NCAA CPL Communications case studies
NCAA CPL Communications · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The NCAA CPL Communications credential is designed for athletics communications professionals, sports information staff, and conference or campus media liaisons who need to demonstrate command of the communication disciplines that surround collegiate sports programs. It tests applied judgment rather than trivia: how you build a season-long communication plan, run a press operation on game day, contain a breaking issue, manage social channels under pressure, brief internal stakeholders, protect brand reputation, and stay inside legal and ethical boundaries. The NCAA CPL Communications case studies are 5 cases and about 4,113 words.
1Conference Move: One Voice, Many Audiences
You are the assistant athletics director for communications at a public Division I university with 16 sports and 410 student-athletes. On March 3, the board approves a move to a new conference effective July 1.
825 words, about 4 min2Eligibility Review Press Conference
You are the communications director for a Division I men's basketball program. Your starting point guard, the conference's second-leading scorer at 19.4 points per game, has been withheld from competition pending an eligibility review.
851 words, about 4 min3Hazing Allegation Holding Statement
on a Monday, an anonymous Instagram account posts two photos and a caption alleging that members of your women's lacrosse team subjected first-year players to a hazing ritual at an off-campus party. The post names no one but tags the athletics department and uses the hashtag #LaxHazing.
792 words, about 4 min4NIL Post, Doxxing, and Sponsor Pressure
You manage social media for a Division I athletics department with 12,000 followers on X and 28,000 on Instagram. on a Thursday, a sophomore gymnast with 45,000 followers posts a sponsored tweet for a local energy drink.
827 words, about 4 min5Open Records and Leaked Medical Memo
You are the communications lead at a public university whose athletics program is raising funds for a $5 million baseball facility naming gift. On Monday, the student newspaper requests under the state open records law all emails between athletics communications and the donor from the past 18 months.
818 words, about 4 min