Human Rights Institute Hosts Panel on the Evolving Landscape of Collegiate Sports in Advance of the NCAA Tournament

One week before the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament comes to the SAP Center down the street from San José State, the Human Rights Institute (HRI) at SJSU hosted the second of its Sports and Human Rights Symposia at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library.

Michael Dao, HRI director and associate professor of kinesiology, moderated the panel, "The Evolving Landscape in Collegiate Sports: A Conversation with Faculty Athletics Representatives from Bay Area Universities," a wide-ranging conversation that featured Travis Boyce, chair of the African American Studies Department at SJSU; Nicole Bolter, kinesiology professor at San Francisco State University; Summer Jackson, associate professor of criminal justice at Cal State East Bay; and Jay Mitchell, professor emeritus of law at Stanford University. Each panelist also serves as their respective university's faculty athletics representatives (FAR).

"I'm honored to be the faculty athletics representative for SJSU, which means I serve as the president's designee to represent the institution on behalf of athletics," said Boyce. "This means we monitor academic integrity and student wellbeing on behalf of the school."

Boyce holds weekly office hours on South Campus, where he assists student-athletes with policies and rules regarding their eligibility, regularly meets with head coaches and communicates any scheduling or compliance issues with the university president. Because many Division I student-athletes travel frequently for competitions, the added time needed to travel and compete can present conflicts with class schedules, and sometimes even midterms and exams. The faculty athletics representative is available to assist student-athletes who need to align the demands of their sport with the academic rigors of their majors.

Bolter added that "the biggest challenge is getting student-athletes to understand how to advocate for themselves in a position where they have the least amount of power." Both coaches and professors have their own policies, standards and expectations, and at times it can be challenging to meet everyone's needs. That's where faculty athletics representatives can help student-athletes voice their concerns.

The panel also explored how student-athletes can now profit from the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL), as well as new realities created by the transfer portal, an online database of student-athletes who declare their intentions to transfer, allowing coaches from other schools to recruit them. Both of these developments, which have been introduced and often litigated in recent years, can have unintended consequences for higher education.

"NILs have changed the landscape of athletics completely," said Jackson, who works at a Division II school. "The pros are obvious: Student-athletes can make money off their athletics. The cons aren't as obvious, though. It can be overwhelming for student-athletes to feel like they have to market themselves or risk missing out on something."

Jackson also said that NILs do not take into account Title IX or preexisting equity gaps, as the student-athletes who stand to profit the most are likely competing in revenue-generating sports like football or basketball - in other words, more men than women. She addressed two female student-athletes in the audience, asking: "How do we know that the equity gap will be addressed? Does that feel fair to you?"

All of the panelists agreed that both NIL and the transfer portal have big implications on the future of athletic recruitment and retention. Whereas historically, student-athletes were limited to the number of times they could transfer between universities, now they can act more independently, sometimes transferring multiple times if they find better NIL opportunities or playing time at different institutions. While there are many reasons student-athletes may choose to transfer, including academics, the constant movement affects the cohesion and strength of a team sport where student-athletes rely on each other to grow.

"Every time you transfer, you have to figure out your classes all over again," said Jackson. "How long will it take to get your degree, and how will all these changes prepare you? Will you be able to make strong bonds with your teammates if you are transferring five, six, seven times?"

Boyce added that when students transfer into a school, department or academic program, it affects class sizes and availability, which in turn can impact the road to graduation.

Though the athletics landscape can be different for private institutions like Stanford, Mitchell said that the trickle-down effects of NIL and the transfer portal ends up impacting both high-visibility sports like football and basketball, as well as Olympic sports like fencing, gymnastics or golf, which may not command the same stadium numbers but still require demanding practice schedules, travel to competitions and years of dedication.

"I don't think it's an overstatement that none of this - the travel, the transfer portal, the NIL money - has anything to do with getting an education," said Mitchell. "In fact, it impacts faculty, relationships, degrees, and creates a more transactional relationship between students and schools."

Members of the audience, which included student-athletes, coaches and faculty members, raised questions about equity, as well as the benefits of student-athletes earning a profit off their sport.

All four faculty athletics representatives agreed that student-athletes in 2026 are navigating exciting opportunities and challenges on their journeys to succeed in sport and in their careers. Dao concluded the event with the reminder that the final Sports and Human Rights Symposia is scheduled for April 22, and will cover global human rights issues related to mega sports events such as the FIFA World Cup.