The mission of TLI is to help senior administrators and athletic department staff, through the provision of diversity training services, to apply the principles of teamwork to all areas of athletic departments. TLI provides diversity training to organizations across the United States, focusing mostly on college and university administrations and athletic departments. TLI allows participants the opportunity to discuss race, ethnicity and gender in a safe environment. As a member of the NCAS, each college and university is offered TLI.

Challenges that stem from cultural prejudice, intolerance and poor communication can be proactively addressed in intelligent, safe and structured ways. Athletic administrators can anticipate, recognize and address the problems inherent in diverse teams and staff.

Diversity training is a principle means of assessing and responding to needs within a department and on a campus. Training demonstrates that diverse people have a great deal in common. Rather than being divisive issues, racial, ethnic and gender differences can serve as building blocks that strengthen the department.

Workshops Incorporate Sports-Related Material
The training program, which incorporates a significant amount of sports-related material, includes a variety of exercises and discussion points. Facilitators lead skill-building exercises that focus on self-identity and how we develop stereotypes and prejudices, especially with regard to race and gender. Participants brainstorm ways to challenge stereotypes that interfere with effective teamwork, and look at ways athletic departments and student-athletes can provide better understanding on campus.

Video Component
Sports-related videos are shown to stimulate discussion, and there are interactive exercises that prompt workshop participants to voice their opinions on topics. Case studies are used providing real-life scenarios.

Needs Assessment Survey
Each workshop is slightly different, depending on the needs of the organization. Some of the needs are discovered through interviews with the department head, and some through a confidential TLI survey, which is distributed prior to the actual workshop. The surveys are analyzed by TLI staff and that information is incorporated into the training curriculum.

While TLI has worked mostly with athletic departments at the collegiate level, work has also been done in the professional ranks and with private organizations.

The curriculum can be modified for corporations and high schools. The basic ideas do not change because the sports metaphor translates well to any organization.

Each training workshop is adapted to the specific needs of the group.

Future sessions can be sponsored for conferences or groups of member schools in a region.

One Institute is offered each year without cost to any conference that joins as a conference. Member dues are also reduced from $750 to $500 per school for Division I institutions and to $350 per school for Division II and III when the entire conference joins.

The NCAS teamed with the Center for the Study of Sport in Society to conduct trainings with the NBA as part of TLI. The NBA employs a more diverse management and support staff than any other professional sport.

The combination of a majority African-American players' group and a substantially diverse workforce distinguishes the league as a leader in diversity issues in sport. Therefore, a special version of TLI training was designed to meet the needs of NBA front office personnel and coaches.

To fulfill its commitment to better address the issue of race, the NBA started diversity workshops in February of 1998. TLI services reached all 730 New York-based league office employees. TLI initiated team by team meetings with the Houston Rockets in May of 1998, which continued in the 1999-2000 season.