Opponents of the SCORE Act argue that it would strengthen the NCAA’s power while limiting labor protections and voting rights for college athletes.
A coalition of Black lawmakers and progressive Democrats has successfully blocked the advancement of the controversial Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act, a sweeping proposal aimed at reshaping college athletics and name, image, and likeness (NIL) compensation rules for student-athletes.
The legislation, introduced by Rep. Gus Bilirakis, sought to establish a national NIL framework while giving the NCAA and athletic conferences broader authority to regulate college sports. Supporters argued the bill would bring consistency to the rapidly evolving NIL landscape and protect student-athletes from exploitation. However, critics said the proposal would primarily benefit universities and athletic organizations while limiting athlete rights and labor protections.
According to The Hill, Republican leadership pulled the bill from consideration after failing to secure enough bipartisan support in the House. Black lawmakers and athlete advocates played a major role in derailing the legislation, warning that the bill would weaken athletes’ bargaining power and prevent future state-level protections.
One of the bill’s most contentious provisions would have barred student-athletes from being classified as employees, effectively denying them access to collective bargaining rights and certain labor protections. The legislation also proposed granting the NCAA limited antitrust protections, shielding the organization from certain legal challenges related to athlete compensation rules, reports Morgan Lewis.
The failed vote underscores the growing political divide over the future of college sports, particularly as Black athletes continue to generate billions of dollars in revenue for universities, conferences, broadcasters, and sponsors. Critics of the SCORE Act argued that federal legislation should prioritize athlete empowerment, long-term financial security, healthcare protections, and equitable compensation instead of restoring power to institutions already benefiting from the current system.
From the Hardwood to Hollywood’s AI Frontier: Carmelo Anthony’s Next Big Play
The partnership signals a structural shift in how sports figures leverage their personal brands.
Basketball Hall of Famer-turned-entrepreneur Carmelo Anthony is pivoting from the hardwood to Hollywood’s next frontier, positioning his production company as a cornerstone player at the intersection of sports media and artificial intelligence.
Utopai Studios announced on May 21 that Anthony’s Creative 7 Productions has signed on as a strategic partner to aggressively expand sports and entertainment intellectual property. The collaboration aims to pioneer an asset-heavy model for professional athletes, allowing them to develop, own, and scale original entertainment properties using PAI, Utopai’s proprietary cinematic storytelling AI.
Financial terms of the investment were not disclosed.
The partnership signals a structural shift in how sports figures leverage their personal brands. Rather than acting as hired talent for traditional Hollywood networks, modern athletes are increasingly seeking equity, creative control, and intellectual property ownership. Recent market indicators show that NFL athletes pursuing advanced degrees and building sophisticated corporate structures are part of a broader trend in which sports figures treat their post-career lives as enterprises.
“Sports has always been grounded in real human stories that can translate to powerful entertainment IP, but bringing those stories to life hasn’t always been easy,” Carmelo Anthony said in a statement. “PAI [Utopai’s proprietary AI] changes that. It gives us a more accessible way to create and build something with long-term value.”
Anthony, a 10-time NBA All-Star, alongside Creative 7 co-founder and business partner Asani Swann, will spearhead efforts to recruit professional athletes into original projects across film, television, streaming, and digital platforms. The venture’s maiden project will be an anime-inspired entertainment property built around Anthony’s career, legacy, and basketball culture, featuring a recurring short-form series and behind-the-scenes content.
The partnership between Anthony’s Creative 7 Productions and Utopai Studios marks a significant evolution at the intersection of business and basketball for several reasons:
The Shift from “Talent” to “Studio Mogul”
Historically, athletes entered the media as on-camera talent, such as analysts, commentators, or actors for major networks. LeBron James (SpringHill Company) and Kevin Durant (Thirty Five Ventures) changed this by becoming producers. Anthony is advancing this trend. By partnering with an AI cinematic studio, he is not only producing content but also building a technology-driven studio infrastructure.
This project demonstrates how the partnership allows athletes to move beyond traditional licensing deals and become equity-holding media distributors with ownership of technology and intellectual property from the outset.
Democratizing the “Athlete-Owner” Model
Unlike traditional production models that require significant capital, large crews, and lengthy development cycles, Anthony, a three-time Olympic gold medalist with the United States Men’s Basketball Team, is introducing a scalable, efficient alternative by leveraging Utopai’s proprietary AI. With AI-driven visualization and editing tools, athletes can quickly develop high-quality film, television, and digital projects, reducing time-to-market and lowering barriers to entry.
This approach offers a clear path for both active and retired basketball players to launch media ventures without large budgets. To expand this model, Anthony and Swann are actively recruiting other athletes to join this technology-focused ecosystem.
Protecting and Monetizing Athlete IP Globally
Today, NBA players have global brands, yet traditional Hollywood localization, such as dubbing and international distribution rights, remains fragmented and slow. Utopai’s existing operations in Germany and South Korea enable this venture to deliver basketball-focused content, including the planned anime series based on Anthony’s legacy, to international audiences quickly and in localized formats. Importantly, this business model uses AI to protect athlete authorship and maximize equity, addressing concerns about artificial intelligence in Hollywood by prioritizing ownership over replacement.
Normalizing the “Athlete Venture Capitalist” Archetype
This development reinforces a broader trend: elite athletes are becoming sophisticated corporate leaders. Following NBA superstar James Harden’s recent collaboration with the same studio (on an AI-animated short about his signature beard), the basketball community increasingly views technology and AI as core business opportunities rather than just endorsement platforms. Anthony’s move demonstrates that post-career success for athletes now centers on venture capital, intellectual property ownership, and technological innovation.
For the sports and business community, the venture represents a high-tech evolution of the traditional studio system. While AI tools are often criticized for undercutting creators, Utopai executives insist their infrastructure is purpose-built to preserve authorship.
“We are building a new studio system for the AI era, one that gives creators, athletes, and talent a more direct path to develop original IP while preserving authorship, ownership, and creative control,” said Cecilia Shen, co-founder and CEO of Utopai Studios.
Looking ahead, this shift could reshape the sports industry by encouraging more athletes to pursue business education and technology ventures during and after their playing careers, ultimately transforming traditional career pathways and redefining athletes’ roles as influential architects of the broader sports and media landscape.
Little Jaylen (right) and Big Jerome (left) in a still from the “It Takes Little to Be Big" campaign. (Big Brothers Big Sisters of America)
Photo credit: Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Big Brothers, Big Sisters Reports Growing Need For Male Mentors In San Antonio
The organization said many boys remain on a waiting list for months in hopes of being matched with a positive adult role model.
Nearly 400 boys across San Antonio are currently waiting to be paired with adult male mentors through Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Texas, highlighting what organization leaders describe as an ongoing mentorship shortage in the region. According to the nonprofit, the most urgent need is for Black and Latino men willing to volunteer as mentors for local youth.
The organization, which serves children throughout South Texas, said many boys remain on a waiting list for months in hopes of being matched with a positive adult role model. The mentoring initiative connects children, known as “Littles,” with volunteer adults, called “Bigs,” through community- and school-based programs. The nonprofit says those relationships are designed to provide emotional support, guidance, and stability for children facing social or economic challenges.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Texas currently supports more than 1,000 active mentorship matches in the San Antonio area. The organization reported that the average community-based mentoring relationship lasts more than 33 months, with some partnerships continuing for over a decade.
One of those long-term mentorships includes 15-year-old Shilou Mack and mentor Gable Crowder, who were paired together four years ago through a workplace mentoring program at Jackson Middle School in San Antonio. Since then, the pair has bonded over basketball, music, and community activities.
“Being able to look up to him as a leader, and showing me what he does, made me want to start doing what he does,” Mack said to KSAT. “It pushes me greater than I already am.”
Crowder, who also serves as the organization’s director of community engagement, said mentorship can provide young people with encouragement and exposure to opportunities they might not otherwise experience.
“The majority of the families we have are single-parent homes, and they need men, especially men of color,” Crowder said. “The impact that it has is needed, and it’s a must.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Texas said adults interested in becoming mentors can apply through the organization’s website, where volunteers complete training and background checks before being matched with a child. The nonprofit says its mentorship programs aim to help children improve confidence, academic performance, and long-term personal development.
From Gridiron to Ivy: Collin Johnson Retires To Join Elite Wave of NFL Academics
At MIT Sloan, Johnson will pursue an MBA, joining a distinct group of NFL players who transitioned from professional sports to elite academic institutions
While announcing he’d be enrolling at the highly prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Northeast this fall, NFL wide receiver Collin Johnson also announced his retirement from the league, trading complex defensive playbooks for intensive academic textbooks.
At MIT Sloan, Johnson will pursue an MBA, joining a distinct group of NFL players who transitioned from professional sports to elite academic institutions, further defining a trend among top athletes. According to a 2022 report by the NFL Players Association, more than 30 former and current NFL athletes have enrolled in graduate programs at top-tier universities over the past decade, including business schools at Stanford, Harvard, and MIT. While still a relatively uncommon path, the number of NFL players seeking advanced degrees at elite institutions has steadily increased as the league expands its initiatives supporting post-career education.
I’m grateful to share that I’ll be enrolling at MIT Sloan this fall to pursue my MBA.
At the same time, I’ve made the decision to retire from the NFL.
Football has shaped my life in more ways than I can put into words. It taught me faith, discipline, resilience, leadership, and… pic.twitter.com/BfpKp2QYqY
“Football has shaped my life in more ways than I can put into words,” Johnson shared via Instagram. “It taught me faith, discipline, resilience, leadership, and how to compete at the highest level. I’m thankful for every teammate, coach, organization, and person who helped me along the way.”
The 6-foot-5, 220-pound wide receiver from the University of Texas was a fifth-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2020 NFL Draft. He recorded career highs in his rookie season, catching 18 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson later spent two seasons with the New York Giants and had stints with the Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders.
At MIT, Johnson plans to expand ‘Beyond Sports’, an educational and venture-building platform he runs for current and former athletes. ‘Beyond Sports‘ aims to empower athletes to succeed beyond their playing days by providing mentorship, entrepreneurial training, and resources for building ventures. The organization has already supported dozens of athletes in launching businesses, pursuing advanced education, and preparing for life after sports, signaling its growing impact on athlete transition and personal development.
“For a long time, athletes have been seen as endorsers of other people’s companies,” Johnson said. “I believe we can be the founders, operators, investors, and owners behind them, too.”
Johnson’s path echoes that of NFL veterans who channeled athletic discipline into top graduate programs, helping reshape ideas of athlete careers beyond sports. Such high-profile transitions not only expand opportunities for athletes themselves but also challenge public perceptions, encouraging society and younger players to view professional sports as a launching pad for diverse pursuits in academia and leadership.
As more stories like Johnson’s emerge, expectations of what athletes can achieve after their playing days continue to evolve, potentially inspiring new models of lifelong learning and multidimensional career planning.
Take a look at a few examples of NFL athletes who have walked away from the gridiron to pursue degrees in higher education.
Doctorates and Medical Degrees
John Urschel: The former Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman stunned the sports world by retiring in 2017 at 26 to focus entirely on mathematics. Urschel enrolled at MIT, where he completed his Ph.D. He has since published multiple research papers and currently works as an assistant professor in the MIT Department of Mathematics.
Dr. Myron Rolle: Drafted by the Tennessee Titans as a safety, the former Florida State standout was a Rhodes Scholar who constantly prioritized medicine. Rolle retired from the NFL after three seasons to attend the College of Medicine at Florida State University.
Julius Thomas, a former Pro Bowl tight end for the Denver Broncos, decided to retire from football at 30 to pursue a doctorate in psychology, according to a letter he wrote for The Players’ Tribune as reported by Sports Illustrated. Thomas earned a Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) and completed a residency focused on community mental health. He continues to study cognitive science and performance coaching through his athletic development initiatives.
Business, Arts, and Creative Fields
Andrew Hawkins: Following a six-year career as a wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns, Hawkins shifted his focus to sports business. He earned a master’s degree in sports management from Columbia University, maintaining a 4.0 GPA while actively playing in the NFL.
Chris Conley: After a 10-season career as a veteran wide receiver with teams including the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, Conley retired to chase a long-held passion for filmmaking. Conley returned to the University of Georgia to study film, hoping to build a secondary career behind the camera as a director and storyteller.
For Johnson and others, retiring from the NFL signals not an end, rather a transition—a new phase in which the focus and drive required in football fuel their pursuit of academic and career excellence.
Damon Dash Launches Dash Records With Call For Emerging Creatives
Dash invited artists and creatives to submit portfolios for consideration.
Hip-hop entrepreneur Damon Dash is making another move into the music business with the launch of Dash Records, a new creative venture aimed at discovering emerging talent across multiple industries. The announcement was made through Instagram over Memorial Day weekend as Dash invited artists and creatives to submit portfolios for consideration.
According to Dash’s public open call, the company is seeking recording artists, videographers, engineers, producers, makeup artists, stylists, and digital marketers for its initial rollout. Applicants were encouraged to submit their work directly to the label, while supporters were urged to tag creatives who could benefit from the opportunity.
“We are searching for the best Hungry and talented Recording Artist, Videographers, Engineers, Producers, Make up artist, Stylist and Digital Marketers. Share and Tag Your Favorite Creatives. Come Get With The Hottest Record Label In The World. Please email your portfolio to: Dashrecordinglabel@gmail.com.”
The launch marks another entrepreneurial chapter for Dash, who co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records alongside Jay-Z and Kareem Burke in 1994. The label helped shape the sound and business landscape of late-1990s hip-hop through artists including Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, and Cam’ron.
Dash Records arrives at a time when the media executive has continued to expand independent business ventures while also publicly reflecting on his legacy in music and entertainment. Industry outlets reported that the new imprint is still in its early stages of development, with no official artist roster or release schedule announced yet.
The announcement also signals Dash’s continued interest in cultivating independent creatives at a time when many artists are seeking alternative paths outside traditional label structures. Hot97 noted that the venture appears designed to operate as a broader creative collective rather than a traditional music label alone, incorporating visual media, branding, and digital content creation.
Cardi B Expands Her Empire As The New Face Of Luxury Resale Platform FASHIONPHILE
The collaboration centers on the company's new "Get Your Bag" campaign, which highlights the growing demand for pre-owned luxury accessories
Grammy-winning rapper Cardi B is adding another fashion partnership to her growing business portfolio after luxury resale platform FASHIONPHILE named the artist its 2026 global brand ambassador.
The collaboration, announced May 20, centers on the company’s new “Get Your Bag” campaign, which highlights the growing demand for pre-owned luxury accessories and the resale market’s emphasis on long-term value. According to the company, the campaign was photographed in New York City and features Cardi B showcasing a curated selection of rare and high-end designer pieces.
“I love a good bag, but I love a smart buy too. I love Fashionphile because they really have it all. The rare pieces, the classics, and everything’s authentic,” said Cardi, according to Complex. “This partnership made sense because we both care about quality, style, and getting to the bag!”
Founded in 1999 by Sarah Davis, FASHIONPHILE has become one of the leading luxury resale retailers specializing in authenticated handbags, jewelry, and accessories from brands including Hermès, Chanel, and Goyard. The company has also expanded its retail footprint with locations in New York and Los Angeles while positioning itself within the growing circular fashion economy.
The company said in a press release that Cardi B’s influence in fashion and her reputation as a collector made her a natural fit for the campaign. The rapper has frequently showcased her extensive luxury handbag collection online, including rare Birkin bags and archival designer pieces.
“At FASHIONPHILE, we’ve always believed that ultra-luxury is an investment, not just a purchase,” said Davis, founder and president of FASHIONPHILE. “Cardi embodies that mindset in a way that’s both aspirational and real. She understands the value behind these pieces and brings a level of visibility and energy that expands how people think about resale.”
The campaign also includes a curated edit of Cardi B-approved items available through the resale platform. FASHIONPHILE said the initiative reflects the brand’s “shop-and-sell” model, which encourages consumers to buy, resell, and reinvest in luxury fashion.
The endorsement marks another major business move for Cardi B, whose fashion partnerships have included campaigns with Reebok, Balenciaga, and Fashion Nova.
John Hope Bryant looks for the rainbow that follows the storm
At the 2025 XCEL Summit for Men, honoree John Hope Bryant, founder, chairman, and CEO of Operation Hope, rallied the audience to draw lessons from the past, using Frederick Douglass, a businessman, abolitionist, and owner of prime real estate in Baltimore, as his example.
African Americans have contributed to the success of our country from the beginning. And as Douglass went from freedom to access, to opportunity, and to ownership, it’s part of a modern-day Reconstruction that today’s entrepreneur can learn from. And yet, success won’t come without its challenges. But remember, he tells attendees, as we approach the 10th anniversary of the XCEL Summit for Men, a “rainbow will always follow a storm.”
D’USSÉ Celebrates 30 Years of Jay’Z’s ‘Reasonable Doubt’ With JAŸ-Z 30 Box Set and Live Activations
The cognac brand co-founded by the hip-hop billionaire is honoring the legacy of "Reasonable Doubt" with exclusive releases, signature cocktails, and immersive fan experiences
Three decades after Shawn “JAŸ-Z” Carter’s Reasonable Doubt transformed hip-hop, D’USSÉ Cognac is launching a nationwide campaign to celebrate the cultural milestone.
To mark the 30th anniversary of Carter’s debut album, the luxury cognac announced the release of a limited-time Jaÿ-Z D’USSÉ VSOP collector’s box set. D’USSÉ, which was founded by the hip-hop mogul and the global spirits company Bacardi, will also host a variety of live events in Atlanta, Houston, Chicago, Washington, New York, and Philadelphia, celebrating the album’s legacy and Carter’s storied career.
Source: D’USSÉ Cognac’s limited-edition JAŸ-Z30 VSOP Collector’s Box Set (Photo courtesy of NIKE Communications)
“Mr. Shawn Carter’s codes of ambition, craftsmanship, and excellence are woven into the DNA of D’USSÉ, and JAŸ-Z30 is a powerful reflection of that legacy,” says Gigi DaDan, the General Manager of D’USSÉ, in a press release. “For 30 years, he has shaped culture through music, art, style, and philanthropy, and as a brand built as an extension of his innovation, D’USSÉ has continued to redefine the cognac category while honoring its heritage.”
To further commemorate the moment, D’USSÉ announced a signature cocktail called CODE30, which combines the bright, citrus-forward blend of D’USSÉ Cognac with lemon, amaretto, pineapple juice, and soda water.
Source: D’USSÉ Cognac’s limited-edition JAŸ-Z30 VSOP Collector’s Box Set and the CODE30 signature cocktail inspired by legacy, celebration, and modern cognac culture. (Photo courtesy of NIKE Communications)
“D’USSÉ was created to celebrate those forging their own path — and we believe the best moments are meant to be shared. There’s no better way to mark 30 years than raising a glass to community, legacy, and what comes next,” said DaDan.
Outside of the collector’s box set and cocktail, the campaign will host activations at major events throughout the summer, including The Roots Picnic, which the Grammy-winning rapper is headlining, along with his upcoming Yankee Stadium residency in July, dubbed “JAŸ-Z 30” and “JAŸ-Z 25.” The first will pay homage to his 1996 debut album, followed by a celebration of the 2001 release of Carter’s The Blueprint.
The performances mark JAŸ-Z’s first solo stadium shows in nearly a decade, reports REVOLT. Fans attending the events can expect dedicated D’USSÉ bars, specialty cocktails, and branded experiences celebrating the rapper’s contributions to hip-hop.
Does Serving on a Prestigious Corporate Board Actually Hurt Women’s Future Prospects?
New research by Harvard Business Review suggests that serving on a prominent corporate board decreases women’s likelihood of securing additional board appointments.
We all know how important it is to have women represented in the boardrooms of corporate America. Study after study has underscored the benefits of diverse perspectives on a corporate board, including improved decision-making.
Shellye Archambeau, a 2026 Women of Power Legacy Award honoree, who sits on the boards of Verizon, Roper Technologies, Okta, and Lineage, summed it up perfectly: “The broader set of perspectives you have in making any decision and hashing through any idea, will give you a broader way of thinking about it, will give you both opportunities as well as risks.”
“If everybody’s thinking the same, then every idea is going to sound perfect,” she told BLACK ENTERPRISE. “So you want people that bring different views.”
But new research from Harvard Business Review looks beyond representation and the impact diverse directors have on an organization to the effect that board service has on the directors themselves.
In a review of almost 2,000 board directors from the FTSE-100 (the 100 largest companies on the London Stock Exchange), where women now hold approximately 45% of corporate board seats, HBR found that women who serve on these boards are generally more likely than men to be appointed to additional boards. However, as the prominence of the board they serve on increases, women directors’ likelihood of getting additional board placements begins to decrease.
What’s causing this? HBR’s exploration of why this gender divide exists suggests two reasons that many women executives are already familiar with—increased workload and increased scrutiny:
“Our research suggests that this scrutiny is often more intense for women, raising expectations around preparation and performance and requiring greater effort to demonstrate competence. Women may also be more likely to take on additional responsibilities, such as mentoring, representing the organization externally, or contributing to diversity initiatives. These demands are rarely formalized, but they add up. They can shape how women are evaluated and how willing they are to pursue further opportunities, which helps explain why prestige can sometimes become a constraint rather than a springboard.”
Unrelated research shows that those extra responsibilities come at a steep cost for women, as female board members on the FTSE-100 are paid 69% less than their male counterparts, according to employment lawyers Fox & Partners. Even an apples-to-apples comparison of pay for executive (full-time) board members and non-executive (part-time) board members reveals that women earned 26% and 33% less, respectively.
HBR experts Isabel Fernandez-Mateo, Adecco Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at London Business School; Hans Frankort, professor of strategy at Bayes Business School, City St George’s, University of London; and Raina Brands, professor of organizational behaviour at University College London’s School of Management, shared their recommendations for what organizations can do to ensure elite corporate board placements lead to advancement for women directors. Those suggestions include clarifying expectations around roles, assessing how responsibilities are distributed, and pairing visibility with sufficient support and sponsorship.
