Empowering Future Sports Leaders

Follow the Founder

Drake Hills is a San Diego-born-and-bred sports connoisseur whose life has been shaped by the power of sport since the age of four. Inspired by the brilliance of athletes like Michael Vick, LeBron James, and Cristiano Ronaldo, Drake’s early love for athletics evolved into a lifelong mission — not just to play the game, but to understand its power as a global force for transformation.

As a high-performing football and basketball student-athlete at Cathedral Catholic High School, Drake’s athletic career was cut short in 2012. That loss became a defining moment. Sports, once an idol, became a lens through which he explored culture, systems, and the resilience of athletes navigating structural barriers. He discovered that sport wasn’t just played on fields or courts — it was deeply embedded in boardrooms, newsrooms, courtrooms, laboratories, and across every sector of society.

“To connect San Diego’s youth to these promising highway expeditions and careers,” Drake says, “sports must make its way to the classroom.”

That vision became the foundation of The Love Sports Institute, founded in 2025 — a nonprofit, experiential-learning academy committed to equipping San Diego’s student-athletes for global changemaker careers in sport. Through academics, international athletics, and citizen diplomacy, LSI helps students weave their childhood passion into lifelong purpose.

Drake’s leadership is grounded in Philippians 2:3-4:

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves…”

He sees the Love Sports Institute as more than a school — it is a living community of servant-leaders, forward-thinkers, and young ambassadors. Drake envisions LSI students stepping boldly into leadership roles at global sports institutions like FIFA, FIBA, the IOC, and more — not just competing, but leading.

“My greatest joy,” he says, “comes from serving others with humility — and doing so in community, curious about the untapped opportunities the world holds for our youth.”

Location Info

The Love School is located in San Diego, bridging academic and career readiness for student-athletes through innovative programs and international sports diplomacy.

Address

123 Sports Lane, San Diego

Hours

9 AM - 5 PM