🏅 The Kelce Brothers are NIL fundraisers now

Teaming up with

Hey there,

Round one of March Madness is over, and your bracket is probably completely busted by now. Fun fact: after day one, former Texas running back Bijan Robinson had a perfect bracket — that put him in the top 0.00038% of brackets. It’s busted now, but props to Bijan nonetheless — one of the first big NIL brands to burst on to the scene.

Make sure you check out today’s sponsor, GameDay Ready Labs, the official pain reliever of the UFC.

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If you’ve got thoughts, we’d love to hear feedback on anything and everything about our newsletter. Simply hit reply or send us an email at [email protected] to get in touch.

— Cole, Justin and Collin

KICK-OFF

Basketball’s NIL Revolution

Basketball is in a better place thanks to NIL – both college and the NBA. Two pieces of evidence show this clearly, the first being that college basketball players are staying in school longer because of NIL.

According to On3’s James Fletcher III, this phenomenon disproportionally helps players who have less opportunity in the NBA – centers and undersized point guards especially. As length and versatility continue to win over NBA scouts, bruising big men like Zach Edey have less of a role at the NBA level… but thanks to NIL, he can prolong his superstardom and make more money by staying in school longer. Win-Win.

The second piece of evidence that NIL is working is the the G-League Ignite’s recently announced conclusion. The team operated as a paid developmental program for NBA hopefuls, but now that NIL has filled the financial “hole in the marketplace”, commissioner Adam Silver shut the program down. (More)

Sweeping Deal for March Madness Women

Opendorse partnered with Epsilon to support every women’s basketball player in the country this March Madness. Each participating member of the women’s NCAA tournament was offered an NIL deal worth $500 to rep Epsilon on Instagram, regardless of follower-count.

In addition to the $500 payout, Epsilon is also allowing the athletes to opt in to their career planning resources as part of the deal. The meteoric rise of women’s basketball over the last eighteen months likely makes this a shrewd investment. 

In fact women’s basketball may be the shrewdest investment in the NIL world right now. The sport’s intrigue is likely still ahead of its NIL price-tag, although that gap seems to be closing quickly. (More)

Smart Money

Many are weary of college kids earning millions in NIL money, and it’s hard to say they’re wrong for thinking that way. That’s why NerdWallet is promoting financial responsibility for young athletes with their newest NIL deals.

In what the company is calling the “smartest NIL deal ever,” USC basketball’s JuJu Watkins and Kentucky basketball’s Rob Dillingham are “contractually obligated to commit to a NerdWallet smart money decision as a part of the deal.”

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Not only that, the company is publicly sharing contract terms as an “accountability” measure. With those details being public pieces of the athlete’s NIL deal, the idea is that fans can see their NIL funds being used for responsible savings. (More)

Teaming up with

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BEST PRACTICES

Bijan Robinson’s Keys to NIL Success

Former Texas running back Bijan Robinson was one of the first athletes to truly leverage his name, image, and likeness into dollars; during his time with the longhorns, Robinson established himself as one of the country’s premiere brands. Well, now he has advice for other college athletes on how to get into the NIL world: go find opportunities for yourself.

“Don't be afraid of reaching out for yourself and finding opportunity,” Robinson advised young student-athletes, “That's what's hurting the kids now. They're relying on one thing and getting money off the universities, which is amazing, but then you don't see them marketing themselves.”

He also stressed that a big brand now does not necessarily secure opportunities later. “You don't see (current student athletes) have many brand deals,” Robinson said, “Obviously it's great to make money and everything but at some point, it might run out. Your opportunities will be nothing at that point.” (More)

DOWN TO BUSINESS

Dartmouth Refusing to Negotiate with Union

Just when you thought the Dartmouth unionization saga was over, the story becomes even wilder. Last month Dartmouth’s basketball team was granted the right to unionize by the NLRB, which they made official by a thirteen-to-two vote from the players themselves. Now, however, the school is refusing to negotiate with the newly formed union.

Legally, this seems to be a tricky area. According to Sportico’s Michael McCann, the school’s refusal to bargain opens up the door for the union to charge them with unfair labor practice. If that happens, the school would be forced to the table.

However, perhaps Dartmouth is holding out for a federal court’s decision on the matter. If that court doesn’t see the players as school employees, then they may be sympathetic to Dartmouth’s decision not to bargain. (More)

• Sprouts Farmers Market is celebrating Women’s History month with NIL. They just signed a star-studded roster of eight female athletes to deals, including competitors from volleyball, gymnastics, and softball.

• Women’s basketball superstars Caitlin Clark, Kamilla Cardoso, and Kiki Rice will be featured in a docuseries about the NCAA tournament. The series is being produced by Peyton Manning’s production company.

COLLECTIVE 101

Kelce Brothers Raising NIL

The University of Cincinnati is raising NIL funds with the help of their two most famous alumni brothers, Jason and Travis Kelce. The duo’s wildly popular “New Heights” podcast will be coming to Cincinnati’s Nippert stadium in an effort to bolster the raise money for Cincy Reigns, the school’s official collective partner.

This is more than just a live podcast taping, however. The show will also feature challenges that the student body can participate in, as well as stories about the brothers’ time at Cincinnati. Tickets for the event are steep, however. The get-in price for the live podcast taping is $100. (More)

• Auburn’s NIL collective is taking advantage of the loosened restrictions on NIL recruiting. Before, they weren’t allowed to meet with recruits to talk figures… but with the recent changes, they were able to talk with nineteen recruits over the weekend.

• In a recent tweet, Jason Belzer of Student Athlete NIL said that his company manages 20% of all non-Power 5 schools’ collective efforts. From that percentage, 37% of the collectives they managed won their conference regular season title or tournament crown. Talk about a good selling point.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Mackenzie Holmes

Mackenzie Holmes is dominating on the court for Indiana, which helped her team secure the number 4 seed in the NCAA tournament. With a dedicated social media following of over 22,000 followers, Holmes has capitalized on her influence to land NIL deals with major brands like Adidas and 988 Lifeline.

Alongside teammate Sydney Parrish, they navigate the pressures of the tournament while partnering with Adidas, demonstrating not just athleticism but also leadership and influence. Their collaboration with Adidas transcends mere sponsorship, symbolizing a commitment to elevate their game and inspire others. Together, Holmes and Parrish epitomize the modern athlete, leveraging their platform for success both on and off the court, as they prepare to leave their mark on the NCAA tournament stage.

NIL BLITZ

♦️ Gatorade launches Caitlin Clark NIL products

♦️ Keurig signs multiple athletes to NIL deals for March Madness

♦️ Nick Saban wasn’t cut out for NIL?

♦️ Angel Reese partners with Goldman Sachs for March NIL promotion

BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Which Big East team was the biggest March Madness snub this year?

• Seton Hall - 38%

• St. John’s - 35%

• Providence - 27%