WELCOME - Collegiate Capitalism

Here is what sports executives, legal scholars, industry leaders, and college sports fans are saying about Collegiate Capitalism™, a book already shaping the national conversation on the future of college athletics.

Collegiate Capitalism™: Expanding the Strike Zone to Restore Humanity in College Athletics

In “Collegiate Capitalism™”, Attorney Donald Remy brings that rare “5-tool” experience to one of the most important ongoing debates in America: the Business of Amateur Athletics. As an Army veteran, Big Law partner, high ranking federal official, former NCAA senior executive, and a board member, who has navigated both professional triumphs and public challenges, Remy writes with the credibility and clarity of someone who understands that an 0-2 pitch count, on and off the diamond, very often is life’s greatest teacher. His reflections reveal a deep sense of candor, self-awareness and a willingness to evolve alongside the issues he examines, particularly in trying to live and lead whole and well. “Collegiate Capitalism™” is more than just another essay about NIL, revenue sharing, or the business of sports. It is a thoughtful exploration of accountability, opportunity, and the future of higher education and the proper role of elite athletics in a VUCA world. Moreover, Remy challenges readers to look beyond the headlines to consider the human beings at the center of this debate: student-athletes striving to balance ambition, family, education, fans, and economic reality. “Collegiate Capitalism™” is a must read for anyone involved in higher education today, or who cares about preserving the humanity elite athletes, finding a True North for American colleges and universities, and the future of college sports.

Rawle Andrews

Executive Director, American Psychiatric Association Foundation

Don Remy’s remarkable voice shines a light on financial equity in collegiate sports.

I want to congratulate the remarkable voice of my friend Donald M. Remy that is masterfully delivered to the sports world in his new book “Collegiate Capitalism™” which tackles an unprecedented and complex time for financial equity in college athletics. While I am still reading the book, it is crystal clear that Don has poured a lifetime of experiences and expertise into this project that deserves our attention and respect. I am certainly inspired to stand on Don’s shoulders and do my part. Thank you, Don.

Mason Ashe

Sports Agent & Law Professor

The Serious Debate College Sports Needs

An insightful and sometimes passionate review of the travails of the NCAA through legal challenges and some of the pivotal events over time that will inform the serious debate and strategies needed to design new models of elite collegiate competition for all sports.

David Berst

Former longest serving NCAA Executive

A Masterful Reveal

Donald Remy’s Collegiate Capitalism™ is an absolute triumph and a gripping, next-level reckoning that blows the doors off the amateur sports industry. Only someone with Remy’s powerhouse vantage point could masterfully weave in the intricacies of the legal system, mapping out how court battles and shifting antitrust precedents have played a massive role in dismantling the traditional collegiate model. Rather than a simple critique, the book exposes the monumental, multi-billion-dollar forces actively at play—from massive network television deals to the quiet, powerful arrival of private equity. Having competed in the historic first year women’s basketball joined the NCAA, watched my daughter compete for that same institution years later, and overseen women’s basketball across all three divisions almost 40 years after I competed, I saw firsthand how the collegiate model fell apart. Donald Remy fearlessly and brilliantly undresses these systemic flaws, laying bare exactly what greed looks like when big money takes over and organizations lose sight of their most treasured contributors: the student-athletes. Yet, these lessons transcend sports, serving as a masterclass warning to leaders across every industry about maintaining organizational integrity. Ultimately, Collegiate Capitalism™ is an urgent, poignant nod to meeting this exact high-stakes moment, making it an absolute must-read.

Anucha Browne

Former NBA & NCAA Executive

Amateurism to Capitalism, A Definitive History of College Sports

Remy’s informed overview of intercollegiate sports is essential reading for the serious student of the filed. It is not a polemic or a tell-all; it is first-person, contemporary history, invaluable for informed policy conversation, but also entertaining, lively reading. It recounts the long journey, fueled by TV money, from amateurism, never fully realized, to today’s pay for play in big-time college sports. It informs on current issues of collective bargaining and the looming effects of private equity. It considers the smaller schools, women’s sports, and Olympic sports and identifies issues for the future. Like Walter Byers, the first Executive dIrector of the NCAA, who wrote a book, “Unsportsmanlike Conduct”, after he retired, Remy’s book reflects on his personal perspectives on the inevitability of commercialism and the fairness of paying players in an environment of mega-media rights values. The book does not purport to have all the answers, but it has the informed details needed for constructive consideration of the future of sports in American higher education.

Greg Curtner

Founder, Curtner Law & Former Antitrust Counsel to NCAA

A Chronicle of Sports History That Cannot Be Ignored

“Collegiate Capitalism™” is a chronicle of sports history that cannot be ignored. As the NCAA’s former general counsel, Donald Remy was inside the room when the concept of NCAA amateurism began to change forever. Remy has succinctly researched the historical levers that got us to this place marked with court battles, athletes’ rights, compensation and the mad rush to Capitol Hill to “solve” the problems. He has correctly pointed out the efforts, flaws and failures of those who protected an outdated collegiate model at the same time it was eroding. Remy is a veteran and accomplished litigator with a compelling flair for writing about a complicated subject. “Collegiate Capitalism™” is a must read for anyone who treasure Saturdays afternoons in the fall and March Madness but still casts a skeptical eye at myopic commissioners, millionaire coaches, judge shopping and those who would profit off the only athletic model like it in the world.

Dennis Dodd

Retired Senior Sportswriter, CBS Sports

A Coherent Vision for the Future of College Sports

College sports have changed so much that it seems the only constant is the color of the jerseys. Don Remy brings a unique perspective to the changing college sports landscape in his new book “Collegiate Capitalism.™” He provides the historical context that is crucial to understanding how we got here — a context that is enriched by his personal involvement in some of the crucial legal decisions that shaped the current situation. More importantly, he lays out a coherent vision for a future of college sports that would be fair to the relevant stakeholders and preserve the elements of college sports that are enjoyed by so many Americans. An important and fascinating work.

Roger S. Goldman

Co-host, NPR "Mountain Money"

Donald's Perspective Is as Good as It Gets

I hired Donald for his first job, and I have watched him operate for 35 years since. As he’s become a close friend, I’ve seen him develop into a world class leader. Admittedly, I am not a neutral party. Nevertheless, I declare confidently that Donald’s behind the scenes appraisal of college sports is as good as it gets.

College sports has turned upside down, and most of us have only caught the headlines: the money, the lawsuits, the NIL deals, the players moving every season. Donald is one of the few people alive who can explain all of it, because he helped run the institution while it was happening. He was the NCAA’s top lawyer. He saw the decisions get made, and now he is telling you the truth about them.

What makes the book land is that Donald is a leader first and a lawyer second. He is not interested in scoring points. He wants you to understand the forces at work and to think harder about where this is all going. You come away smarter, and a little unsettled, which is the point.

If you love college sports, or you just want to understand how a great American institution gets remade in real time, read this. You will not look at a Saturday game the same way again.

William J. Haynes

Lawyer and former General Counsel of the Department of Defense of United States

Extraordinary and Powerful

Donald Remy outlines the unique history and legal principles of the NCAA from its beginning during President Teddy Roosevelt’s tenure to the current state of affairs. Through remarkable storytelling and personal experience as COO and Chief Legal Officer at the NCAA, the events of the past 20 years unfold and culminate in today’s Collegiate Capitalism™ prevalent in many athletic departments. He finishes with possible solutions and ideas to best serve student-athletes and universities. An extraordinary and powerful book written at a seminal time in college athletics.

Sue Henderson

Former President, New Jersey City University

The First Consequential Read on Intercollegiate Athletics

I believe history will reflect Collegiate Capitalism™ as a consequential read that removed the disingenuity inherent in conversations about intercollegiate athletics and replaced it with a framework for launching meaningful and productive conversations surrounding this beloved and polarizing American institution. Donald Remy provides a candid, inside look into the rise of intercollegiate athletics and its transformation into an economic juggernaut that left the history and promise of the amateurism model of intercollegiate athletics in its wake.

In Collegiate Capitalism™, Remy issues a clarion call for university leaders to move beyond finding ways to resist the change that has already occurred to intentionally navigating and managing the transformative opportunities before them. Otherwise, they risk being left further behind in the nostalgia of yesteryear while being steamrolled by the ongoing rise of collegiate capitalism™.

Remy masterfully brings all readers to a common point from which meaningful and helpful conversation surrounding intercollegiate athletics can ensue. Heretofore, such conversations were impossible because individuals only had access to their singular, unique lens through which they viewed the entire intercollegiate athletics landscape. Hence, such conversations were at best incomplete and at worst polarizing because each group had limited means for understanding the positions and perspectives of the other. Through Collegiate Capitalism™, Remy’s work equips everyone with the same lenses (historical facts, legal and societal context, and the underlying gamesmanship, greed, and cowardness) needed to have an honest and complete conversation surrounding intercollegiate athletics.

Remy moves the audience from the galleys of speculation and ill-formed personal opinions to a front row seat in the evolution of intercollegiate athletics from activities for amateur student athletes to what it has evolved into today. In so doing, Remy lays the foundation for society to have its first truly informed, objective, and meaningful conversation regarding the future of intercollegiate athletics on university campuses and in society at large.

Whether you are a university leader, member of congress, a student athlete, the parent of a current or prospective student athlete, someone who loves college sports, an alumnus, or someone who has been dumbfounded by the quagmire created by the NCAA and its member institutions, Collegiate Capitalism™ is a must read for you!

Glendell Jones

Former Georgetown Faculty and Henderson State President

Collegiate Capitalism™: The Battle for the Future of College Sports

Collegiate Capitalism™ delivers a clear argument: the future of college sports demands principled, transparent leadership amid ongoing industry change. Donald Remy, a friend and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Brother whom I’ve known for nearly forty years, exemplifies this with his consistent leadership. In his new book, he analyzes the critical moments and choices that have shaped the transformation of college sports.

Donald’s personal leadership journey, from defending the “NCAA Shield” to calling for essential reforms, shows how adaptive leaders must meet urgent challenges. His message is direct: college sports must confront reality and adopt a new vision that fits today’s landscape.

The NCAA and its stakeholders face a single overriding challenge: proactively lead the changes spurred by financial realities, rather than resist what is inevitable. College sports will be defined by economic pressures moving forward.

The book asserts that college sports, shaped by financial interests like membership dues and television deals, have never operated in complete amateurism. Donald’s expertise positions him as a crucial guide for the sector’s evolving future. His insights and integrity are indispensable as collegiate athletics change.

Continue your pursuit of excellence and leadership. I encourage you to continue driving positive change and setting new industry standards. Your achievements are commendable. Proud of you, my Brother.

Leroy Jones, Jr.

Advisor, Broadcaster, and Voice for the Common Folk

Insight from the person in the room where it happened

Donald Remy played a critical role in helping the NCAA navigate a challenging time in its long history. He lays out how collegiate sports got to where it is, and what the future holds. His thoughtful analysis of the future for this complex system is insightful and though provoking. If you like college sports you’ll love this book!!!

Doug Masters

Intellectual Property Legal Expert, Partner, Loeb & Loeb

A Clear-Eyed Assessment of College Sports

Donald Remy’s “Collegiate Capitalism™” is a clear-eyed assessment of the current state of major college sports and how we got here. The book, as he notes, is also “a roadmap for revolution.” Remy has unique expertise as both a former Chief Legal Counsel and former Chief Operations Officer of the NCAA. His work is authoritative, delivered in a style that is unflinching and sober. And believable. What Remy does so well is take you into the rooms where the decisions happened. And the decisions are not complete. The future of collegiate athletics is something for the nation to wrestle with; all of us.

Kevin Merida

American Journalist and Author, Pulitzer Prize Board Member

5.0 out of 5 stars An important book about the future of college athletics

Donald Remy brings a rare insider’s perspective to debates about the transformation of college athletics. As the former Chief Operating Officer of the NCAA, Remy witnessed firsthand the seismic shifts reshaping intercollegiate sports, and in Collegiate Capitalism™, he offers his analysis of where the system has been, and where it must go. At the heart of Remy’s argument is a straightforward principle: fundamental fairness. He contends that the evolution of college athletics, including NIL rights and other reforms, isn’t merely a response to legal pressures or market forces, but rather a necessary correction to bring equity to a system long overdue for change. Collegiate Capitalism™ is a thoughtful book that succeeds in framing the college sports debate not as tradition versus progress, but as a question of whether athletes receive fair treatment within an increasingly commercialized enterprise. Anyone seeking to understand the business and ethics of modern college athletics from someone who helped to shape its guardrails should read this book.

Tori Murden McClure

Athlete, Author, and Adventurer

Brilliant analysis of the gap between legal rules and moral sustainability

The Big Picture: In the rapidly shifting landscape of modern college sports, few concepts capture our current reality quite as accurately as the one presented in Donald M. Remy’s book, Collegiate Capitalism™: The Battle for the Future of College Sports. Drawing on his extensive background in law, politics, and sports governance, Remy delivers an incredibly timely framework exploring the massive commercial forces reshaping higher education. It is an essential read for anyone trying to make sense of the modern NCAA and NIL era. The Focus: Legality vs. Morality. The most compelling aspect of Remy’s analysis is his focus on the gap between legal defensibility and moral sustainability. As a seasoned attorney and sports executive, Remy understands the law inside and out. Yet, he masterfully argues that just because an NCAA rule or revenue-sharing model can survive a courtroom challenge, it does not mean it is ethical or sustainable for the human beings involved. He exposes how the application of law often allows institutions to maintain the financial status quo at the expense of the players. A Refreshing, Forward-Thinking Perspective: What makes Remy’s viewpoint truly excellent is his openness to fundamentally rethinking the relationship between college athletes and their institutions. Rather than clinging to outdated, romanticized notions of amateurism, Remy is remarkably pragmatic. He looks directly at the market-driven reality and openly considers progressive options like collective bargaining. He openly acknowledges that athletes are the driving force of this revenue-generating engine and deserve structured protections for their compensation, healthcare, and futures. Final Verdict: Collegiate Capitalism™ is a brilliant, eye-opening critique that pulls back the curtain on the business of higher education. Whether you are a legal geek like me, a sports fan, a student-athlete, an administrator, or simply interested in how big business intersects with civil rights, this book is indispensable. It shifts the conversation from sterile legal jargon to real-world solutions. Highly recommended!

Catherine Mitrano

U.S. Cabinet Agency Former Acting General Counsel

Outstanding and Comprehensive

As an entertainment and sports attorney and a law professor, I was eager to read this book from Donald Remy. I was not disappointed. Collegiate Capitalism™ is an outstanding, comprehensive look at this every changing area of the industry – collegiate sports. Well written, meticulously researched, highly informative, intellectually thought provoking, and enthusiastically delivered, Collegiate Capitalism™ is a must read for anyone who serves in the orbit of collegiate sports or anyone who has an interest in this rapidly evolving industry.

Loren Mulraine

Professor of Law & Director of Music and Entertainment Law Studies, Belmont University

Extraordinary and Powerful

Few people understand the profound transformation taking place in college sports better than Donald Remy. Writing with uncommon authority and striking clarity, Remy takes readers inside the forces reshaping collegiate athletics, illuminating the origins, complexities, and consequences of this generational revolution. Many have written about these changes. Remy helped shape them from the inside. Collegiate Capitalism™ is an indispensable read for anyone seeking to understand the future of college sports.

Vivek Murthy

An Indispensable Read for Anyone Seeking to Understand College Sports

A must read for University leadership, Athletics administrators, coaches, fans and athletes!

Based on his vast experience and direct involvement in some of the most significant developments and issues surrounding NCAA governance, Remy presents an extensive and inclusive history of many of the most critical and influential decisions that have shaped Intercollegiate Athletics as we know it today. Perhaps more importantly he presents a vision and rationale of where it should be headed and builds a strong case for this inevitable transition. A must read for University leadership, Athletics administrators, coaches, fans and athletes alike, who are interested and concerned about the future of Intercollegiate Athletics. Great job my friend

G.P. "Bud" Peterson

Former Chair, NCAA Board of Governors & President of Georgia Tech

The Hard Truth

Here’s a bit of the story behind the story and why Collegiate Capitalism™ is the most important book that has been written to date about the golden tip of intercollegiate athletics — the Power Five, Four, Two conferences of NCAA Division I. I first met Donald Remy on my way out the door after a 40-year career with the NCAA. Mine was a career that had spanned the relatively golden years of college sports when the whole was divided into only two parts — the University Division and the College Division. From 1972 to 2012, I was present as the NCAA moved from a staff of 34 to nearly 500 by the time I retired, as the programs divided themselves into three divisions with one that allowed no athletics scholarships to its athletes to Division I that subdivided again into two parts truly separating the power elite from all the rest, and as television with its endless pumping of money into the top of a pyramid where coaches, athletics directors, conference commissioners and NCAA staffers, including myself, continued to pretend it was 1972. Indeed, I was writing the speeches, position papers and Congressional testimonies that argued it was. I was wrong. And so was Donald Remy who defended the association and the top end of the myth during his tenure as the NCAA’s top lawyer. It was our jobs to defend that which could no longer be defended. And that is what makes Collegiate Capitalism™ so powerful, so necessary and so timely. Because of his position, experience, and legal abilities, Donald held the inevitable at bay for much longer than was likely given the rising tides of corruption, power grabs and money that were carrying the myth of amateurism within the elite programs in Division into its final days. He meticulously reports the changing behaviors of all those involved in trying to patch up college sports and fill the hole where its heart used to be. What happens next is anyone’s guess, but Donald’s book does provide a pathway to a new future if those same programs choose to follow. I suppose there will be those who argue that Donald Remy is a turncoat, that he is betraying the very thing that he helped sustain. The truth is quite the opposite. And Donald’s book is an honest appraisal of what happens to a mindset that clings to a tarnished ideal while enjoying all the benefits of a new driver — capitalism.

Wallace Renfro

Career NCAA staffer and Presidential Speechwriter

A Required Reading for Everyone in Collegiate Athletics

Collegiate Capitalism™: The Battle for the Future of Collegiate Sports, by Donald M. Remy the former chief operating officer and legal council for the NCAA is a must read. This book should be required reading for all who work in collegiate athletics, aspire to work in collegiate athletics, sports law professors, sports attorneys, professors of sports administration, students at every level who are studying sports law, or athletics administration, sports reporters, and the serious collegiate sports fans. Collegiate Capitalism™ traces the creation and evolution of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) through the experiences of it’s author who was one of the NCAA’s most experienced and prominent chief operating officer and legal council. Mr. Remy has created a comprehensive look at how the NCAA has evolved from an organization built on rules to protect an amateurism model, to an organization that looks closer to a professional sports organization. Collegiate Capitalism™ provides details of a behind the scenes look at how the NCAA historically has been dedicated to preserving amateurism, to help foster fair play on and off the playing fields and to protect the health and welfare of student athletes while at the same time growing the collegiate sports business model to provide greater financial resources to its membership. Through the examination of the NCAA’s legal battles it is apparent that the amateurism model that the NCAA protected for so many years, no longer exists. Collegiate Capitalism™ examines the successful legal rulings that eventually pave the way for future legal arguments that led to the NCAA loosing significant amateurism cases. These rulings would eventually cause the NCAA to change its focus on strengthening its amateurism rules to modifying the same to permit student athletes to share in the revenue being generated by them. I highly recommend reading collegiate capitalism™ for anyone desiring to better understand the major changes, challenges and opportunities the NCAA has faced in the past and what lies ahead in the future. I give Collegiate Capitalism™ my highest rating. Five stars out of five.

College Sports Is Being Remade. This Is How It Happened.

Debuting at #1 on Amazon's Sports Law Best Sellers List

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DonaldM. Remy

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