Annual Foreign Tours Position College Athletes as Sports Diplomats

There is no more 1-in-4 rule. 

That’s right.

The NCAA Division I Cabinet voted to allow all NCAA Division I teams take a foreign tour every year, instead of once every four years.

At first read, this may seem like a simple change tied to scheduling, competition, and travel. 

But I see it as another clue.

The NCAA is soft-launching its future. 

Spoiler alert, it’s global. 

With annual foreign tours now possible, higher education institutions have an opportunity to reimagine what international engagement can mean for college athletics. 

This is not just about getting teams overseas more often.

It is about how institutions leverage those experiences to deepen learning, strengthen strategy, expand opportunity, and prepare athletes for a world that is increasingly global.

Let's walk.

Below I share five takeaways to consider, followed by one action item athletics departments should be doing now to prepare for the global future of sport.

More than a passport stamp. This rule change creates a major opportunity for college sport and international education to collaborate more closely. If teams are going abroad more often, trips should be designed with learning and cultural exchange in mind. Foreign tours should not be limited to games, sightseeing, branded social content and NIL deals. They should also become global learning experiences that help college athletes engage new cultures, reflect on their own identities, and better understand the global systems shaping sport, higher education, and the global workforce. Athletic departments and international offices should be working together to make that happen.

It won’t be a coincidence. We’re going to see an increased number of international student enrollment and international athlete recruitment. Visibility matters. Repeated presence in international markets helps institutions build familiarity, credibility, and trust. While in country, varsity sport programs may strengthen recruiting relationships and expand talent pipelines. For the broader university, increased team tours can contribute to institutional visibility among future students and families. Foreign tours should be more than opportunities to compete internationally. They should become part of a larger enrollment, alumni engagement, and internationalization strategy.

The Global South. This moment raises an important question about geography. Which new markets will teams explore? Who will explore them? Some programs will continue to rely on familiar destinations and established routes. But I believe this rule change invites new imagination. The Global South, and especially Africa, should be part of that conversation. Across the continent, sport ecosystems are growing and opportunities for deeper educational partnerships are real. The institutions willing to think beyond Western norms and European destinations will be the ones best positioned for what comes next.

College athletes are sports diplomats. Period. I was disappointed that college athletics was not mentioend at the inaugural Sports Diplomacy Forum because college athletes are well positioned to advance sports diplomacy. Athletics departments should begin integrating sport diplomacy curriculum into college athlete development programming. When college athletes travel abroad, they are representatives of their institutions, communities, and in many ways, the United States. As such, athletes should be taught how sport connects to cultural exchange, relationship-building, and diplomacy. Athletes should also understand that how they show up abroad matters and that sports diplomacy is not just a concept or practice. It is a real and growing industry with career possibilities at the intersection of sport, education, public service, and global engagement. Pursuing Fulbright may be a great next step for them after retiring from college competition.

International Career Development. More foreign tours should push athletic departments to think more seriously about global career pathways. Because college sport is becoming more international, career development must do the same. Travel abroad can expose athletes to international alumni, global industries, and new ways of imagining life after competition. But exposure alone is not enough. Institutions must help athletes translate and communicate those experiences into long-term opportunities.

So what should athletic departments do next?

Internationalization Strategy. Every college athletics department needs an internationalization strategy. One that explains why foreign tours matter beyond team building and how global engagement supports the mission of the department. This strategy should also clarify how international activity supports student learning, institutional goals, and long-term relationship building. Without a defined strategy, foreign tours risk becoming isolated travel experiences instead of part of a larger vision for the future of college sport.

An internationalization strategy will help departments move from reactive decisions to deliberate planning. It creates clarity around what global engagement is meant to accomplish, who should be involved, and how success will be measured over time. A strategy also pushes athletic departments to consider how international experiences can strengthen cultural learning, athlete development, recruitment and retention, alumni engagement, and career readiness. 

The future of college sport is global. 

Athletics departments cannot afford to treat international activity as occasional or optional.

Internationalization must be built into how departments think, plan, and lead.

It’s happening. We walking!! 

Future Dr. TFB

Walk With TFB. Walk With TFB specializes in international athlete development, internationalization strategy, and sports diplomacy. We support international athletes across their full journey, from recruitment through career readiness. We also help institutions build comprehensive, values-aligned strategies for global engagement.

If your athletics department or institution is navigating international athlete support, developing global partnerships, or sports diplomacy initiatives, let's talk.