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🏅College Football shapes politics... not the other way around

🏅College Football shapes politics... not the other way around

February 13, 2024

Teaming up with

Hey there,

Congratulations if you’re a Chiefs fan. If you’re a Niners fan, I don’t feel too bad for you — I’m a Cowboys fan. But I’m sorry I guess. A huge shout-out to Patrick Mahomes, who is on pace to become one of, if not the, greatest QBs in NFL history. Who could have guessed that a three-star recruit from East Texas could become what we see now?

Enough about the NFL though — NIL news is coming your way right now. Just keep scrolling to catch up on the weekend’s biggest NIL developments!

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We want feedback. Hit reply or send us an email at [email protected] to let us know what you like or don’t like about our newsletter. Now, to the news!

— Cole, Justin and Collin

KICK-OFF

Major NIL Bill is Moving in Utah

Utah is currently advancing the first NIL bill in the state’s history, but it’s causing a stir. Essentially, the bill would allow NIL deals to bypass current transparency laws in the state, meaning the finances of NIL agreements would remain hidden from the public.

Context is key here: Deseret News is currently battling Utah’s public universities over whether or not these contracts should be publicly available. In October, the state’s Record Committee demanded that several schools release the contracts, which the schools are now fighting in court.

One of the biggest concerns with the bill would be its effect on women’s sports: “You’re talking about putting something into law that prevents anybody from having oversight over what’s happening with men’s and women’s athletics,” said Doug Wilks, the executive editor of the Deseret News, “We don’t think that’s right.” (More)

Livvy Dunne Urges Women into NIL World

Speaking of women’s sports, LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne has made a name for herself in the NIL world, and she’s urging other women to do the same. “There are many more professional leagues for men’s sports after college, rather than women’s sports,” she said, “It’s really important for female student athletes to capitalize on your NIL while you’re in college.”

Many have argued women’s sports have been an undervalued market, and the NIL explosion we’ve seen over the past few years has more or less confirmed this theory. Livvy Dunne herself holds the third highest NIL valuation in the country, and she’d be #1 if the list excluded the sons of NBA and NFL hall-of-famers – each of whom see massive valuation bumps because of name recognition (More)

New NIL Book: “College Football Shapes Politics”

Two professors just co-authored a book on how NIL has affected state and institutional policy. The work examines how college sports can, and do, actually change political and legislative priorities.

“We’re looking into what happened with the policy itself, what this means for state governments and institutions,” co-author Dr. Darrell Lovell of West Texas A&M said about the book, “We’re not arguing the policy, we’re looking into the impact of it.”

For Lovell, that impact can’t be understated. “Football is always a significant factor in state policies when it comes to higher education,” he said, “Partly because of the money it brings in, but mostly because it’s a matter of civic pride.” (More)

Teaming up with

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VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Winding Back to College-Era Mahomes

In honor of Patrick Mahomes’ Super Bowl magic on Sunday, we’re winding back to 2016 to watch his epic battle with Baker Mayfield in college. Mahomes threw for over 700 yards, ran for 85 more, and racked up five touchdowns… and still lost. What do you think Patrick Mahomes’ NIL value would have been in 2016?

(2016) Patrick Mahomes vs Baker Mayfield was something else
— College Football Report (@CFBRep)
2:46 PM • Jul 11, 2023

DOWN TO BUSINESS

An NIL Clearinghouse is Here

Advance, a company which specializes in NIL consultation and education, just launched the Athlete National Sports Business Clearinghouse (ANSBC) to help discern which businesses are trustworthy potential NIL partners. The service will require businesses to undergo various background checks before getting approved.

“Think of it as like TSA PreCheck,” said Advance fo-founder Courney Altemus, “You pay so you can get through the [airport security] line faster. [Companies are] paying so that at least there’s some level of diligence that athletes know that has been performed, and they will stand out relative to their peers and competitors who haven’t engaged in the process.” (More)

One Bengals scout thinks scouting NFL talent has become easier due to NIL. According to Bengals’ Mike Potts, there’s “less of an element of projection, projecting their traits to what this guy could be two, three, four years down the road,” because NIL incentives allow for prospects to stay in school longer.
As the new year takes off, the Girls Soccer Network is counting down the sport’s biggest NIL agreements of 2023. Check out the list of biggest deals here, featuring brand sponsorships from companies like Adidas, Jordan, and Nike.

COLLECTIVE 101

Homefield Launches Collective Rev-Share Apparel

Homefield Apparel is launching a clothing revenue-share program that partners with collectives for sustainable NIL contributions. The business model resembles something like girl-scout cookies: 10% of the revenue goes directly to the collective that the apparel supports.

“Collectives have been driven toward hitting up the big donors over and over for the big bucks,” said Homefield marketing director Josh Johns, “What they haven’t been able to do is this, a grassroots-style campaign.”

Right now, the program includes only five schools: Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Purdue, and Kansas State. However, considering the high-upside system offers very little risk, don’t be surprised if the roster of participating schools expands quickly. (More)

NIL has complicated the recruiting landscape for every school in the country, but mid- and-low majors schools may be the biggest losers of the bunch. Even the lowest level DI players are demanding NIL compensation, funds that low-major schools simply can’t – and likely never will be able to – dole out.
Michigan football just hired Sean Magee to serve as the school’s NIL general manager. The school’s former athletic director, Magee will oversee the school’s NIL roster management strategy during the post-Harbaugh era.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Kwame “KJ” Evans Jr.

Meet KJ Evans Jr., the 5-star freshman sensation for the University of Oregon. Standing tall at 6’9, he's a lefty wing with a silky smooth jumper and potential that has NBA scouts buzzing. With whispers of being a one-and-done prospect after this season, KJ's skillset has garnered attention from the business world too.

Off the court, he's got an impressive NIL valuation of $223K, securing lucrative deals with Panini America and Celsius Energy. KJ played alongside future NBA talents at Montverde Academy, so his transition to the professional stage seems inevitable.