Earlier last month, a U.S. House bill, the SCORE Act, was pulled for further work. Endorsed by the NCAA’s College Sports Commission, the goal of the bill was to create and enforce a set of uniform, federal rules to regulate name, image, and likeness (NIL), revenue sharing and add controls to the transfer portal. The opponents to the bill argued that the legislation came at the expense of athletes and was a gift to the NCAA and the Power conferences. The bill would have permitted the NCAA to cap NIL deals, set a limit on transfers, establish fair-market-value on NIL deals, and limit conflicts with existing university sponsorship deals. Finally, the bill stopped athletes from becoming employees and shielded the NCAA and the Commission from antitrust and state court lawsuits. The argument by the legislative opposition contended that this legislation was not ready for ‘prime time.’ Continue reading Upheaval Plagues College Sports at Year’s End
Category Archives: Men’s Sports
LetsGoDU’s Top 10 Articles of 2025
Our Top 10 articles over the past year:
10. Denver Rides Matt Davis Heroics to 6th Frozen Four in 9 Years
Denver Hockey is always a top story. Goalie Matty Davis and head coach David Carle led the Pioneers to the Frozen Four in St. Louis.
9. Breaking – Denver to Join the West Coast Conference
We’ve written about the need to join the WCC for years. When we least expected it, DU received and accepted an offer to join the WCC.
8. University of Denver Titan, Daniel L. Ritchie, Dies at Age 93
‘Titan’ says it all. Dan Ritchie will always be remembered as a true Pioneer as he returned Denver athletics to the Division I ranks and witnessed numerous national championships.
7. Gondola Project Set to Address Campus Navigation Issues
Our readers appreciate satire, especially when it comes to North Dakota or Colorado College. However, this April Fool’s article was Reid Hardy’s most-read piece in 2025.
6. Recapping DU’s Incredibly Terrible Mascot and Identity Decisions since 1998
Originally written in 2018, readers still return to this piece written by Puck Swami. The article reminds us that Denver alumni, fans, and friends are passionate about tradition and identity.
5. DU Hockey Alumnus Faces Cancer Battle
Some things are bigger than sports. The DU community was asked to support a fallen Pioneer. Rhett Rakhshani’s wife, Sharlene (Shar), 31, who was diagnosed with stage four cancer. A GoFundMe was established to support Shar and their three children. Shar sadly passed a little over a year (in January 2024) after that original December 2022 article was posted, with that article receiving more attention after her sad passing.
4. Vote of ‘No Confidence”, failed or otherwise, damages both the Faculty and Administration
At the end of last academic year, Chancellor Haefner was given a vote of ‘No Confidence’ by the faculty – a big mistake in our opinion. We contend that open discussion and engagement would have been much more fruitful and productive.
3. Local Gathering Place, Brueggers Bagels, Abruptly Closes
Readers want to learn about changes around the DU campus. The closing of Bruegger’s Bagels and Pete’s Cafe were two of the numerous retail transformations around the DU campus this past year.
2. Jeff Wulbrun Out: How it all Unraveled
Denver’s former head men’s basketball coach was suspended ‘in-season’ in a stunning turn of events. People had plenty of opinions and shared them on LetsGoDU.
The top read for the past year was written by LetsGoDU editor, Nick Tremaroli. Nick did an in-depth statistical analysis of all Division I men’s hockey programs over the history of the sport and developed a scoring system and ranking to numerically determine the top programs of the past 25 years and all time. The article encouraged vigorous debate inside and outside of the LetsGoDU community. Of course, to us, DU’s finish is not a surprise, but a school to the south of Denver did much better than expected.
As always, thanks for reading LetsGoDU and sharing your many thoughts with us. We, like you, are looking forward to another great year in 2026 that will see DU make its long-awaited transition to the WCC.
Merry Christmas from LetsGoDU
Hoping you have a great Christmas and Holiday, no matter where you are.
–LetsgoDU–
What Does AI Think DU Men’s Basketball Must Do to Compete in the Summit League This Season?
Tuesday night, DU torched University of Colorado – Colorado Springs (UCCS), 129-93. Denver has two more road games remaining on their schedule later this month before starting conference play on December 31st against UMKC. Despite its numerous and well-documented problems with not only resource consumption but also general accuracy with some of the most basic commands, we were curious to know what Google AI thought, based on current statistics after 13 games, about what DU needs to do to compete for a Summit League conference championship this season. Not surprisingly, defense moves to the top of the list.
Here is what AI has to say about DU’s 2025-26 team: Continue reading What Does AI Think DU Men’s Basketball Must Do to Compete in the Summit League This Season?
Poor Discipline, Defense Doom Pioneers Against Huskies in Final Tilt of 2025
Everything was going perfectly fine for the #6 Denver Pioneers (12-6-1, 8-2-0 NCHC)…until it wasn’t. They held a two-goal lead late in the second period, but the St. Cloud State Huskies (8-10-0, 3-7-0 NCHC) scored with just 14 seconds left to pull back to within in one entering the third. Then, two ill-advised penalties, including a major for head contact, later, the Huskies flipped the script, tying the game and then taking the lead right after the major penalty ended. The Pioneers did their best to find the equalizer over the final five minutes, but it was to no avail, as they fell, 4-3, in their final game of 2025, ending what was a 12-game regulation unbeaten streak. Continue reading Poor Discipline, Defense Doom Pioneers Against Huskies in Final Tilt of 2025
Pioneers Run Regulation Unbeaten Streak to 12 with 5-1 Win at St. Cloud
The #6 Denver Pioneers (12-5-1, 8-1-0 NCHC) have yet to record a regulation loss in NCHC play and extended their regulation unbeaten streak to 12 – dating back to their overtime loss to Alaska Anchorage at Magness Arena on Halloween – thanks to their 5-1 drubbing of the St. Cloud State Huskies (7-10-0, 2-7-0 NCHC) on the “big ice” at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The Pioneers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period and never looked back, coasting to the four-goal victory. Continue reading Pioneers Run Regulation Unbeaten Streak to 12 with 5-1 Win at St. Cloud
University of Utah Athletics Signs Private Equity Deal with Otro Capital
Just when we thought university athletics were getting too professionalized, they go a step further. With the blessing of the NCAA, the University of Utah is creating Utah Brands & Entertainment, a company to oversee its major revenue sources. Otro Capital (a private equity firm) would be the minority owner of for-profit Utah Brands, which will manage operations such as ticket sales, media, stadium events, concessions, and trademark and licensing matters. All this while many universities, especially those in the Power Four conferences, are sharing $20+ million of current department revenue with their student-athletes on top of declining media revenue and soaring operating costs. Continue reading University of Utah Athletics Signs Private Equity Deal with Otro Capital
Three-Goal Second Pushes Pioneers Past RedHawks in Series Opener
The #19 Miami (OH) RedHawks (10-5-0, 2-5-0 NCHC) are not the same bottom-dwelling RedHawks that NCHC fans have gotten used to over the past half-decade. After their Friendship Four championship in Belfast, Northern Ireland, last weekend, gone are the days of two to four scheduled victories when Miami showed up on the calendar. But in game one of their two-game series with the visiting RedHawks, the #6 Denver Pioneers (10-5-1, 6-1-0 NCHC) certainly made it seem like the sickly RedHawks of old are still around with their 4-0 victory at Magness Arena. Denver scored three times in the second (a fourth was called back for goaltender interference), and goaltender Quentin Miller notched his third shutout of the season as DU successfully turned the page from last weekend’s overtime letdown at Ball Arena. Continue reading Three-Goal Second Pushes Pioneers Past RedHawks in Series Opener
Tribute Baseball Jersey Sales End January 1, 2026
The sale of Denver baseball tribute jerseys ends January 1st, 2026. Place your order at this link.
These high-quality game jerseys come in adult and youth sizes and make a great addition to your casual wear. ‘Denver’ boldly adorns the front. A sleeve patch marks the 130 years that DU offered baseball, while a Colorado patch adorns the left sleeve along with Denver Boone and Bonnie. Continue reading Tribute Baseball Jersey Sales End January 1, 2026
Former Denver Hockey Captain Kevin Dineen in the Fight of His Life
No Shave November/’Movember’ has ended, but cancer never rests. The battle against cancer just got personal for Pioneer hockey nation. Former DU hockey captain Kevin Dineen announced three days ago on Twitter that he is battling pancreatic cancer. Dineen, with the support of his wife, Annie, and four children, is on the front lines of a battle against the disease. Continue reading Former Denver Hockey Captain Kevin Dineen in the Fight of His Life