🏅 Union-Free Collective Bargaining?

Teaming up with

Hey there,

What a week it’s been for college sports. I feel like the whole world is holding its breath, just waiting to see what a settlement might look like in House v. NCAA. In the meantime, stakeholders are prepping for life post-House, with ideas being floated that would have seemed inconceivable just a few years ago. That’s what our first story is about, actually.

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KICK-OFF

Is Union-Free Collective Bargaining Coming?

House v. NCAA settlement discussions continue to dominate the news, and with good reason — it’s likely the most important NIL court case ever. Beyond the potentially billion-dollar settlement payout that could be coming, both sides are looking for ways to create a sustainable, antitrust-compliant college sports model in the future.

One of the more interesting ideas being proposed is “union-free collective bargaining.” This model would allow for bargaining to take place without players actually being deemed employees, which unions demand by law. Instead, the NCAA would negotiate with a different representative entity, like a player’s association.

As things stand right now, however, that’s a long way away. Whatever solution is reached, it has to come fast to avoid future litigation. Don’t be surprised if some solutions are included within the House settlement itself. (More)

Proctor Saga Reveals NIL/Portal’s Madness

Alabama’s Freshman All-American offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor has transferred twice in the last three months – first to Iowa – then back to Alabama. In many ways, Proctor represents the chaos of the NIL/transfer portal combination.

Although we’re not entirely sure, Proctor is probably still enrolled as a student at Iowa, and will have to finish this academic semester before returning to Alabama. A long-standing NCAA rule states that a player cannot compete for two teams within the same season. However, cases such as this have caused many to wonder if this rule could soon become a thing of the past.

“A lawsuit is definitely a modern-day possibility,” said Joshua Lens, an expert in NCAA compliance. (More)

Stanford Athletes Prep for Employment Model

Stanford’s Athletic Director, Bernard Muir, has been prepping athletes for what an employment model might look like for months, which has student-athletes buzzing. As the House decision looms, representatives from each of the school’s 36 athletic teams joined together to talk about what an employment model might look like. 

“From what I could tell with the representatives, people are intrigued to hear about [employment status] and what it means for their livelihoods,” said Elise Evans, who plays for the Cardinal’s soccer team, “Are some teams gonna be making more money? Also how does this affect international students, who will have to be on an employment visa?” (More)

Teaming up with

Teamworks, the leading technology provider for collegiate athletic departments, will launch Teamworks Wallet this summer. Teamworks Wallet (“Wallet”) is a digital banking solution built specifically for athletic departments and student-athletes. Trusted by over 700 NCAA institutions and 1,000 elite sports organizations worldwide, Teamworks is uniquely positioned to deliver a centralized destination for student-athletes to receive, store, and spend their money.

At launch, Wallet will integrate with Teamworks Influencer to streamline NIL payments for student-athletes. This integration allows collectives, businesses, and donors to quickly transfer funds directly into student-athletes' Wallet accounts without incurring any fees from Teamworks.

Learn More>>

WHAT’S TRENDING

Ups and Downs

• USC just added another women’s basketball superstar to their already-loaded roster. The transfer was announced via a NIL deal with Panini 📈

• Alabama also landed a big basketball prospect, but it likely came at a hefty price. Right after Clifford Omoruyi announced his commitment to the Tide, a report surfaced that another school offered him $2M… meaning the Tide have deep NIL pockets 📈

• The University of Albany announced plans for a men’s basketball collective. “One of my visions is to treat this as a baby NBA team,” said future collective head Chris Wyatt 📈

DOWN TO BUSINESS

CFPA Doesn’t Want Employment Status

Related to our first story, the College Football Players Association just released a letter calling for a non-employment model that also allows them to bargain collectively. The association’s founder, Jason Stahl, even released his idea for a hybrid option that he thinks could make both sides happy. 

“As we talk with current athletes on multiple football programs around the country, there does not seem to be an appetite for these types of legal battles over formal employment, unionization and collective bargaining,” Stahl said in the piece.

So… what’s his solution? Essentially, Congress would have to enact new legislation that would grant student-athletes a “special status” that “stops short of employee status but gives extensive protections and collective bargaining rights.” That way, athletes can negotiate without the other baggage that comes with employee status. (More)

• Opendorse’s Braly Keller just tweeted out a chart that gives a three-year NIL landscape prediction. With recent developments unfolding, one NIL director told him that we are approaching another “July 1^st” moment again – the day NIL became legal in college sports in 2021.

• On3’s Shannon Terry explained how rev-share might work in college sports, calling the possibility a “positive development” in the “free market system.”

COLLECTIVE 101

A Shock-ing Contribution

Wichita State’s collective isn’t usually raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars, but thanks to one very important donation, the Shockers are feeling great about NIL. That donation came from College Baseball Hall of Famer Gene Stephenson, who pledged $600K to support the baseball program.

The gift doesn’t stop there, either. In addition to the $600K, Stephenson also announced a recurring $20K donation to the baseball program, which will allow the school to recruit and maintain elite talent. In baseball – where NIL price tags fall well below those in sports like football and basketball – that money could completely change the school’s athletic trajectory.

Stephenson served as the school’s head baseball coach from 1978 to 2013, where he turned the Shockers into a baseball powerhouse. This gift aims to return them to that level of success, and maybe even greater. (More)

• Kentucky’s NIL collective has taken in nearly $5M in NIL since Mark Pope’s hiring, along with another $650K in recurring annual commitments.

• The Director of Dayton’s NIL collective says that “the future of college basketball is survival of the fittest fan base.” In other words, if fans don’t pony up for NIL, programs could simply simmer out of relevance.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Cody Williams

Meet Cody Williams, the freshman sensation who's already making waves in the basketball world. Despite his young age, Cody's talent has earned him accolades such as an honorable mention to the 2023-24 Preseason Media All-Pac-12 Team and a spot as No. 92 in The Almanac's preseason Top 100 player rankings. Named one of NCAA.com's Top 10 freshmen, Cody's game extends beyond the court, as he's secured NIL deals with multiple companies, including his biggest partnership with Celsius Energy. Now, as Cody's journey continues, he's set his sights even higher, recently entering the NBA Draft, poised to take the professional basketball world by storm.

NIL BLITZ

♦️ Maryland student-athletes sign on with CAVA for NIL deal

♦️ Stetson University collective partners up with local law firm for NIL

♦️ With Calipari settling in, Arkansas now turns its NIL focus to football 

♦️ USC Athletic Department adds staff with fundraising experience

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Would women's basketball getting better time slots substantially increase interest in the sport?

• Yes, it would bring in new fans organically - 52%

• No, it wouldn’t change much - 48%