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Robert F. Orr, a retired associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, has been a conservative his whole life. He realizes his politics might seem at odds with his vehement objection to the NCAA, a position that’s blossomed over the last decade. In 2010, when University of North Carolina fullback Devon Ramsay was under investigation for alleged academic impropriety, Orr advised him and his family as they dealt with the NCAA’s appeals process. Ramsay was a little-known player when his team became infamous that year. Several star players were investigated and suspended for receiving improper benefits from agents, a scandal followed by more allegations, this time of academic malfeasance. The school’s probe resulted in Ramsay being accused of plagiarism and withheld from competition.

Data and big data analytics are the lifeblood of any successful business. Getting the technology right can be challenging but building the right team with the right skills to undertake data initiatives can be even harder — a challenge reflected in the rising demand for big data and analytics skills and certifications. If you're looking to get an edge on a data analytics career, certification is a great option. Certifications measure your knowledge and skills against industry- and vendor-specific benchmarks to prove to employers that you have the right skillset. The number of data analytics certs is expanding rapidly.

It’s the hottest topic in sports right now. Try turning on ESPN tomorrow and see if you can make it 30 minutes without hearing endless speculation about a college football season that frankly everyone knows next to nothing about. We’re less than a week from when college football is set to begin, yet there’s still way more unanswered questions than confirmed adjustments. We all want a college football season. I’ve enjoyed three amusing years of Pitt football since my arrival in Oakland, and I didn’t expect to spend my first Saturdays of senior year studying instead of consuming college football at unhealthy rates.

Online marketplaces such as Amazon.com, Uber Technologies, and Airbnb have disrupted the retailing, transportation, and hospitality sectors with their ease of use, convenience, and ability to reduce the cost of searching and matching for consumers. However, a recent court decision has the potential to disrupt their entire business model. The ruling addresses some of the underlying risks of online marketplaces that many Americans have neglected when using their services.