Fridays at Findlay to Feature the Changing World of Athletics February 24

The University of Findlay’s February session of Fridays at Findlay will look at the latest issues in the world of sports at the high school, college, and professional levels.

On Friday, February 24, “The Emerging New Normal in Athletics: Changes Impacting Sports” will be presented by Scott Grant, Ed.D., UF assistant professor of education and a national expert in NIL (Name, Image, Likeness), and Jim Givens, UF athletic director, former Detroit Tigers and Toledo Mud Hens player, and former Oilers baseball coach.

They will discuss many changes in the world of sports, including NIL, recruitment, and sports betting.

The event – open to all area fans, coaches, athletic directors, and parents – will take place in Winebrenner, TLB Auditorium on the University of Findlay’s campus. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. for a lunch buffet with the presentation from 12 to 1 p.m.

Grant is a former high school teacher, varsity head coach, athletic director, and school board member. He worked in the athletics department at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill developing leadership and personal branding programs to assist Tar Heel coaches and student-athletes during the onset of Name, Image, and Likeness.

Now with teaching in the University of Findlay’s College of Education, Grant also owns Triple Threat Leadership LLC and NIL-Education.com, working with more than 500 schools and organizations nationwide. He was the lead NIL educational speaker at the 2022 National Athletic Directors Conference in Nashville. In 2018, Grant gave a TedX talk titled “Ties and Tennies, a Pathway for Student Engagement,” outlining his belief in how personal branding can be an activated leadership engagement tool.

Grant created NIL-Education.com to provide educational services focused on serving high school athletic administrators and districts to truly help them understand what NIL is and how they can proactively lead in this “new normal,” while developing NIL-focused educational programming and policies for students, families and staff.

Givens, in his 25th year with the Oilers, oversees all UF athletic programs, made up of 22 varsity sports. Previously as senior associate AD, he raised more than $1 million through initiatives including the Oiler Golf Classic that he helped to launch in 2002.

In 1991, Givens was drafted in the 31st round by the Detroit Tigers. He played in the organization until 1996 as a middle infielder. He started at UF in 1997 as the Oilers head baseball coach, serving for six years.

A passionate supporter of higher education and the University of Findlay, he played an integral role in developing the new sport and event management program, serving as an instructor and providing work experience for students.

Givens served 14 years on the NCAA Division II Midwest Region ranking committee and chaired the regional ranking committee for five years.  A national baseball committee member from 2010-15, he was appointed the chair of the NCAA Division II national baseball committee for each of his years on the committee.

Sponsored by Premier Bank, the Fridays at Findlay lecture series encourages continued educational opportunities for members of the community, the campus, and alumni regarding best leadership practices.

Register online by February 17 at www.findlay.edu/FridaysAtFindlay or call University Advancement at 419-434-5334 for more information. The fee is $14 for adults and $7 for students.