Last year, an NCAA dialogue about LGBTQ inclusion and religion found an unlikely host: Brigham Young University. An NCAA Champion magazine reporter traveled to the campus to learn why athletics leaders and student-athletes met at a school at the heart of the struggle to find Common Ground. Jack Ford with Rachel Stark-Mason, NCAA Champion magazine associate editor.

Athletics are integral to the experience at America’s military academies. Retired Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen understands that better than most. The former Army West Point football player leaned on the discipline he honed there throughout a decorated military career, which ended with his retirement last year. Jack Ford with Caslen, former Army West Point superintendent and 2019 NCAA Theodore Roosevelt Award winner.

While the men’s tournament has long held mass appeal, the women’s event also has risen to prominence. Marked by thrilling finishes and the emergence of new stalwart programs, the Division I women’s basketball tournament has generated growing enthusiasm in recent years. But what is transpiring off the court as the event continues to evolve? Jack Ford with Lynn Holzman, NCAA vice president of women’s basketball.

From Selection Sunday until the championship game’s final whistle, the Division I men’s basketball tournament captivates a nation as few other sporting events can. But what has to take place behind the scenes to pull off such a multifaceted event every year? The man who oversees the tournament explains. Jack Ford with Dan Gavitt, NCAA senior vice president of basketball.

Keturah Orji amassed eight individual national championships during her time as a triple jumper and long jumper at Georgia. She finished fourth in the triple jump in the 2016 Olympics. Yet she still made time to establish an after-school mentoring program for middle school girls. The 2018 NCAA Woman of the Year and 2019 Today’s Top 10 winner reflects on her achievements and what’s to come. Jack Ford with Orji, a former Georgia student-athlete.

From the targeting penalty to permitting fair catches on kickoffs, college football’s rules have undergone some significant changes in recent years for the sake of safety. While some have been embraced, others have caused consternation among teams and fans alike. A look at the process involved in crafting these rule changes and ongoing conversations to further refine them. Jack Ford with Ray Anderson, Arizona State vice president for university athletics.

As inclusion officers become increasingly common throughout college athletics, what is their role? Why are athletics departments devoting resources to this sort of expertise, and how is that reshaping college sports? A longtime inclusion executive reflects on the burgeoning field. Jack Ford with Katrice Albert, NCAA executive vice president of inclusion and human resources.

Conference commissioners at major Division I conferences routinely generate headlines, but there are more than 100 conferences in the NCAA, each with its own commissioner and staff. What are their roles? How do these lesser-known conferences influence college sports? A Division III conference executive shares her perspective on how the role has evolved — and where it’s going. Jack Ford with Heather Benning, Midwest Conference executive director.

Several college athletes die after workouts every year. Deaths don’t have to be training’s inevitable byproducts, yet they long have been. A Champion magazine writer explored the issue in a summer 2018 story that focused on the strength and conditioning profession’s efforts to help remove tragedy from training. Jack Ford with Brian Burnsed, Champion magazine associate editor.

“Leadership” is often tossed about without precision, its meaning elusive. But how does it manifest? In sports, what does it look like and sound like? The answers vary depending on perspective, but a former walk-on turned team captain at one of the nation’s top soccer programs shares what he learned about leadership on his rise through the ranks. Jack Ford with Paul Kapsalis, former Indiana soccer player and author.