🏅 Hockey, International Athletes, and NIL

Teaming up with

Hey there,

I’m from Texas, as many of y’all know, so hockey isn’t exactly my specialty…but in today’s edition, we’ve got a hockey story worth telling: NIL may actually be pushing historically elite institutions out of national contention. On top of that, there are updates from Congress on international students using NIL, and a bombshell report about whether men are getting more NIL deals than women. Keep scrolling to find out all of the week’s biggest updates!

Oh — do us a favor and take a look at today’s sponsor, Influxer. They play a crucial role in keeping the lights on for us, so check them out later on in today’s edition!

We’re always looking for potential sponsorship partners. If you’re interested, simply reply to this email.

We can always do better. Email us [email protected] to let us know how we can make NIL Wire a must-read for you!

— Cole, Justin and Collin

KICK-OFF

New Bill Allows International Athletes to use NIL

Until now, international student-athletes have been functionally boxed out of NIL opportunities. However, thanks to a bipartisan coalition between Rep. Valarie Foushee (D – North Carolina) and Rep. Mike Flood (R – Nebraska), a law could be coming to amend the F-1 Visa regulations, allowing for international student-athletes to utilize NIL.

“International students already can pursue part-time employment during college,” Mike Flood said in a statement about the bill they just proposed to Congress, “This legislation seeks to ensure that international collegiate athletes also have the opportunity to receive compensation in name, image and likeness promotions.

Immigration attorney Amy Maldonado has hopes for this bill: “We are encouraged by the fact that the bills are bipartisan in both houses of Congress, and thus have more potential to move forward than other NIL legislation introduced to date.” (More)

New NIL Gender Distribution Report Drops

In the short history of NIL, there has existed a discrepancy between men's and women’s NIL opportunities. That gap is dwindling, though—at least at the top of the NIL pyramid. Of the 100 athletes with the most NIL deals in the country, 52% are women now, compared to 38% just last year. 

This advancement does not mean women make as much money as men – this research only deals with the total number of deals. Nor does the data mean that women across the board are getting more NIL deals – perhaps they are, but this study only focuses on the top 100 athletes. 

Nevertheless, it’s a massive development that helps us track NIL star power in college sports. Much of the growth can be attributed to the emerging markets of volleyball and softball, which together doubled their number of female athletes on the list from the year prior. (More)

Could NIL End Some Historic Hockey Schools?

College hockey generates the third-most revenue per school of any sport in the country. Nevertheless, some of the sport’s smallest schools boast the biggest hockey brands – like Quinnipiac and St. Cloud State – which are in constant contention for national championships. 

Enter NIL. Name, Image, and Likeness opportunities have been shaking up the college hockey universe in a major way, funneling talent to the biggest schools with the largest NIL budgets. Colby Cohen, a Boston University hockey alum, thinks these opportunities are changing the sport forever.

“I think what’s going to happen is you’re going to lose the middle class of college hockey,” said Cohen, “I think you’re going to have the upper class with the big football programs and then you’re going to have like the lower class of teams… All the players are filtered to one or a couple of these schools, but you also kind of see that happening right now.” (More)

Teaming up with

Influxer has emerged as a leader in the realm of NIL merchandise. 

With an impressive roster of over 250 universities and 7,800 student-athletes, the team is revolutionizing the co-branded NIL gear market. From tees and hoodies to long sleeves and comfortable crewnecks, Influxer has it all. And that's not all - they are soon set to unveil an exciting addition to their collection: jerseys!

But Influxer's commitment to student-athletes goes beyond just merchandise. They are dedicated to providing additional opportunities, evident in their employment of over 70 student-athletes for internships.

Simultaneously, the team is working on an app that will serve as the ultimate NIL portal. This game-changing platform will offer live sales and royalty tracking for both student-athletes and administration, a dynamic marketplace for student-athletes and brands to collaborate, comprehensive NIL education, and even career placement capabilities.

In 2024, Influxer is taking things to the next level. They are focusing on expanded rollouts, enticing sponsorship opportunities, strategic bookstore partnerships, captivating pop-up shops, and a plethora of other exciting ventures. The possibilities are endless!

If you're eager to learn more about what Influxer can offer, click here and reach out today. The future of NIL merchandise and student-athlete empowerment awaits!

BEST PRACTICES

How Athletic Departments can Prep for the Future

If you work in an athletic department, as many of our readers do, you should be keeping a really close eye on what’s happening with the NLRB trial going on at USC right now. If you’re unfamiliar, this should catch you up. That’s not the point right now – we want to give you insight into how schools around the country are prepping for what seems to be a foregone conclusion at this point: student-athletes seem likely to achieve employment status in the near future. How can your athletic department prepare?

First, the finances are going to have to be cleared up. Athletic department balance sheets are usually in the negative, so the accounting department might be tasked with turning the department into a functioning business. 

Second, start preparing to bring as many operations in-house as possible. Once collectives merge with athletic departments – which is likely to happen soon – schools will experience a rapid transition period. Do whatever you can now to make that transition as smooth as possible.

Third, get ready for a professional environment. Of course, it’s been professional this whole time… but the language around “doing right by the kids” won’t be so effective once they’re employees. Moving from a personal to a professional relationship with the athletes is a given, so start prepping now. (More)

DOWN TO BUSINESS

Which Women’s Hooper Has the Biggest Brand?

This year was special for women’s sports – especially basketball – which witnessed a once-in-a-generation confluence of stars elevate the game to national prominence. Unfortunately, many of those stars are off to the WNBA now – Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Cameron Brink, to name a few. Who will replace them as the most marketable stars in women’s basketball?

There’s a few contenders: UConn’s Paige Bueckers has the name recognition and NIL resume to match. South Carolina’s freshman phenom Milaysia Fulwiley could be next in line – that’s certainly what Curry Brand thinks. And who could forget Flau’jae Johnson, LSU’s superstar who currently ranks higher than all of them in On3’s valuation charts? 

The real answer may be none other than USC’s JuJu Watkins. She just broke the freshman scoring record in her first season and has already inked deals with national brands like Celsius, Nerdwallet, and Nike. With the charisma to match her on-court play, don’t be surprised if her brand explodes as early as next year. (More)

• Oregon State’s move to the West Coast Conference is pushing players out the door because of limited national exposure, which yields fewer NIL opportunities than they had in the PAC-12.

• Coach Prime says NIL can be a distraction from the real prize: the NFL: “You can’t get lackadaisical that you don’t work hard because you got a ship sailing in of thousands of dollars each month.”

COLLECTIVE 101

Could Collectives be Tax-Exempt Soon?

Why are collectives taxed? It may seem like a silly question at face value, but it’s one worth asking. According to Professor Michael LeRoy of the University of Illinois, most of the answer has to do with how the IRS perceives NIL collectives.

According to documents the IRS has sent out in the past – such as the infamous memo that shut down some non-profit collectives – NIL collectives generally “serve a private rather than a public interest.” When schools like Texas A&M tried to incorporate their collective with the school’s foundation, things got a little too “in-house” for their liking, which led to the collective’s dissolution.

However, perhaps schools won’t need to get tricky much longer. As we explained in the Down to Business section, state laws are breaking down the barriers between schools and collectives. Once those barriers are down for good, schools will be able to bring their NIL operation in-house and under the university’s tax-exempt status. (More)

• BYU’s stud cornerback says no schools were willing to put NIL deals in writing for him, a huge reason why he’s staying at BYU. According to him, sometimes the sure thing is better than the risk.

• Louisville’s collective just cleared a $750K matching donation milestone in their newest fundraiser. The school’s collective remains one of the country’s most innovative to date.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Riley Ammenhauser

Meet Riley Ammenhauser, where track and field success meets social media stardom. As a standout athlete representing the University of Michigan, Riley's talent extends far beyond the track. With an impressive following of nearly 200,000 on TikTok and over 47,000 on Instagram, she's captured the hearts of fans worldwide with her infectious energy and engaging personality.

But Riley isn't just about likes and follows; she's leveraged her platform to forge impactful partnerships through NIL deals with renowned companies like Dyson, Discover, Lululemon, and Onepeloton. Despite her online success, Riley's commitment to her sport remains paramount, evident in her relentless pursuit of excellence on the track. 

NIL BLITZ

♦️ Ferris University is partnering with Athlete’s Thread for NIL apparel

♦️ Mike Norvell to speak at huge NIL event for Florida State

♦️ QB Sam Hartman’s cautious warning on NIL for college football players

♦️ Former Wildcat Rick Pitino endorses Kentucky’s new head coach selection

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Has the immobilizing injunction that stems from the Tennessee v. NCAA case helped or hurt college sports thus far?

• Helped: The NCAA's tight leash was doing more harm than anything - 42%

• Hurt: The lack of oversight has resulted in too much chaos - 58%