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Category Archives: The Athletes’ Voice

The Athletes' Voice • March 27, 2025

The Athletes’ Perspective: ESPN’s “NIL contracts have employment and pay-for-play all over them, experts say”

Original Article (ESPN) “NIL contracts have employment and pay-for-play all over them, experts say.” That’s the title of the informational ESPN article exploring how Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) agreements in college athletics are changing. It draws attention to how colleges are drafting NIL contracts with provisions that closely mirror the job obligations to that […]

The Athletes' Voice • February 13, 2025

Finding Purpose in Football and Farming: A Story of Faith, Family, and Bison

If you’d told me a few years ago that I’d be a bison farmer, I would have thought you were crazy. I’m from the South – Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to be exact. We don’t have bison down here. They’ve been extinct for a while now. It wasn’t until I started studying agriculture and farming that […]

The Athletes' Voice • February 11, 2025

More Than Medals: My Journey as the First HBCU Gymnast

I used to think that being a college gymnast meant you had to be the best. You must set a strict diet, train hard without a break, and eat, sleep, and breathe gymnastics. I believed that college gymnastics meant that you were supposed to be an All-American, national champion, and everything in between. But sometimes, […]

The Athletes' Voice • January 23, 2025

A Leap of Faith: My Journey from Basketball to Track By Sincere Robinson

My name is Sincere Robinson, and I am a senior long jumper at Rutgers University. Four years ago, my sport and identity revolved around basketball. On the court, I was passionate, self-assured, and most at ease. My senior year of high school should have been a defining moment in basketball, but I started to experience […]

The Athletes' Voice • December 5, 2024

The Canadian D1 College Athlete Experience

I always imagined myself competing in sport at a high level – but it took me awhile to figure out that I was fit to take my talents south of the border. My name is Hayley Manners and I’m a division 1 track and field athlete at the University of Central Florida, and this is […]

The Athletes' Voice • November 11, 2024

From Track to Triumph: A Former Clemson Athlete’s Journey Through Adversity

My name is Ariana Daley, and I competed on the Clemson Track and Field Team for nearly two and a half years before medically retiring and hanging up the spikes for good. My journey through college was anything but orthodox. Recruited after COVID hit, I joined as a preferred walk-on at my dream university, surrounded […]

The Athletes' Voice • September 23, 2024

A Case for Athlete Advocacy — Anonymous

From the Athlete: “If I had access to these resources, my journey might have looked very different. And that’s why I’m advocating for these changes—so that future athletes don’t have to face these challenges alone. To any high school athlete considering collegiate sports, my advice is simple: Don’t just chase the big names or conference […]

The Athletes' Voice • September 22, 2024

5 Health & Travel Tips with Flex-n-Fly’s Youmie Jean Francois

Tip 3: Stretch and Move During Long Flights or Car Rides Long hours of sitting can stiffen your muscles. Try to stretch every couple of hours or do some light exercises like ankle rolls or shoulder shrugs to keep your blood flowing and muscles loose. Before any flight or long ride it’s always great to […]

The Athletes' Voice • September 6, 2024

The Athletes’ Voice: The True Walk-On Experience by Alika Crawford

My name is Alika Crawford. I am a sprinter at the University of North Texas, and this is my story of a walk-on turned scholarship Collegiate Athlete. Growing up, I was always involved in sports. I participated in running clubs, ballet, gymnastics, soccer camps, volleyball, and basketball. Sports have always been a part of my […]