By Gene Galin
Pittsboro, NC – Steve Newmark returned to familiar territory last Tuesday morning with an unfamiliar challenge before him: explaining how the University of North Carolina can preserve the traditions of college athletics while competing in a rapidly changing, increasingly expensive and legally unsettled sports economy.
Speaking at the 79° West Breakfast Club in Pittsboro on August 4, the new UNC director of athletics described Carolina sports as a source of identity, community connection and educational opportunity. He also offered a candid account of the financial pressures confronting the department, from direct payments to athletes and escalating roster costs to court decisions that can abruptly alter eligibility rules.
His message was neither nostalgic nor fatalistic. UNC, he said, must adapt without surrendering the broad-based athletic program and academic mission that distinguish it.
“We have an unbelievable foundation,” Newmark told the audience. “I feel like I’m standing on the shoulders of giants.”
Newmark officially became UNC’s athletic director on July 1 after serving nearly a year as executive associate athletic director. A Chapel Hill native, he arrived at Carolina following 15 years as president of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, where his work included sponsorships, marketing, operations and major commercial negotiations. UNC now lists him as the leader of a 28-sport department guided by the mission, “We educate and inspire through athletics.”
His appearance was part of 79° West’s monthly Breakfast Club series at MOSAIC in Chatham Park.
A homecoming shaped by Chapel Hill
Before discussing budgets, court cases or revenue, Newmark began with place.
He grew up off Ephesus Church Road in the Colony Woods neighborhood, attended Ephesus Elementary School and Chapel Hill High School, and remembered a community small enough that there was only one public high school. He later attended William & Mary and the University of Virginia, but said he remained “the Carolina guy” wherever his education and career took him.
That identity, he said, was formed not simply by victories in football or men’s basketball, but by the breadth of UNC athletics. He recalled watching the women’s soccer dynasty built by Anson Dorrance, Karen Shelton’s field hockey program and national championship lacrosse teams.
Sporting events became markers in family history — from celebrating the 1982 men’s basketball championship on Franklin Street as a child to taking his own children to Carolina games years later.
To Newmark, that continuity is one of the most important assets college sports can offer.
“Athletics has always served a broader purpose,” he said.
Competition and elite performance matter, he added, but sports also provide “connective tissue that ties all of us together.”
Newmark described athletics as an institution linking alumni, students, families, donors and residents who may never attend a class at UNC but still feel connected through its teams. That visibility, he said, creates a responsibility to serve the university’s broader mission of education, research and public engagement.
Athletics as the university’s marketing arm
Newmark’s professional background gives him an unusual vantage point. He has worked in commercial sports at a high level, including as part of an ownership structure connected to Fenway Sports Group, whose sports holdings have included the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club.
At RFK Racing, he helped negotiate commercial agreements and build a recognizable national brand. UNC credits him and his team with negotiating more than $825 million in commercial deals during his tenure.
At the Breakfast Club, he drew a direct comparison between the transformation of college sports and the disruption that reshaped other industries when the internet and e-commerce emerged.
Some businesses, he said, might have preferred the personal-service economy of the 1980s and 1990s. But those that refused to adapt risked being left behind. College athletics, in his view, has reached a similar point. The older model — built around scholarships, amateurism, conference stability and comparatively modest operating costs — no longer exists.
“There’s no doubt the cost of athletics has gone through the roof,” he said. “We can lament that, but that’s what the market is.”
His answer is not to abandon tradition, but to treat athletics more strategically. Newmark said the department should be viewed, in part, as the marketing arm of the university.
Fortune 500 companies invest in marketing because it connects customers to the larger enterprise, he said. In much the same way, Carolina athletics can introduce people to UNC, deepen loyalty and encourage support that later extends into academic programs, research, scholarships and other university priorities.
His vision is built around two simultaneous goals — using Carolina’s brand more aggressively while protecting the values that made it valuable in the first place.
The revenue-sharing era arrives
Nothing illustrates the new economic reality more clearly than athlete compensation.
Newmark offered the audience a brief history of name, image and likeness rights, commonly known as NIL. For decades, college athletes generally received scholarships and institutional support but could not be paid for the commercial use of their identities.
Court challenges and policy changes dismantled much of that structure, beginning with outside NIL opportunities and advancing to direct revenue sharing by schools.
In June 2025, a federal judge approved the House v. NCAA settlement, authorizing Division I institutions to make direct payments to athletes. The initial annual cap was approximately $20.5 million per school, with increases built into the settlement’s 10-year term.
The agreement also established a review system for many third-party NIL deals and left unresolved questions involving Title IX, athlete employment and future antitrust litigation.
Newmark told the Pittsboro Breakfast Club audience that he views athlete compensation as fundamentally fair, particularly in a business where enormous sums flow through media contracts, ticket sales, sponsorships and licensing.
His criticism was directed less at the principle of payment than at the absence of a stable system.
“We don’t actually have a very good structure around it,” he said.
That lack of structure has changed roster building. Coaches must now consider a player’s market value alongside athletic ability, academic fit and positional need.
Newmark recalled new UNC men’s basketball coach Michael Malone, who came from the NBA, seeing a recruiting board with a dollar figure beside each name — and being surprised by how explicitly financial the college process had become.
Agents and intermediaries operate in a market without the mature collective bargaining rules, standardized contracts and enforcement mechanisms found in professional leagues. That uncertainty fuels what Newmark called an “irrational arms race.”
Headlines about money can obscure the majority
Even as Newmark acknowledged the importance of compensation, he cautioned against allowing the largest NIL figures to define the public’s understanding of college athletics.
UNC has hundreds of athletes, he said, and most are not receiving the eye-catching payments associated with star quarterbacks or elite basketball prospects. Their experience still revolves around scholarships, classes, training, travel, academic advising, mental health services, career preparation and the transition to adult life.
Newmark said one of the biggest surprises in returning to college sports was discovering how much of the athletic department’s daily work still looks like what the public expects.
UNC employs roughly 290 people in athletics, he said, and most are focused on supporting students rather than negotiating high-dollar deals.
He pointed to academic results as evidence. According to figures he cited, UNC athletes had completed 15 consecutive semesters with a combined grade-point average of at least 3.0, with a recent average around 3.3. He said 88 athletes earned 4.0 GPAs and more than 500 were named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll.
College athletes, he said, balance academic work with early workouts, practices, travel and recovery. The NCAA notes that 98% “go pro in something other than sports,” underscoring the importance of education and career preparation even in an era dominated by compensation headlines.
Newmark said Carolina needs to tell that story more effectively.
“The narrative has been hijacked by ‘it’s all about money,’” he said.
His concern was not that the public should ignore the economics. Rather, he argued that the economics should not erase the educational and developmental work taking place across the department.
Competitive success across 28 sports
UNC’s broad athletic portfolio is central to its identity and to its financial challenge.
The university sponsors 28 varsity sports, more than most Division I institutions. Newmark noted that many comparable universities operate between 17 and 21 teams. Carolina’s history, especially in women’s and Olympic sports, has made the larger program a source of institutional pride.
That breadth continues to produce national results. UNC finished fourth in the final 2025-26 Learfield Directors’ Cup standings, which measure all-sports performance across Division I. The Tar Heels earned 1,166.75 points and posted national runner-up finishes in women’s lacrosse and baseball.
Newmark cited similar measures in Pittsboro, saying 25 of UNC’s 28 teams reached postseason competition and 17 finished among the nation’s top 25. Those outcomes support his description of Carolina as an elite all-sports department rather than a university defined only by football and men’s basketball.
But the business model is uneven.
“We’ve got 28 sports,” he said. “Two of them make money and 26 lose money.”
Football and men’s basketball generate the bulk of ticket, media and commercial revenue. The remaining programs produce educational opportunities, championships, school pride, Olympic athletes and community engagement, but generally require subsidy from the department’s overall budget.
Unlike a conventional business, a university athletic department has educational obligations. Newmark said the 26 sports that do not generate net revenue remain essential to Carolina’s identity, making new revenue — not simple contraction — the central task.
“You can’t cut your way to prosperity”
Newmark said some universities have responded to the new economics by eliminating teams. He cited the loss of men’s tennis at Arkansas as an example of institutions recalibrating their athletic portfolios.
He did not suggest UNC is preparing to follow that path. Instead, he repeatedly emphasized innovation, entrepreneurship and more effective use of existing assets.
“I think most of us believe you can’t cut your way to prosperity,” he said.
UNC’s challenge is especially sharp because it competes nationally against schools with larger budgets and fewer teams. Newmark said Carolina must find ways to “do more with less” while remaining competitive in high-cost sports and protecting Olympic and women’s programs.
The department has already begun experimenting. Newmark cited the Savannah Bananas’ appearance in Chapel Hill as an athletics-led initiative that served the community and generated money that could be reinvested in the department.
Before taking office, Newmark discussed corporate partnerships, new sponsorship categories, jersey patches, naming rights, monetized content and premium seating options.
Applying methods familiar from professional sports will require care because UNC’s venues, uniforms and traditions carry emotional meaning. His argument is that professional-level business discipline can help preserve the parts of college sports that are not self-supporting.
Court rulings can rewrite plans overnight
Financial pressure is only one part of the instability. Newmark described an environment in which court decisions can change roster rules with little warning.
He pointed to a federal ruling issued days before the Breakfast Club.
On July 31, U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney in Colorado granted a class-wide preliminary injunction giving certain Division I athletes from the high school Class of 2022 an additional season of eligibility. The ruling applied to athletes who began college competition in 2022-23 and exhausted four seasons by the end of 2025-26.
Newmark said UNC coaches immediately began asking whether former All-Americans could return. Those questions were not merely theoretical. Teams had already established rosters, worked through admissions decisions and allocated scholarships and revenue-sharing resources.
The ruling demonstrated how legal changes can affect incoming students, scholarships, playing time, housing, enrollment and team budgets.
Unlike professional sports, college athletics lacks a national collective bargaining framework, leaving the NCAA, conferences, courts, legislatures and Congress to compete for authority.
A federal bill aimed at stabilizing college sports has been under consideration, though its provisions and political prospects remain fluid. Recent Senate negotiations have centered on revenue sharing, third-party payments, antitrust protections and the preservation of Olympic and women’s sports.
Newmark acknowledged that Congress is not usually where Americans look for quick solutions. But he said national legislation may be necessary to establish rules that can survive legal challenge and apply consistently across states and conferences.
Local talent and the case of Jarin Stevenson
The Breakfast Club conversation turned local when Dustin Miller mentioned Jarin Stevenson, the former Seaforth High School standout who plays basketball at UNC.
Newmark praised Stevenson’s character, calling him one of the most polite young men he has met and the kind of representative a university wants. New UNC coach Michael Malone, he said, has embraced Stevenson while encouraging him to become more aggressive on the court.
The discussion opened a broader question about the Triangle’s athletic talent. Newmark recalled players from his own youth and noted the concentration of universities, camps, coaches and youth programs in central North Carolina.
The region’s concentration of universities, camps and coaches gives young athletes early exposure to instruction and competition. But Newmark resisted defining community partnerships merely as recruiting pipelines.
The more important role, he said, is giving children access to college athletes as mentors and examples.
He cited pregame and community events connected to gymnastics and volleyball, where young people can meet student-athletes who have combined academic commitment with high-level competition.
The value is not limited to children who eventually earn scholarships. A college athlete can show a young person what focus, preparation and opportunity look like, while connecting UNC more closely to Chapel Hill, Chatham County and the broader Triangle.
Community service as a measure of success
During the conversation, Newmark emphasized community service.
He described attending an academic awards ceremony where the department presented the number of service hours completed by athletes and the organizations they supported.
He was struck by the scale of the work, then learned that community service is part of the annual evaluation for every UNC coach, alongside academics and athletic performance.
That requirement sends a clear institutional signal: Winning is not the only measure.
Newmark pointed to Chatham County resident, baseball coach Scott Forbes and the team that had recently completed a major postseason run. The program also had six players selected in the Major League Baseball draft, he said. Yet Forbes expressed particular pride in an increase in community service hours, led by players who had made giving back part of the team culture.
For Newmark, service also provides perspective in the NIL era. Some athletes are receiving significant payments while still in their late teens or early 20s. Community involvement can remind them that visibility and opportunity carry obligations.
Direct interaction at youth clinics, schools, nonprofits and local events can also strengthen connections between teams and the public.
Newmark invited the audience to suggest organizations and needs where UNC teams could help.
“What we want to do as an athletic department is support the overall community,” he said.
An invitation to look beyond the marquee sports
Newmark also encouraged residents to attend a wider range of UNC events.
The university hosted more than 300 athletic contests during the previous year, he said. He personally attended 136 events, tracking them after another athletic director advised him to check a box each time he showed up.
His recommendation extended beyond football Saturdays and men’s basketball games. He highlighted women’s lacrosse and the program built by longtime coach Jenny Levy, and he encouraged fans to discover sports where admission is often affordable, athletes are accessible and the level of competition is nationally elite.
Attendance creates revenue and atmosphere, gives athletes a visible sign of support and demonstrates that Carolina’s 28-sport model has value beyond the programs that dominate television.
The balancing act ahead
Newmark’s first months as athletic director will unfold amid challenges that have no easy resolution.
UNC must compete for players in a market where compensation is now central. It must generate enough money to support 28 teams while facing rivals with larger budgets and narrower portfolios.
It must comply with court rulings that can change eligibility and roster planning overnight. It must navigate the uncertain intersection of NIL, direct revenue sharing, Title IX, federal law and NCAA governance.
At the same time, the department is expected to produce championships, graduate athletes, protect their health, serve the community and uphold a public university’s values.
Newmark did not offer a single program or fundraising campaign that would solve those problems.
Instead, he presented a governing philosophy: Adapt to the market, tell the full story of college athletes, create new revenue, preserve broad participation and treat athletics as a vehicle for the university’s larger mission.
The central question is whether UNC can become more entrepreneurial without becoming merely commercial.
Tradition will require innovation
Newmark’s appearance in Pittsboro was, at one level, a homecoming story. A Chapel Hill kid who planned his family calendar around Carolina games has returned to lead the department he once watched from the stands.
At another level, it was a warning against complacency.
UNC’s championships, national brand and loyal fan base provide advantages, but Newmark said none of them guarantees future success. Businesses that fail to respond to disruption can lose their place, and athletic departments are no exception. Carolina cannot assume its history will finance its future.
Yet his remarks also rejected the idea that the only rational response is to imitate professional sports in every respect.
The academic records of athletes, the success of nonrevenue teams, the influence of role models and thousands of hours of community service remain central to the department’s reason for existing.
For residents who want to engage, Newmark offered practical next steps: Attend events beyond football and basketball, introduce young people to UNC’s athletes and teams, support programs that sustain broad-based athletics, and bring community-service opportunities to the department’s attention.
The path ahead will demand money, creativity and legal clarity. Newmark’s argument is that those tools should serve a larger objective — keeping Carolina Athletics competitive while ensuring it continues to educate, inspire and connect the university to the communities around it.