Featured Post from University of Delaware

World Cup 2026: Former soccer executive analyzes tournament economics and youth soccer structure

Jun 9, 2026

1 min

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup days away, the University of Delaware's John Allgood is available to discuss the business of soccer, youth sports participation and the tournament's impact on communities and the economy.

As a former United Soccer League (USL) top executive, Allgood brings firsthand experience and knowledge of the commercial operations and development sides of the sport. He also currently serves as an instructor of sport management at UD.

Areas of expertise relevant to the World Cup include:

• Economic impact: How the tournament will drive local revenue.

• The business of soccer: Sports marketing and the commercialization of global sports entertainment.

• U.S. youth soccer: The tiered structure of soccer in the U.S., including the pay-to-play system in youth soccer that is different from development models in other countries.

• Participation and interest: How the World Cup will boost participation and fan interest in soccer, especially among youth players.

• Soccer as a unifying force: The sports' social impact and how it brings people together.

To reach Allgood directly and arrange an interview, click the "contact" button on his profile. Interested journalists can also send an email to mediarelations@udel.edu.

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John Allgood II

Instructor of Sports Management

Expertise includes professional sport business strategic management, college athletics administration and strategy

College AthleticsSport and EntertainmentSport Management

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Jun 8, 2026

1 min

World Cup: Hall of Fame heading expert can talk about concussions

With a focus on concussion research, the University of Delaware's Thomas Kaminski serves as the sole U.S. representative on the FIFA Heading Expert Group, putting UD on the world soccer stage. Kaminski's contributions to the sport earned him a place in the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame. Kaminski, professor of kinesiology and applied physiology at UD's College of Health Sciences, has studied heading in soccer and concussion risk for nearly three decades. It's just one of the many topics he can discuss in relation to the upcoming World Cup: • Concussion risks, prevention strategies and sports-related mild traumatic brain injuries. • Ankle instability and how evolving safety standards are influencing the modern game. • Purposeful headers in interscholastic and intercollegiate soccer. Kaminski will be inducted into the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Hall of Fame at the 77th NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo on June 30, 2026, in Philadelphia. The award represents the profession’s highest honor and honors members who have dedicated their lives to service and left a lasting impact on the profession. “I’m honored and humbled to join such a distinguished group of athletic training pioneers – people who have shaped and pushed the profession forward to where it is today,” Kaminski said. To reach Kaminski directly and arrange an interview, visit his ExpertFile profile and click on the "connect" button. Interested members of the media can also email mediarelations@udel.edu.

Jun 4, 2026

2 min

NBA Finals: Pricey tickets have fans debating the value of a memory

With the NBA Finals back in New York and San Antonio, some fans holding pricey tickets face an emotional and financial decision: Savor a major life memory or cash out for big money to spend on something else? The University of Delaware's Amit Kumar has conducted research on these types of choices. Kumar, an assistant professor of marketing and psychological & brain sciences, says that it may come down to a choice between material possessions that people often buy because they think those things are going to make them happy and a satisfying experiential purchase that tends to "last" in a psychological sense. The Spurs haven't been to the Finals since 2014. It's been 27 years for the Knicks – and 53 years since the team hoisted the championship trophy. So, in this case, the decision comes down to a large lump of money to spend on, say, a kitchen remodeling project or a new watch; versus the memory of witnessing a rare NBA Finals home game. "If there's a consumer deciding between buying antique living room furniture to replace the set they already have in their house or instead spending that money on the experience of seeing the Knicks play the Spurs, they are likely to derive more enduring satisfaction from the memories of being at the game, the stories they tell about going and having been there, and the social interactions they have as a result," Kumar said. He added that the lesson for people's everyday lives is really to tilt their spending in a way such that they spend a bit less on material goods and a bit more on experiences. To connect with Kumar directly and arrange an interview, visit his profile and click on the "contact" button. To reach him directly, send an email to mediarelations@udel.edu.

Jun 2, 2026

2 min

Nurse-midwife master’s program addresses maternal healthcare shortages

Counties across the U.S. are seeing an increase in “maternity care deserts” – areas that completely lack OB/GYNs, midwives or birthing facilities. The University of Delaware's School of Nursing will join the effort to address this shortage by launching the state's first nurse-midwife master’s program and post-graduate certificate this fall. Amanda Watson, director of the nurse-midwife program and assistant professor of nursing at UD's College of Health Sciences, can talk about the issue both on a national scale and at the hyper-local level. In Delaware, for example, 67 percent of pregnant women in Kent County and nearly half of pregnant women in Sussex County who experienced a stillbirth or infant death have late or no access to prenatal care, according to the Maternal and Child Death Review Commission (MCDRC). “The program is in direct response to workforce needs and healthcare shortages in the state and aligns with our mission in the School of Nursing to promote nurses at the earliest levels to the advanced practice level,” said Elizabeth Speakman, chief nurse administrator and senior associate dean of SON. She added that current nursing students wanted to see a program like this. “We’ve had undergraduate students tell us they want to continue their experience as a Blue Hen through a nurse-midwife program, so we expect this program to be quite popular, especially with our direct admission pathway,” Speakman said. The full-time, two-year program is being supported by a $1 million investment from the state of Delaware. It will be led by Watson and launch this fall with an eight-student cohort that will complete clinical rotations at Christiana, Bayhealth and Beebe hospitals, as well as The Birth Center in Newark. “We will prioritize students living and working in Delaware to make a quicker impact on the workforce shortage,” Watson said. The pipeline strategy is central to the program, said Dr. Meena Ramakrishnan, a consultant and epidemiologist with the MCDRC. “More nurse-midwives who train here, know Delaware and its resources, make connections and stay here to practice, is an important step toward improving outcomes,” Ramakrishnan said. Watson said the program reflects what makes change possible in Delaware’s healthcare system. “I saw a flawed healthcare system in this state, and I’m blessed to be in a state small enough that people who want to fix the problem are given opportunities to affect change,” she said. To connect with Watson directly and arrange an interview, visit her profile page and click the "contact" button. Interested reporters can also send an email to mediarelations@udel.edu.