🏅 Vegas' $2M NIL Tournament

Hey there,

What’s better — the glory of winning the March Madness tournament and being enshrined in history books forever, or the potential to make hundreds of thousands of dollars in NIL money? That’s the question we may be asking a year from now, thanks to an NIL tournament in Vegas. Keep reading to find out more!

While we have you, I’d love for you to check out Ariyh, today’s sponsor. If you love what we do here, please go see for yourself why we’ve partnered with them!

Do you follow us on Twitter? If you don’t, you’re missing out on the best video content and NIL updates on the app. Click the link to stay updated with NIL news on Elon Musk’s favorite app.

Want to advertise with NIL Wire? We’d love to partner with you. Just respond to this email to get your brand, service, or product in front of our world-class readers today!

What can we do better? Tell us at [email protected]. Now, on to the news!

— Cole, Justin and Collin

KICK-OFF

College Hoops’ Million-Dollar NIL Tournament

We’ve officially entered the era of the NIL basketball tournament. As soon as next Thanksgiving, the MGM Arena in Las Vegas will host an NIL-fueled college hoops tournament that will offer up to $2M in NIL money to participating teams. The baseline guarantee seems to be $1M, with winning games compounding the team’s NIL earnings.

As of right now, the NIL money will be given to the school’s NIL collective partners to then give to the players themselves, with the stipulation that all funds must be given to the current team. In essence, they don’t want collectives saving some money for the future – every player that participates will get paid.

Analyst Jay Bilas even sees potential for this format to extend into postseason play: “Can you imagine getting an invitation from a March tournament where you can make into your collective $2 [million] or $3 million?” he said, “You go to the NCAA tournament; your players get a t-shirt? That’s going to be a thing, and the NCAA is gonna have to respond. Revenue sharing is coming, and they don’t want to admit it. But it’s coming, and now it’s here.” (More)

Louisville Coach suggests $500 NIL “Fines”

Louisville women’s basketball coach Jeff Walz was heated after losing in the ACC championship game to Notre Dame. Talking to the media, he suggested that NIL should become “pay for play” so that “the game will get cleaned up.”

“See, this is where NIL could really improve our game,” he said, “If I could fine say, $500 a turnover I guarantee you we wouldn't turn that thing over one time. They'd care.” Here he’s referencing the Cardinals turning the ball over twenty times in the championship matchup.  

“If you pay for play, it'll get better,” he continued, “We just can't fine them. As a player, would you not care more… if I said, every turnover is $500 — you're out two grand tonight. We would make money as coaches. Our athletic department would make money off our players. Our NIL would come back to the school.” (More)

Ritz’ Super-Stacked NIL Roster

Ritz is taking their NIL game to the next level, launching one of the most stacked rosters of athletes in college basketball ahead of March Madness. In order to promote their newest flavors, they’ve employed eight men’s and eight women’s basketball studs to rep the brand – not to mention NBA legend Isiah Thomas.

On top of the NIL brand deals, Ritz is also holding a sweepstakes competition that will fly fans out to the NCAA Final Four in 2025. It’s safe to say the cracker company is going all in on college hoops for their NIL strategy; with names like Armando Bacot, Caleb Love, and Hunter Dickinson, they’ve spent a pretty penny to land some of the highest valued players in the country. (More)

The latest marketing science in your inbox

Effective marketing is built on science, not opinions. 

Ariyh turns the latest scientific research into 3-min recommendations to improve your marketing.

For example, you’ll learn the latest science in:

• Pricing & discounts

• Ad creative optimization

• Effective copy & messaging

Simple, actionable, and actually FACTUAL.

Join 25,000+ evidence-based marketers who get a new insight every Tuesday, for free.

Subscribe for $0

WHAT’S TRENDING

Ups and Downs

• Duke hooper Jared McCain just signed a deal with hydration brand RECOVER 180, taking him to the third-highest NIL valuation in college basketball 📈

• Congress has a 50-50 shot of passing legislation on college sports, according to Ted Cruz. He cites a lack of bipartisan agreement as the main holdup 📉

• Nebraska’s Jordy Bahl just signed a deal with Midwest Bank, further cementing her as a top NIL valuation in the softball world 📈

DOWN TO BUSINESS

North Carolina Governor Repeals NIL Rules

North Carolina’s governor is reversing course on the NIL restrictions the state put in place in 2021. In light of the injunction in the Tennessee/Virginia v. NCAA case, the governor now feels it unnecessary to keep the same rules – especially when schools in the state could benefit from their absence.  

Among the rules being rescinded are restrictions on schools directly paying student-athletes, which all but opens the door to what many call “pay-for-play.” 

“Within days of the NCAA’s announcement that college athletes could benefit from their NIL, we put these rules in place at the request of colleges and universities to make sure they had the tools they needed to compete at the highest level,” Gov. Cooper said in a press release, “While these rules were helpful earlier in the process, they are no longer necessary.” (More)

• Barstool is shutting down its NIL marketplace, citing “uncertainty” around NIL policies. From the press release: “The rapidly evolving NIL landscape is demanding and unpredictable.”

• Learfield taps new vice president and general manager for its College Rodeo division. Brad Poe, formerly of the University of Wyoming, will attempt to maximize NIL opportunities for clients in the rodeo world.

COLLECTIVE 101

Saban Wants a Level Playing Field

In a panel appearance on Capitol Hill earlier this week, ex-Bama football coach Nick Saban shared his thoughts on how to fix college sports’ payment model. In what many considered a bit of a surprise, the legendary coach endorsed revenue sharing – so long as it doesn’t turn student-athletes into employees.

“If we had some sort of revenue sharing proposition that did not make student-athletes employees ... I think that may be the long-term solution,” he said, “You couldn't raise more money at one school to create a competitive advantage at another.”

Increasing competitive advantage seems to be high on Saban’s wish list: “We have collectives that in some places are raising huge amounts of money and going to compete against places that do not have the same resources to raise those kinds of funds to pay players… There's no competitive balance… [we’re creating] a system where the rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer.” (More)

• Performance-based incentives are now possible, according to Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence. Thanks to the recent NCAA ruling, collectives can now dole out money based on how well players play.

• LSU’s Kim Mulkey says she doesn’t even know when her players receive NIL deals until they show up with presents at her office. “They do share their wealth,” she said of superstars Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Fernando Mendoza

Fernando Mendoza, the starting quarterback for Cal Football, has unveiled a delicious initiative with a heartfelt purpose. Inspired by his Cuban heritage and his love for authentic flavors, Fernando has collaborated with a local Berkeley restaurant, La Burrita, to launch the "Mendoza Burrito." 

All proceeds from the "Mendoza Burrito" will be directed to the National MS Foundation. This meaningful endeavor is deeply personal for Fernando, as it's dedicated to supporting his mother, who courageously lives with Multiple Sclerosis. Every bite of the "Mendoza Burrito," will contribute to the noble cause of aiding those affected by MS. Join Fernando in his mission to make a tangible impact, one burrito at a time, and visit La Burrita in Berkeley, California to show your support. 

NIL BLITZ

♦️ Out2Win launches Athlete Creator Tournament 

♦️ Arizona State AD announces NIL agenda under her watch

♦️ Cormac Ryan gets special NIL T-shirt deal after historic night against Duke

♦️ Women are getting more March Madness sponsorships nowadays

Share NIL Wire

Have a friend or colleague who would enjoy NIL Wire? Share with them today!

You currently have 0 referrals.

BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Are UNLV’s Casino-driven NIL efforts a good or bad idea?

• Good, they’re bringing in money and it’s all legal - 50%

• Bad, college sports & gaming services should stay separate - 50%

All those votes and we’ve got a tie! We want to hear your reasoning. Reply to this email with your thoughts one way or another.