Guest post: The next frontier for college sports? Going global

Good morning, and thanks for your continued support of Extra Points.

I’m hanging out at the hospital, helping my kid recover post-surgery, and am still a bit touch and go. So today, I’m happy to pass the mic over to Tim Bryson.

Tim Bryson (he/him) is the Founder and CEO of Walk With TFB, LLC. Walk With TFB is a Black-owned consulting firm that assists athletes, institutions, and brands with international athlete development, internationalization strategy, and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) education. His work has been endorsed by the Biden-Harris Administration as he was 1 of 25 Black American entrepreneurs to be selected to participate in the inaugural African Descendant Social Entrepreneurship Workshop in March 2023.

Tim is also a Ph.D. student in the Student Affairs program at UMD, College Park. Tim'’s research focuses on the relationship between internationalization and college athletics. A former Division I NCAA athlete and NCAA postgraduate intern, he has served as a sport diplomat on behalf of the U.S. Department of State and continues to be a leading voice in public scholarship regarding sport globalization and its impact on international higher education.

Tim would like to talk to you about the Internationalization of college sports. Let me turn the time over to him.

The transfer portal and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) have remained the focal point of dialogue, programming, and policy considerations over the last few years in college athletics. The transfer portal has introduced conversations about athletes creating “super teams,” while NIL legislation is reviving a personal childhood memory, the EA Sports College Football game. Together, the transfer portal and NIL legislation have pushed the college athletics industry into awarding college athletes the same rights as their non-athlete peers. These changes are also pulling college athletics into a new era in higher education where college athletes are empowered to take ownership of their learning and career journey. Yet, there is one reality our industry has yet to embrace: higher education internationalization.

According to the American Council on Education (ACE), comprehensive internationalization is a strategic framework that integrates policies, programs, and initiatives to make institutions more globally oriented and internationally connected. Internationalization is a process guided by a growth mindset which helps organizations advance global connectivity, interdisciplinary research and teaching, economic development, civic engagement, and higher education as a public good. ACE describes the following target areas as priority foci in an institution’s internationalization plan: leadership and structure, curriculum & co-curriculum, faculty and staff support, mobility, partnerships, institutional commitment & policy, and leadership & structure.

Whether it is a new term for you or a timely reminder, internationalization is happening. 

Our respective institutions have an internationalization strategy or are building one, directed by the Senior Internationalization Officer (SIO) or appointee. But this is not an issue we should punt to our colleagues across campus. Internationalization supports diversity, equity, and inclusion priorities, drives business growth, and sparks innovation. Deliberate engagement with internationalization practices as an athletic department is an opportunity to generate revenue, win championships, expand your global footprint, and adequately support international college athletes.

Let’s walk.

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