🏅 NIL Keeps Football Players in School. Period.

Teaming up with

Hey there,

NIL has opened up business opportunities for students — and I’m not just referring to student athletes. Some students, like the two Syracuse undergrads in our lead story, saw a hole in the market and decided to get in on the action. Keep reading to see how they’re doing it!

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KICK-OFF

A Slice of the Pie

Syracuse has already established itself as one of the premier sports media factories in the nation, but they’re beginning to churn out NIL businesses too. Slice Sports Management is a student-run NIL management agency at Syracuse that’s already worked with over twenty athletes during its brief one-year history.

“The selling point now is — do you want a team of 10 hungry, motivated college students to just email for you every single day, no strings attached?” co-founder Brandon Gilbert said of their business model. Posting up in an apartment every Friday, Gilbert and his team worked on branding and finding deals for their clients during the schoolyear. 

Now, they’re reaping the rewards. “They get their own part from getting deals for us,” said Syracuse linebacker David Omopariola, “So it’s like, they’re not just chilling, they’re actually always working to get us paid.” (More)

The Dartmouth Case has a Key Weakness

A key part of Dartmouth University’s case against athlete employment was that that the men’s basketball team couldn’t be employees if they operate at a loss. However, a new story reveals that the dining services, which the basketball team framed their own unionization effort after, also operates at a loss.

This reality weakens the school’s case immensely. According to Sportico, “Profitability appears to be an especially unpersuasive line of attack for Dartmouth given the school has willingly negotiated with unionized student employees of a money-losing enterprise.” 

That reasoning seemed to be enough for regional NLRB leader Laura Sacks. “The profitability of any given business does not affect the employee status of the individuals who perform work for that business,” she said of the case. (More)

Baker Breaks Silence

In light of the recent injunction in the Tennessee/Virginia lawsuit – which suspends the NCAA’s authority to enforce NIL rules – NCAA President Charlie Baker just released a letter to all NCAA member schools to update them on how the organization is handling the matter.

There’s not much to report as far as actionable steps, but he did say that the governing boards for both DI and the NCAA were convening to discuss the future. What he did mention, however, is how he thinks the ruling will exacerbate the already unpredictable NIL landscape. 

“As you may know, we made clear that the NCAA fully supports the rights of student-athletes to benefit from exercising their NIL rights,” he said in the letter, “But [we] expressed concern that granting this preliminary injunction would make what is currently a chaotic environment worse.” (More)

Teaming up with

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

With an impressive roster of over 250 universities and a 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!

WHAT’S TRENDING

Ups and Downs

• Ole Miss QB Jackson Dart just signed a deal with a private jet company that includes free rides across the country 📈

• Alabama lost their Director of Personnel Operations to Ohio State, who hired him for their General Manager role 📉

• Powerade is upping their NIL game, signing two hoops superstars to endorsement deals 📈

DOWN TO BUSINESS

NIL Has Depleted the NFL Draft

According to NFL scouts and general managers, the 2024 draft has very little depth, and that has to do with NIL becoming a viable compensation option, and thus giving players a reason to stay in school longer.

“#NFL released a memo today with all draft eligible underclassmen,” NFL scouting guru Jim Nagy tweeted, “Only 34 names appeared on the list. For reference over 140 juniors declared in 2019. NIL 💰️ keeping players in school!”

At the policy’s conception, proponents of NIL argued that many college athletes – specifically basketball and football players – don’t utilize their entire eligibility because they want to make money as soon as possible. Now that they can make cash while still in college, athletes are staying in school to get paid and earn their degrees. (More)

• As a market for legal services within the sector grows, local law firms are rapidly expanding into the Name, Image, Likeness space. A few high-profile contract dispute cases – like former Florida Gator Gervon Dexter – have hastened the rise of NIL practices around the country

• The Washington Commanders’ Eric Bieniemy is joining UCLA’s football staff as offensive coordinator. The move somewhat refutes recent murmurs that NIL has made the college game unattractive to NFL-caliber coaches.

COLLECTIVE 101

NIL Has Given Baseball Parity. Is that Good?

Arizona State’s baseball coach Willie Bloomquist suggested that NIL has led to more parity in college baseball – not to mention a few headaches along the way. The timing of the transfer portal and MLB draft are key factors in this phenomenon.

“The timing of the major league draft is after the portal closes, so you don’t know who you’re losing,” Bloomquist said, “We have to get insurance, we have to overrecruit and get guys just in case we lose some in the draft. That happened this year when we lost every arm we had.”

Baseball is already volatile – “Anyone can beat anyone on any given day,” according to coach Bloomquist. Collectives shelling out thousands of dollars in NIL has only compounded that volatility. (More)

• Houston basketball just signed a six-figure deal with social media company Loot8 thanks to their LinkingCoogs collective. Through LinkingCoogs, Houston is very quickly building one of the most effective NIL programs in the country.

• Ole Miss’ Grove Collective is shooting to add four thousand members to their ranks in the near future, which would bring their total member count to 10,000. The Rebs already boast one of the most successful efforts in the collective world.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Zach Edey

Standing tall at 7-foot-4, Zach Edey is a towering presence on the court. With the potential to clinch back-to-back national player of the year awards, Edey's dominance is undeniable. He’s averaging 23 points and 10 rebounds per game, and due to pro-level footwork and a feather-light touch, he maneuvers through defenses effortlessly.

Beyond the hardwood, Edey's influence extends to social media, boasting 65K followers across platforms and an NIL valuation of $815K. Leveraging his reach, Edey has secured NIL deals with companies like Campus Ink, launching licensed hockey jerseys. 

NIL BLITZ

♦️ Texas running back signs with GSE for NIL representation

♦️ FSU’s Project Osceola reports $8M in NIL contributions in ’24 fiscal year

♦️ Creighton launches NIL store

♦️ Coastal Carolina partners with Altius 

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Should court-storming be banned to prevent injuries to players?

• Yes - 74%

• No - 26%