Beyond the Playbook Beyond the Playbook

Beyond the Playbook sat down with Ben Robinson, founder of Blue Line Sports Management, a full-service sports management firm based in Denver, Colorado. Our conversation with Ben covers a variety of topics and issues facing athletes and parents of athletes looking to reach their goals of playing at the top level.

Blue Line, a family advisory & agency firm provides exceptional player representation and offers a portfolio of top-tier professional services for hockey players and mountain sports athletes of all backgrounds.

Beyond the Playbook sat down with Davenport's Athletic Director, Paul Lowden and examined some of the most pressing issues facing college sports.

Paul Lowden was named Davenport's Director of Athletics in 2002; he started with two programs (hockey and women's basketball). Entering the 2015-16 athletic season, Davenport will have 31 sport programs, all under his watch.

Over the past twelve seasons, the Davenport athletic department has claimed five consecutive Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) All-Sports Trophies from 2010-2015 and has brought home 13 team national championships, including four as a head coach in the sport of hockey.

The 2014-15 campaign saw Davenport be represented in eight NAIA National Championships, with men's soccer becoming the first team to win it all in Delray Beach, Fla. Tori Brooks, who is the first student-athlete to win a NAIA national title, went on to claim his third high jump title that year. He's won two in the indoor and one in the outdoor.

Altogether, under Lowden's watch, Davenport has won 13 national championships; one in the NAIA, four in ACHA hockey, one in MCLA lacrosse, two in USA Rugby and two in competitive cheer at the NCA level).

Lowden was named the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference AD of the Year in 2011-12.

This is first episode in a series of Podcasts by Beyond the Playbook, hosted by Ryan Lake. The podcasts are intended to give an overview of some of the most important off-field issues impacting athletes, parents, coaches and athletic associations. Listeners are encouraged to leave comments and participate in debates around the topics raised as well as submitting topics they would like Beyond the Playbook to address.

This episode examines the difficult and concerning issue of player concussions in sport and a review of the ongoing consolidated litigation by ex-players against the NHL relating to the long-term effects of concussions and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (“CTE”).