The Journal.

The Big Business of Holding Back Eighth-Graders

June 18, 2026·23 min·4-min readnarrativebusiness
Podzilla Summary (4 min)
TLDR
The Journal explores the rise of private 'holdback academies' where middle schoolers repeat a grade to gain athletic advantages, fueled by the new ability of college athletes to earn money through name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals. What was once seen as fringe is now a growing, lucrat

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Guest

H

Harriet Ryan

narrative on The Journal.

Mentions

Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.

People

Devin QuinnHarriet RyanRyan KnutsonAJ DeBansaCarter Canceleri

Companies

The Together ShipCapistrano Unified

Research & Papers

Supreme Court decision on NCAA NIL

Topics

Business NewsEntrepreneurshipInequalityInvestigative JournalismStartups

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