I am really excited about the podcast this week because it is a little out of the norm – my guest is not a collegiate or professional athlete or coach but she is shaping the future of American sports in powerful and lasting ways. I’m so thrilled to welcome Dionne Koller, one of the nation’s top voices in sports law to the podcast.

Dionne is a professor at the University of Baltimore, where she directs the Center for Sport and the Law, and her work zeroes in on youth and college sports, athlete rights, and Olympic policy. In 2021, she was appointed to be Co-chair a national commission on the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and currently serves on important boards including the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and the International Sports Law Journal.

She also played a critical role in the national conversation around college athlete compensation, testifying before the U.S. Senate in 2020 as a legal expert on Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights— She offered a strong voice in support of athlete empowerment.

Dionne is also an award-winning educator, the author of More Than Play: How Law, Policy, and Politics Shape American Youth Sport, a former athlete herself, and the parent of two athletes—so she brings both professional expertise and personal perspective to everything she does.

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Game Changers. We hope you found inspiration and motivation in the stories of resilience and adversity shared by our incredible guests. Remember, no matter what challenges you face, your ability to overcome them lies within. Stay resilient and keep pushing forward towards your goals. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing it with others who may benefit from these powerful stories.