Tuesday, January 13, 2026

College Football Is Broken — This Radical Fix Might Save It


With chaotic realignments, rigged outcomes, and rising costs — this proposal might present the best hope to save the sport we love.

This episode breaks down a bold proposal to reset everything — from the playoff system to who even gets to compete.

The NCAA system is broken — and Heavy Or Not, episode #83, lays out the urgent blueprint to fix it.

From rigged playoff paths to disappearing rivalries, NCAA Division I football has become less about performance and more about power. In this summary of the 4Rs.org reform proposal, we explore a bold new structure: 80 top teams, regional pods, and real accountability with promotion and relegation.

Whether you love or hate the idea, this plan puts fairness, geography, and competition back at the core of the game.

  • Comment your thoughts — would your school survive under this system?

  • Share this with fellow fans, athletic directors, or anyone in the college football world.

  • Full source materials and visuals: [4Rs.org]

Episode #83 – Heavy or Not: The OG Swim Guide


Check out this episode!

Monday, January 12, 2026

Relegation Revealed: How Promotion Can Revitalize American Sports and College Football


Relegation & Promotion as part of Sports Reform, especially for NCAA Football D1 Pods

In Episode 82 of Heavy or Not, Mark Rauterkus and Barry Healey break down how relegation and promotion work in European soccer and why these concepts could transform American sports. They dive into the mechanics, incentives, and how a U.S. version might look.

  • How parachute payments soften the financial blow for relegated clubs

  • The playoff system that lets teams 3‑6 fight for promotion

  • Real‑world examples: Wolves beating Man U, Canadian owners climbing from the bottom

  • Why a tiered “two‑tier” college football model could succeed in the U.S.

  • Applying relegation concepts to MLB and other American leagues to curb public‑funded stadium builds and keep competition fierce.

Details of the college football reform structure elsewhere at the Substack and also with the Sports Reform web site, https://4Rs.org.

Also see:

 


Check out this episode!

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Steps for Fixing NCAA DI Football: Structure Changes Begin by Blowing Up the Conferences. Return to Regional Rivals


College football needs a structural reset, and Mark Rauterkus lays out a clear, geography‑first plan for a top‑flight “pod” system.

In this episode we break down the proposed 80‑team tier, regional pods, and how promotion and relegation would work.

  • The 80‑team “top tier” built on performance, not brand prestige.
  • Eight regional pods (Gridiron, Trench, Tackle, Pressure, Block, Blitz, Huddle, Grandstand) and their member schools.
  • Promotion/relegation: yearly movement of five teams between the top tier and sub‑tiers.
  • Preserving traditional rivalries and reducing travel through geographic clustering.
  • How the model controls spending, improves competitive balance, and gives every program a pathway forward.

Rethinking College Football: A Geographic Pod System for Competitive Balance and Tradition

“Imagine a season where every game matters, every rivalry lives, and the only thing that moves you up or down is what happens on the field—welcome to the pod‑powered future of college football.”

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Check out this episode!

Thursday, January 08, 2026

Cal Baptist Cuts Men’s Swim & Dive Team: A Costly Consequence of Division I Ambitions


From NAIA Champions to Elimination: The Rise and Fall of CBU Men’s Swimming


Check out this episode!

Sunday, January 04, 2026

School Sports Saved -- past position paper turned the tide of massive cuts


In episode #79 of Heavy Or Not, The OG Swim Guide, we break down a prior war with the Pittsburgh school‑district’s Superintendent of Schools.

She had a proposal to slash $600 K in sports programs and the comprehensive counter‑proposal helped keep those programs alive. It wasn’t a victory, but it wasn’t a defeat.

Coach Mark walks through the financial, strategic, and community arguments that turned a budget cut into a reform opportunity.

  • The district’s cut list (high‑school swimming, tennis, golf; middle‑school volleyball, wrestling; all intramurals) and the $600 K savings claim.

  • Highlights from the 45‑page “Alternative to Fewer Sports” position paper that challenged the cuts.

  • How the paper reframed athletics as a revenue source—e.g., the PPSH2O citywide aquatics model.

  • The three‑step reform plan: community‑led task force, an Olympic‑sports incubator, and lobbying for flexible state rules.

  • The broader value of sports: scholarship dollars, academic gains, attendance boosts, and community pride.

More and more we’re going to focus upon the road-blocks to sports participation.

Sadly, the biggest blocks come from those at the top of the organizational chart — the superintendent of schools, the mayor, the athletic directors, the league administrators.

 

https://aforathlete.fandom.com/wiki/Fewer_Sports_Alternatives_(position_paper)

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https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/8afb93c2-e0db-43be-92af-0c7c45a22211

 

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Check out this episode!

Fwd: GHL NEWS | 1-3-2026



---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: David Ziembicki | GHL NEWS <[email protected]>



In today's issue: mobile app phone updates, SaaS configurator updates, new prospecting tool features
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Read on our website / Read time: 5 mins

Welcome to GHL NEWS! In today's issue:

  • Mobile app phone updates

  • SaaS configurator updates

  • New prospecting tool features

Happy New Year GHL NEWS readers! As always, please click at least one of the news items or reply to the message to make sure you continue to receive GHL NEWS!

In 2025, there were 1,221 releases from HighLevel alone!

2026 is going to be a huge year for the GHL ecosystem we are all a part of. Why? Because AI...

If you zoom out a bit from all of the updates we've covered over the last few months, you can see that HighLevel has invested in many foundational changes like the new workflow builder, agent studio, AskAI, and more to AI-enable the platform on a much deeper level than just slapping a chat box everywhere.

In 2026 we'll start to see more cohesive end-to-end AI with agents spanning front-end and back-end scenarios like a human would.

For my agency and one of our clients, in January we're building AI agents for outbound lead generation, inbound sales, and customer support. Our human roles are then going to shift to being the managers of the AI agents.

If you want to follow along with that, you'll want to join the Expert Edge community we're launching soon where I'll be documenting everything we build on GHL this year, hosting a weekly Q&A call, and forums to help you get more out of GHL for your business.

In Q1 I'll also be doing more "ACCELERATE HighLevel" cohorts where I'll be working with small groups of GHL users and agency owners to implement specific solutions (like the sales agents above and others) in their businesses.

If you are struggling with HighLevel or not sure how to leverage the platform for success in 2026, reply to this email and let me know what your biggest goal and challenge is and I'll reply with some ideas for you.

If you are ready to upgrade to HighLevel Pro plan and begin white-labeling/reselling HighLevel in 2026, when you use my link I will help you 1:1 to get up and running quickly!

Now on to the news...

This Week's News:

Sticky Phone Number on Mobile

The mobile app now remembers the outbound phone number you explicitly select and keeps it active across subsequent calls. This eliminates the need to reselect a number after every call, reducing friction and dialing errors—especially when making back-to-back calls. The selected number remains sticky until you log out or reinstall the app, while Local Presence Dialing continues to function dynamically as before. The feature works with both user-assigned numbers and default sub-account outbound numbers. It significantly improves speed, consistency, and confidence for mobile calling workflows.

Custom Dispositions on Mobile

Custom call dispositions are now fully supported on mobile, allowing reps to select a single call outcome immediately when a call ends. These dispositions integrate directly with workflows, reporting, and follow-ups, enabling instant automation without switching to desktop. The mobile experience mirrors web functionality, ensuring parity and consistent data across teams. Sub-account matching ensures dispositions apply to the correct location when calls span multiple accounts. This update improves data hygiene, automation reliability, and on-the-go productivity.

Expanded sound notifications for Live Chat Widget messages

Sound notifications in the Live Chat Widget now cover a wider range of system and lifecycle messages beyond standard chat replies. Alerts now play for chat initiation, acknowledgements, greetings, business-hours messages, form prompts, and redirect messages. All sounds are controlled by the existing Notification Sound toggle, which remains enabled by default. This ensures visitors are alerted during every critical interaction while maintaining full control for businesses. The result is a more responsive and predictable chat experience.

New: Clear Add-On Cost Calculator for SaaS Plans 💡

The SaaS Configurator now includes clearer warnings and a dynamic cost calculator for paid add-ons included in SaaS plans. Agencies can instantly see the total monthly add-on cost and per-subscriber expense billed to them as selections change. The update clarifies that add-ons are not charged to sub-accounts and must be priced into plans for margin protection. This prevents billing surprises and improves pricing confidence. It gives agencies clearer visibility into true cost of delivery.

Accurate Revenue & MRR Insights on Agency Dashboard (Summary Tab)

Revenue and MRR calculations on the Agency Dashboard Summary tab have been refined to include only HighLevel-backed revenue sources. SaaS, reselling, and rebilling now exclusively power reported revenue metrics, eliminating inconsistencies from external data. KPI cards and growth rate charts have been updated to align with the improved logic. Revenue distribution now clearly shows contribution by stream. These changes deliver more trustworthy financial insights and better decision-making confidence.

Media Library for WhatsApp Templates

WhatsApp Template creation now integrates directly with HighLevel's Media Library for header media selection. Users can reuse existing assets or upload new images, videos, documents, or audio without leaving the builder. Assets are automatically filtered by supported media type, reducing errors and rework. This improves consistency, speeds up template creation, and supports richer customer experiences with audio. Teams benefit from a centralized source of truth for approved media.

Prospecting Tool Improvements (Year-End 2025)

The Prospecting Tool now supports marking leads as Closed Won or Closed Lost, enabling true deal outcome tracking. New filters make it easy to segment prospects by status and identify onboarding gaps. A guided onboarding experience helps new users get value faster with step-by-step prompts. These updates bring Prospecting closer to real sales workflows, connecting lead generation to conversion and customer creation. It marks a significant step toward a full lead-to-customer pipeline.

Controlled side-tray behavior via settings icon

Forms, Surveys, and Quizzes now use a settings icon to control the side-tray, allowing users to open and close it without losing selection context. This makes inline editing smoother, particularly on smaller screens where space is limited. Users can focus on content while accessing settings only when needed. The change reduces visual clutter and editing interruptions. Overall, it delivers a more intuitive and flexible builder experience.

Content Corner:

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SaaS Mode Mastery (Community Course)

Learn the basics of SaaS mode and the SaaS configurator in this free community course.

Did you know?

When you are ready to upgrade to HighLevel Pro plan and begin white-labeling/reselling HighLevel in 2026, when you use my link I will help you 1:1 to get up and running quickly!

Was this content useful to you? Click one of these and let me know!

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Thanks!

David Ziembicki

Expert Business Agency

GHL NEWS, Expert Business Agency and David Ziembicki are independent from HighLevel. The opinions expressed are our own and shall not be interpreted or considered as representations, guarantees, or statement made by HighLevel Inc or any of its subsidiaries, agents, or assigns.

David Ziembicki is a HighLevel affiliate and agency owner, which means he receives a commission when purchases are made through his affiliate link.

This email may contain affiliate links to other products and services. I may receive compensation, at no cost to you, for purchases made through these links as a form of thanks for the referral.

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