A definite highlight of the 2025 NAFUSA conference was the hour spent listening to four-time Emmy nominee Jay Bilas, an ESPN college basketball analyst who has repeatedly been named the BEST analyst in college basketball by Sports Illustrated and other sports media. The feedback from many conference attendees was that Bilas more than deserves that accolade, and more than one attendee claimed to have come to D.C. just to hear his presentation.

In a question/answer session with NAFUSA president-elect Tim Purdon, Bilas – a former Duke basketball star and a lawyer – shared his perspective on the changing face of college athletics. The conversation was fast-paced and touched on many of the controversial issues facing college athletes, university sports programs and sports fans. He discussed the impact of NIL (name, imaging and likeness) and the ability of college athletes to change schools through a “portal.” He talked about how the money is divided between the universities themselves, the coaches and athletes, and the impact sports media such as ESPN has on the game, from the perspective of a lawyer and former college athlete. His insightful comments about the impact on, and benefit to, college athletes themselves was perhaps the most thought-provoking part of his presentation, especially when considering the staggering amounts of money paid to many coaches and sports programs based on the performance of these college students. His strong background as a college athlete, sports analyst and lawyer was clear in his ability to give real examples of how the changes in collegiate sports could benefit college athletes as well as create challenges.

Many thanks to Jay Bilas for sharing his time and expertise with NAFUSA members and for his candid and thoughtful responses to Tim’s (and the audience’s) questions. He deserves an Emmy.