaming law told the paper. "One way is to attack its legality under the state constitution."

The NCAA opposes all forms of sports wagering. Student-athletes can lose eligibility or suffer legal consequences if they bet on sports.

I wrote a post in May detailing why I oppose sports wagering:

Here's the thing, I'm not opposed to most forms of casino betting (I think it's a waste of money, but to each his/her own). When it comes to betting on sports, however, I'm absolutely one hundred percent confident that plopping down money on the game is wrong. In my mind it comes down to the simple fact that, unlike games of chance, betting on sports is betting on actual human beings and people can be influenced and tempted.

Do you oppose betting on the game? What do you think of the NFL's opposition to the Delaware sports wagering rule?

Penn State football players raised $81,000 for the Kidney Cancer Association during their annual Lift for Life competition. The event has raked in almost $400,000 over the last seven years.

"You have no other emotion in your body but just to be happy because you know you're doing it for a cause," running back Stephfon Green told Penn State's Daily Collegian. "The same people that come out and watch you play every Saturday are the same people you're giving back to."

Edwin "Dek" Miller, 16, collapsed during his Northwest High School voluntary football practice a few weeks ago and passed away days later. The details of Miller's autopsy are still pending.

Last week I posted about safety measures that can be implemented in hopes to prevent these types of tragedies among young athletes. These incidents have become far too common and my condolences go out to all of Edwin Miller's loved ones.

What ways do you think we can better protect our student-athletes?

Conference USA, the Ohio Valley Conference, the Sun Belt Conference and the Big Sky Conference are cutting their media days. Instead of the in-person gatherings, conferences will offer reporters live video streaming or phone teleconferences as a substitute.

Do you think this cost-cutting trend will continue? When the economy rebounds will media days return?

The University of North Carolina inked a new 10-year, $37.7 million contract with Nike. The school's 28 sports teams will wear the trademark swoosh on apparel and equipment. Also, all 19 head coaches have individual deals with the company.

Want to sit courtside at the newly renovated Pauley Pavilion? Get ready to open your checkbook and/or rob a bank*.

UCLA announced courtside seats will require a $500,000 donation to the capital campaign, plus an annual donation of $17,000 per seat to the Wooden Athletic Fund.

* Don't really rob a bank.

Several low-impact sports like golf or swimming are considered "lifelong sports," but I have never heard pole vaulting mentioned in that category.

Bud Held, 81, and his partner Nadine O'Connor, 67, bought property to construct their own pole vaulting pit and Held will coach O'Connor in the seven events she is entered in at USA Masters Outdoor Track and Field Championships this week. O'Connor holds the world record in the pole vault for women 55 and older 10 feet, 4 ¾ inches, but O'Connor is still a spring chicken compared to the three 95-year-old men entered into this year's championship.

Held was a 1952 Olympian in the javelin at the Summer Games in Helsinki but may be kept on the sidelines this year due to recent surgeries and injuries.

Keep track of how this duo does at usatf.org.

Director of medical services and head athletic trainer for the Los Angeles Dodgers Stan Conte is trying to unlock one of the biggest mysteries of coaching: who can you count on to stay healthy and who will get injured?

According to the New York Times Conte has been compiling data for over 15 years during his time with the Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants in an attempt to create a formula for predicting the future health of baseball players. Conte works with statisticians from UCLA that use logarithmic formulas to hope to build a mathematical formula taking into consideration all aspects of a player including height, weight, ethnicity, career length and medical history.

While this project may never be fool-proof, it will become effective if coaches begin to believe in it. The effect that this may have on college recruitment could be huge. The idea that an athlete could be recruited based on a math equation instead of his current talent seems ludicrous to me, but baseball is known for its superstitions. Do you think this has a chance of catching on?

While twitter continues to blow up in the social networking sphere, Douglas Warshaw is attempting to make it a bit more user friendly to the average sport fan.

Warshaw, a former network news reporter, has created what he refers to in an article with the New York Times as "an interactive phonebook" that links you to your favorite athlete's social networking Web sites. Set up similar to the popular search engine Wikipedia, Warshaw's Jockipedia allows for fans to update an athlete's page.

Warshaw's goal is to have every athlete at every level with a page on Jockipedia alongside coaches, owners and sports aficionados. The site has 3,600 athlete pages and, according to the Times, about 40 percent have at least one link.

While the road to becoming an athletic director at the collegiate level may not be etched in stone, University of Nebraska-Omaha's Trev Alberts' path may be one of the most unique.

Never having worked in collegiate athletic administration, Alberts told the New York Times that he decided to apply for his current position on a whim after reading about the opening in the newspaper. This is not to invalidate any of the tremendous strides the retired NFL linebacker and 13 year sports broadcaster has made since his career change.

His accomplishments range from a $400,000 fundraising campaign to hiring a high-profile hockey coach and building him a brand new facility on campus. Check out the Times for a closer look at the job he has done so far.

In the midst of the controversy surrounding the death of Steve McNair, The Quad, the New York Times' college sports blog, paid a tribute to the football star's impressive career at Alcorn State. While at the university he threw for 16,823 yards and finished third in the Heisman trophy race.

The blog also has a lot of great links, including McNair's Sports Illustrated cover and his memorable pregame speech.

According to the Associated Press, two former cricket players won a reality show, "The Million Dollar Arm," in India for the chance to play in a professional baseball game in the US.

Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel, each pitched an inning for the Pittsburgh Pirates' Rookie-level minor league team. Patel threw eight pitches in a scoreless inning, outshining Singh who allowed one run and two hits.

Could this be the next place coaches start looking to recruit? Probably not, but the popularity of cricket abroad may be an untapped resource.

The National Football League Players Association elected DeMaurice Smith just over three months ago and his impact has already been felt by the players.

Smith travels to meet with NFL players to educate them on the inner-workings of the league, helping them understand its finances and funding. According to the Wall Street Journal, most players are unaware that the NFL is a non-profit organization.

This made me wonder about financial education for student-athletes. Many young people graduate with a poor sense of financial responsibility after having lived off meal plans for several years. All too often college graduates find themselves struggling with debt and student-athletes on scholarship may have an even lower understanding of money management.

Graduating into this tough economy, do you think a fiscal responsibility class should be offered to student-athletes?

On a weekend filled with British sporting civility and Wimbledon formality, the United States brings you the Nathan's hot dog eating contest. USA! USA!

For a trip down memory lane, check out this slideshow from the Huffington Post.

Clay Travis has a really interesting blog on Fanhouse, asking if it's time universities ban their student-athletes from using Facebook. He makes a lot of great points including:

I'm waiting for something that I know is coming, when a rival student holds incriminating information on an athlete and waits to unleash that information on the blogosphere in the week leading up to a big game. Can you imagine the ethical issues raised? What if a Michael Phelps-esque bong photo finds its way onto Facebook featuring a star quarterback? It rapidly disappears, but a rival fan has saved it. For a couple of months all is silent, and then that fan heads out to Las Vegas and drops a good amount of money on the line. Then he or she releases the photo online and waits for the inevitable suspension to ensue. Bang, he pockets the difference on the line, his team wins, and he walks away with a killing.

I guarantee you that a story line similar to this will happen in the next three years. Guarantee it. Just wait.

What do you think? Should universities consider banning their student-athletes from using Facebook?

After a year as a football-only member in the country's oldest historically black athletic league, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), Chowan University announced it would become a full member of the conference beginning in August.

Chowan, located in northeast North Carolina, is the first non-HBCU in the Division II conference's 97-year history. The university will have 10 of its 12 athletic programs competing during the 2009-10 academic year and will hope to expand additional sports in the future.

What do you think of Chowan's decision to enter the league? Do you think this is a positive move for the CIAA? Do you think it is a positive move for Chowan?

USA Today reports that overuse of energy drinks by college and high school athletes is a growing concern among health professionals. At the SUNY Youth Sports Institute's first national symposium on energy drinks, experts concluded that the drinks could lead to dehydration, tremors, heat stroke and heart attacks.

"There's a tremendous amount of caffeine in these drinks," Jeanna Marraffa, a clinical toxicologist at the Upstate New York Poison Center told the paper. "I would say: know what's in these products, have a sense of how much you're consuming and realize they are not safe. Certainly you can have toxic effects from them."

Do you believe student-athletes are abusing energy drinks?

What should be done to ensure safety?

As if Wimbledon hasn't been attracting enough negative media attention this year--see Marta's post yesterday--St Mary's Church in Wimbledon Village has formally apologized for charging spectators £20 and allowing them to park on top of graves in its cemetery.

The BBC is reporting that in years past St Mary's has allowed visitors to park on "graves of people whose descendants cannot be traced" and have donated the money to three designated charities.

A spokesman for St Mary's Wimbledon told the BBC, "Sadly, this year, some cars were parked in inappropriate places. St Mary's is investigating to see how this happened and no further car parking will be allowed in the churchyard.

"The vicar of St Mary's is sorry for any offence that has been caused."

Will Mike Krzyzewski bolt the Blue Devils for the NBA? The latest rumor had Coach K heading to the Lakers to replace Phil Jackson. That's not going to happen.

And, if you believe Krzyzewski (and you should) he's not going anywhere, ever.

He told reporters: "I'm not going to the Lakers. They have one of the great coaches in the game. I don't know where that rumor started, but there has been nothing done like that, and I'm not leaving Duke. Whatever you hear about anything like that, I will never leave Duke until I leave coaching."

Former NCAA champion and Washington student-athlete Ryan Brown is headed to the 2009 World Track and Field Championships in August. Brown finished third in the 800-meters on the final day of the U.S. Track & Field Championships at Oregon's Hayward Field.

According to a press release, Huskie athletes racked up seven Top-10 finishes: Brad Walker (1st, men's pole vault), Aretha Thurmond (2nd, women's discus), Brown (3rd, men's 800m), Mel Lawrence (5th, women's steeplechase), Scott Roth (tie-8th, men's pole vault), Norris Frederick (9th, men's long jump).

Brown is the first Huskie to earn his way onto Team USA since Jim Seymour ran the hurdles in the 1972 Olympics.

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith has been appointed chairman of the Division I Men's Basketball Committee for 2010-11.

Smith will succeed UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero, who will be chair for the upcoming school year. Smith has been at Ohio State since 2005 and is in his second year as associate vice president.

"Being a member of the men's basketball committee is a prestigious honor that comes with incredible responsibility to our membership," Smith said. "I have the highest possible respect for the colleagues with whom I serve. There is a high level of admiration for the way past chairs have handled keeping with the mission of this committee, and I look forward to the opportunity to continue the important work of this group."

Princeton announced yesterday that Chris Bates will become head coach of its men's lacrosse program and replace Hall of Fame coach Bill Tierney who surprised the lacrosse world by accepting a job as head coach at Denver earlier this month.

Bates, a Dartmouth graduate*, coached against Tierney during his 10 year position as head coach at Drexel.

Check out the interview I had with Coach Tierney about his decision to head to Denver and what it meant for the national growth of lacrosse.

*Originally misreported

At this year's National Association of College and University Business officers (NACUBO) annual meeting the economy was a hot topic. But even in this period of downturn, not all conversation was negative.

Public schools are finding higher enrollment rates, including an increase in out of state students with elevated tuition, as students are looking for a more affordable solution to education.

The Chronicle of Higher Education even pointed to the rare blessings found in rising costs. In the case of Hardin-Simmons University in Texas, the increase in oil prices is beneficial because they have oil interests and investments.

"It's a good time for doing construction," Glenn Carter, associate vice president for financial administration at Walla Walla University, told the Chronicle of Higher Education. "Contractors are hungry."

Schools that had budgeted for construction projects may be receiving more competitive rates in light of the decrease in demand.

With all the bad news surrounding our economy NACUBO managed to provide a bit of a silver lining.

We're a little late to this party, but the Web site Causecast has a really cool video of the Florida Gator's visit to the White House where the President praised them for their community involvement and services. The team shares their philosophy about the importance of getting involved:

Check out Causecast if you get a chance. From their Web site:

Causecast is a platform where media, philanthropy, social networking, entertainment and education converge to serve a greater purpose.

People want to do good, want to be inspired, and want to inspire others to join them in giving back. Causecast makes this easy by providing users with means to CONNECT with people, leaders, charities, nonprofit organizations, and brands that inspire them.

NCAA President Myles Brand accepted the 2009 Pathfinder Award on Sunday. It was one of his most public appearances since being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer earlier this year.

"It's been my great pleasure to help lead the work of the NCAA these past seven years," he said. "I believe it's a great mission, and we are now harvesting the benefits of our hard work."

Pathfinder awards have been given out since 1988 by the Indiana Sports Corporation and Indiana Black Expo to recognized individuals who have demonstrated a dedicated commitment to improving the lives of America's youth. Jack and Barbara Nicklaus and WNBA star Tamika Catchings were also honored.

You might have seen the recent video on Yahoo.com of AAA outfielder Josh Womack showing off his crazy bat skills. Well, another video of Womack's bat tricks is making the rounds, and it should end any debate about whether or not his tricks are real.

Womack said he has been doing these sorts of bat tricks since high school, and always boggles the minds of teammates, opponents and onlookers with his skills.

Last night Tiger Woods appeared on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" to square off with the host in three holes of golf--virtual golf that is.

Fallon challenged Woods in the Wii version of the video game Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 and defeated his guest handedly.

When I read this, I immediately thought of a recent article the New York Times did on cost saving measures colleges are implementing. Apparently, Dickinson College held a "virtual swim meet" with Bryn Mawr College, about 112 miles away, where both schools competed at their home pools and compared event times to determine the winner.

As ludicrous as this concept sounds, Dickinson's president estimated the school saved $900 on bus travel.