Should semipro/college players be paid, or allowed to sell their stuff? (NIL and Revenue Sharing)

[scarletmike]

Interesting.

My first reaction would be to let the general endorsement money from apparel and TV contracts act as the platform for the lower players and let the free market work for the stars.

I don't know that the fear of abuse is what it once was or should even be a fear at all. If Billy Joe's used car mart in Alabama wants to pay a huge endorsement fee then let the IRS police it for you. The B1G schools, especially OSU can go toe to toe in that arena and probably surpass them.

I laid it out the way I did because that's the route I see for an equitable, easy to understand and enforce system that works for all sports and athletes/schools, not just the football and basketball stars. It allows the NCAA to say this is the framework, go outside the approved framework and you will be punished. I think this also allows the schools/NCAA to maintain a sense of amateurism and at least some academics to hold their noses and accept it a little more quietly since the school isn't paying them like employees. Especially for the local businesses, offer partnerships with the school's media programs for commercials and photoshoots, integrate these deals into their sports marketing/management programs. Let the fans drive the largest "free market" of earnings potential with the merch purchases while holding back the flood of "illicit" booster money by regulating endorsements/business gifts with set rates and policies. If the star QB is driving around a fully loaded Benz from the dealership owned by a booster, that has to fit within the policies around endorsements/gifts, or be bought properly. Such a system should make it easier to suss out if things are being done on the up and up, while allowing the players to recognize a good portion of their value while in school. The only place where it gets a little sticky is where exactly the players' cut comes from, and it would likely be a mix of slightly increased merch prices, a point or two off the school's take, and a point or two increase in the licensing fee.

I agree that B1G schools have the boosters to go toe to toe with the SEC schools on that front, but you'll still see questionable transactions (i.e. it won't just be the Olympic gymnast getting a big endorsement fee, it will also be her/his friend they're trying to help/recruit, etc.) if you open it up to a relatively blank canvas framework. I'm not necessarily worried about it, but I don't think it's helpful in the larger picture with how this is all viewed and accepted. Heck, this kind of framework might even encourage a little more fan support of the smaller non-rev sports and drive higher interest, which can in turn further help the AD by getting the non-rev athletes out there in front of the community via ads (maybe they can charge $5 for men's volleyball matches with higher engagement/interest, lessening the team impact on the budget or letting them provide a better athlete experience). I haven't really thought about it at a micro level, but from the Goodyear Blimp, the view looks pretty manageable and positive across the AD to me with that kind of system.

 

[Jaxbuck]

I laid it out the way I did because that's the route I see for an equitable, easy to understand and enforce system that works for all sports and athletes/schools, not just the football and basketball stars. It allows the NCAA to say this is the framework, go outside the approved framework and you will be punished. I think this also allows the schools/NCAA to maintain a sense of amateurism and at least some academics to hold their noses and accept it a little more quietly since the school isn't paying them like employees. Especially for the local businesses, offer partnerships with the school's media programs for commercials and photoshoots, integrate these deals into their sports marketing/management programs. Let the fans drive the largest "free market" of earnings potential with the merch purchases while holding back the flood of "illicit" booster money by regulating endorsements/business gifts with set rates and policies. If the star QB is driving around a fully loaded Benz from the dealership owned by a booster, that has to fit within the policies around endorsements/gifts, or be bought properly. Such a system should make it easier to suss out if things are being done on the up and up, while allowing the players to recognize a good portion of their value while in school. The only place where it gets a little sticky is where exactly the players' cut comes from, and it would likely be a mix of slightly increased merch prices, a point or two off the school's take, and a point or two increase in the licensing fee.

I agree that B1G schools have the boosters to go toe to toe with the SEC schools on that front, but you'll still see questionable transactions (i.e. it won't just be the Olympic gymnast getting a big endorsement fee, it will also be her/his friend they're trying to help/recruit, etc.) if you open it up to a relatively blank canvas framework. I'm not necessarily worried about it, but I don't think it's helpful in the larger picture with how this is all viewed and accepted. Heck, this kind of framework might even encourage a little more fan support of the smaller non-rev sports and drive higher interest, which can in turn further help the AD by getting the non-rev athletes out there in front of the community via ads (maybe they can charge $5 for men's volleyball matches with higher engagement/interest, lessening the team impact on the budget or letting them provide a better athlete experience). I haven't really thought about it at a micro level, but from the Goodyear Blimp, the view looks pretty manageable and positive across the AD to me with that kind of system.

Yeah I guess we are coming at it from two different angles.

Easy to understand, equitable and easy to enforce aren't goals in my mind. Once you do it for money then join the rest of us whores in the real world.

If you have skills that are in higher demand you get more money. Fair is a concept for kindergarten playgrounds.

 

[scarletmike]

Yeah I guess we are coming at it from two different angles.

Easy to understand, equitable and easy to enforce aren't goals in my mind. Once you do it for money then join the rest of us whores in the real world.

If you have skills that are in higher demand you get more money. Fair is a concept for kindergarten playgrounds.

Title IX assumptions and maintaining some guise of amateurism is the biggest factor behind the framework I'm talking through. I think opening it up entirely leaves too many ways to manipulate NIL revenue to the detriment of many schools in the Power 5, and that a completely open setup will result in a full revolt from the academic side of the schools as well as the loss of football (and possibly men's basketball) officially associated with the schools, at least at a high level.

And to be clear, the higher demand athletes would still pull in more money (you don't see volleyball jerseys or rowing shirts for sale, and even if that becomes an option, they're not selling more than a few dozen a year) via the merch and likeness licensing that doesn't require serious in-person commitment. The only real limits my framework imposes are on the more intensive in-person commitments, and I think helps to limit the impact of boosters on the programs via players so that the recruitment process isn't completely and openly corrupted based on whose school's dealership owners can pay the most.

 

[ScriptOhio]

The former college football star is now in the United States House of Representatives. The Republican Rep. is teaming up with Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, from Missouri, for a bipartisan bill to help college athletes profit off their name, image and likeness.

The “rules of construction” in the bill makes the point that athletes who profit from the NIL legislation will not be school employees.

In the bill, athletes can have endorsement contracts and have representatives negotiate the arrangements of the endorsements. It also doesn’t make it illegal for an endorsement to conflict with a school endorsement agreement.

“We greatly appreciate U.S. Reps. Gonzalez and Cleaver’s collaboration to sponsor bipartisan legislation to strengthen the college athlete experience,” the NCAA said in a statement released after the bill was introduced. “We look forward to working together with both representatives, their co-sponsors and other members of Congress to further establish a legal and legislative environment where our schools can continue to support student-athletes within the context of higher education.”

Rep. Anthony Gonzalez was once a star for the Buckeyes. Now, he’s playing a key role in helping future Ohio State stars profit off their name, image and likeness.

 

[ScriptOhio]

Former longtime Florida and Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer is reportedly among those who will be working with a new firm in advising college athletic departments regarding the upcoming Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) market place. According to the Sports Business Journal, Meyer is one of several high-profile advisers that has teamed up with Altius Sports Partners, a firm founded by former NFLPA Vice President of Business Affairs Casey Schwab.

Per the report, Oliver Luck, whose past stints include XFL commissioner, NCAA executive vice president for regulatory affairs, and athletic director at West Virginia, will work alongside Meyer in the same capacity. Details regarding Schwab's new venture and how Meyer became involved can been seen below, as detailed by the SBJ.

"The more (Schwab) talked to athletic directors and friends in the business over the past several months5, Schwab began to see an opening in the college space for a new agency that would advise athletic departments on adapting to the coming NIL marketplace.

The opportunity prompted Schwab to leave the NFLPA recently to form Altius Sports Partners, a consulting firm with a powerhouse lineup of 10 college insiders and marketing experts whose formidable roster of advisers ranges from ex-Ohio State and Florida football coach Urban Meyer to Oliver Luck, the former XFL commissioner and executive vice president of the NCAA."

Per the report, LSU and Texas, are confirmed clients of Altius, and Arizona State is expected to soon finalize a deal with the firm.

 

[ScriptOhio]

High court agrees to hear NCAA athlete compensation case

For the first time in more than three decades, the Supreme Court will hear a case involving the NCAA and what it means to be a college athlete.

The high court on Wednesday agreed to review a court decision in an antitrust lawsuit the NCAA has said blurred “the line between student-athletes and professionals” by removing caps on compensation that major college football and basketball players can receive.

The case will be argued in 2021 with a decision expected before the end of June. The last time the Supreme Court heard an NCAA case was 1984. NCAA vs. the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma changed the way college football could be broadcast on television, setting the stage of billion-dollar media rights contracts and conference realignment.

“That was a shape-shifting decision that in many ways fundamentally changed economics of college football and college football television,” said Gabe Feldman, director of the sports law program at Tulane. “And ever since that 1984 decision, courts have been relying on that language to try to interpret antitrust law applies to all NCAA restrictions, including player compensation.”

The high court’s decision to hear the so-called Alston case comes after a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in May. The panel upheld a lower court ruling barring the NCAA from capping education-related compensation and benefits for student-athletes in Division I football and basketball programs. Division I conferences can still independently set their own rules.

The case was brought by former West Virginia football player Shawne Alston and others.

The narrow ruling in the case, which required any compensation to athletes to be tethered to education, left both sides claiming victory at the time.

And now both sides are celebrating the decision by the Supreme Court to hear the case.

Donald Remy, the NCAA’s chief legal officer, said in a statement that the NCAA is pleased the court will review the case. “The NCAA and its members continue to believe that college campuses should be able to improve the student-athlete experience without facing never-ending litigation regarding these changes,” Remy said.

Jeffrey Kessler, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, said: “It is time for the Supreme Court to reaffirm that the big multibillion-dollar businesses of Division I basketball and FBS football are fully subject to antirust review and that the era of exploiting the athletes who provide the labor in these businesses must come to an end.”

Entire article: https://collegefootball.nbcsports.c...grees-to-hear-ncaa-athlete-compensation-case/

 

[ScriptOhio]

 

[buckeyebri]

Because this is what Congress should be concerned about right now.....

 

[ScriptOhio]

Sources: NCAA delays vote to change college athlete compensation rules

The NCAA will not meet its self-administered deadline to update rules that dicatate how athletes are allowed to benefit from their publicity rights during their college careers as the Division I Council decided to indefinitely delay a vote on the proposed rule changes Monday, multiple sources told ESPN.

The Council, which is the penultimate stop in the NCAA's rule-making process, decided they needed more information before voting on a proposal that would allow athletes to accept endorsement money for their name, image and likeness (NIL). They also delayed a vote that would loosen restrictions on transfer rules for athletes in some of the association's most popular sports -- including football and basketball.

While some members of the group had suggested a delay weeks ago, a source said momentum picked up this past weekend after the leader of the Department of Justice's antitrust division sent a letter to NCAA leaders warning that rule changes could pull them deeper into murky legal waters.

Sources said that rule-makers are still committed to voting on both the NIL and transfer proposals, but there was no discussion during Monday's meeting about a revised timeline for a decision.

"We're going to pass NIL and deregulate transfers. That is going to happen," one source said. "There's just more information-gathering that has to happen, specifically from the DOJ."

Entire article: https://www.espn.com/college-sports...ote-change-college-athlete-compensation-rules

 

[ScriptOhio]

Federal bill pushes for unrestricted NIL endorsements for NCAA athletes

A new federal bill introduced Thursday would make it illegal for the NCAA or other college sports associations to place any restrictions on the type or size of endorsements deals that college athletes could sign in the future.

The bill, co-authored by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) and Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Massachusetts), is the latest in a series of proposed national laws that aim to help college athletes make money and reform a multi-billion-dollar college sports industry that several members of Congress believe is fundamentally unfair. This proposal is the only option to date that doesn't provide any means for Congress, the NCAA or any other governing body to regulate what products athletes can endorse.

"Big-time college athletics look no different than professional leagues, and it's time for us to stop denying the right of college athletes to make money off their talents," said Murphy, who said he sees the NCAA's current rules as a civil rights issue. "If predominantly white coaches and NCAA executives can have unfettered endorsement deals, why shouldn't predominantly black athletes be afforded the same opportunity?"

The new bill also specifically prohibits the NCAA or conferences from doing anything that would prevent athletes from organizing under collective representation to sell their licensing rights as a group. This type of group licensing is typically needed to bargain for media rights, jersey sales and items like video games, such as the college football video game that EA Sports announced its plan to revive earlier this week.

The NCAA has so far been opposed to the possibility that athletes could organize for any type of group licensing activity.
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Murphy told ESPN that he thinks it is unlikely that Congress will be able to act on college sports legislation in the first six months of the year. That makes it likely that some state NIL laws will go into effect before a national plan is in place.

Florida has already passed a law that will make current NCAA rules illegal in the state starting July 1. Four other states are also considering legislation that would go into effect at the same time.

The NCAA has argued that a variety of state laws, many of which have unique differences, would create a chaotic environment where schools were operating under different rules and prospective athletes might be choosing their schools based on which state gives them the best chance to cash in on endorsement deals.

The association declared its intentions to change its own rules in October 2019. However, they missed a self-imposed deadline to vote on proposed changes last month and it's not clear when they will move forward. The most recent NCAA proposal was significantly more restrictive for athletes than most of the state and federal legislative options.

"I wasn't going to support what the NCAA did, so I'm not shedding any tears over the NCAA's decision to delay," Murphy told ESPN. "They were never going to be able to handle this. I think there's an argument to be made for letting the different state laws take effect so we can see if the sky falls like the NCAA says it will."
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continued

Entire article: https://www.espn.com/college-sports...s-unrestricted-nil-endorsements-ncaa-athletes

 

[LovelandBuckeye]

Federal bill pushes for unrestricted NIL endorsements for NCAA athletes

A new federal bill introduced Thursday would make it illegal for the NCAA or other college sports associations to place any restrictions on the type or size of endorsements deals that college athletes could sign in the future.

The bill, co-authored by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) and Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Massachusetts), is the latest in a series of proposed national laws that aim to help college athletes make money and reform a multi-billion-dollar college sports industry that several members of Congress believe is fundamentally unfair. This proposal is the only option to date that doesn't provide any means for Congress, the NCAA or any other governing body to regulate what products athletes can endorse.

"Big-time college athletics look no different than professional leagues, and it's time for us to stop denying the right of college athletes to make money off their talents," said Murphy, who said he sees the NCAA's current rules as a civil rights issue. "If predominantly white coaches and NCAA executives can have unfettered endorsement deals, why shouldn't predominantly black athletes be afforded the same opportunity?"

The new bill also specifically prohibits the NCAA or conferences from doing anything that would prevent athletes from organizing under collective representation to sell their licensing rights as a group. This type of group licensing is typically needed to bargain for media rights, jersey sales and items like video games, such as the college football video game that EA Sports announced its plan to revive earlier this week.

The NCAA has so far been opposed to the possibility that athletes could organize for any type of group licensing activity.
.
.
.
Murphy told ESPN that he thinks it is unlikely that Congress will be able to act on college sports legislation in the first six months of the year. That makes it likely that some state NIL laws will go into effect before a national plan is in place.

Florida has already passed a law that will make current NCAA rules illegal in the state starting July 1. Four other states are also considering legislation that would go into effect at the same time.

The NCAA has argued that a variety of state laws, many of which have unique differences, would create a chaotic environment where schools were operating under different rules and prospective athletes might be choosing their schools based on which state gives them the best chance to cash in on endorsement deals.

The association declared its intentions to change its own rules in October 2019. However, they missed a self-imposed deadline to vote on proposed changes last month and it's not clear when they will move forward. The most recent NCAA proposal was significantly more restrictive for athletes than most of the state and federal legislative options.

"I wasn't going to support what the NCAA did, so I'm not shedding any tears over the NCAA's decision to delay," Murphy told ESPN. "They were never going to be able to handle this. I think there's an argument to be made for letting the different state laws take effect so we can see if the sky falls like the NCAA says it will."
.
.
.
continued

Entire article: https://www.espn.com/college-sports...s-unrestricted-nil-endorsements-ncaa-athletes

Has anyone seen Dabo's response?

 

[ScriptOhio]

NIL bill would allow college athletes to return from draft

The latest federal bill related to college sports would allow athletes to earn money from endorsements, loosen restrictions around transfers and permit players to return to school after entering a professional league’s draft.

The proposed legislation introduced Wednesday by Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., also would require the wealthiest athletic programs to increase spending on long-term medical care for athletes.

“The Amateur Athletes Protection and Compensation Act would create a national standard of guidelines to make certain student athletes can benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness without hurting their eligibility to compete as a student athlete,” Moran said in a statement.

The bill is the fourth to emerge from the Senate since December and second from a Republican. Most recently, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., introduced a bill narrowly focused on giving college athletes the right to earn money off their names, images and likenesses.

In December, Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., introduced the College Athlete Bill of Rights, a sweeping proposal that could undercut the NCAA’s ability to govern college sports if passed.

That came after Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., announced he was sponsoring a bill that opened the door for athletes to be compensated for endorsement and sponsorship deals but largely protected the NCAA’s ability to set its own rules.

Moran’s bill lands somewhere in between the College Athlete Bill of Rights and Wicker’s: broader in scope than the Republican’s, but not potentially disruptive to the status quo in college athletics as the Democrats’.

It would create an independent body to oversee NIL regulations and permit athletes to have agents and give athletes a lifetime undergraduate scholarship.

Entire article: https://collegefootball.nbcsports.c...-allow-college-athletes-to-return-from-draft/

 

[ScriptOhio]

“IT'S GOING TO BE A MESS.” Given that everybody involved had over a year to figure all of this name, image and likeness stuff out, I hoped against all hope that everything would go smoothly when it came time for everything to actually go down.

Turns out, my optimism was completely misguided because it's turning into even more of a disaster than I ever could have imagined, to the point that if something doesn't happen real soon, it's technically going to start hurting the Buckeyes on the recruiting trail.

In the meantime, states are in a race against one another, a concerning trend for many in college sports who believe chaos will reign come July. A handful of states will be operating under more lenient and athlete-friendly NIL laws while all others follow the NCAA’s more stringent NIL legislation, whenever it does pass.

“Some states will have an advantage early,” says Arizona State coach Herm Edwards. “It’s going to be a mess.”

It’s a “catch-22” for those schools in states that will have passed NIL laws, says Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby.

“It puts the schools in their state in a very difficult situation,” he says. “They’ll find themselves violating NCAA rules at the same time complying with state laws. It might end up in court at the end of it.”

...

What if a five-star football player, torn between offers from Florida and Ohio State, makes his decision based on NIL opportunities? Ohio lawmakers haven’t yet proposed a NIL bill, while Florida’s goes into effect July 1.

“It will be a huge advantage in recruiting,” says Todd Berry, executive director of the American Football Coaches Association.

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

“IT'S GOING TO BE A MESS.” Given that everybody involved had over a year to figure all of this name, image and likeness stuff out, I hoped against all hope that everything would go smoothly when it came time for everything to actually go down.

Turns out, my optimism was completely misguided because it's turning into even more of a disaster than I ever could have imagined, to the point that if something doesn't happen real soon, it's technically going to start hurting the Buckeyes on the recruiting trail.

In the meantime, states are in a race against one another, a concerning trend for many in college sports who believe chaos will reign come July. A handful of states will be operating under more lenient and athlete-friendly NIL laws while all others follow the NCAA’s more stringent NIL legislation, whenever it does pass.

“Some states will have an advantage early,” says Arizona State coach Herm Edwards. “It’s going to be a mess.”

It’s a “catch-22” for those schools in states that will have passed NIL laws, says Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby.

“It puts the schools in their state in a very difficult situation,” he says. “They’ll find themselves violating NCAA rules at the same time complying with state laws. It might end up in court at the end of it.”

...

What if a five-star football player, torn between offers from Florida and Ohio State, makes his decision based on NIL opportunities? Ohio lawmakers haven’t yet proposed a NIL bill, while Florida’s goes into effect July 1.

“It will be a huge advantage in recruiting,” says Todd Berry, executive director of the American Football Coaches Association.

Those of you who live in Ohio have a civic duty to inform your state rep of exactly how you feel about the importance of passing a NIL bill that a) is competitive, and b) IS PASSED ON TIME.

Those of you who wish to argue about what "a" means... have at it. I'm just glad that I'm not a state rep and therefore don't have to debate this stuff

 

[ScriptOhio]

It's basketball but still NIL....

College basketball players push for NIL reform using #NotNCAAProperty message

A group of college basketball players competing in this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament are using March Madness' bright spotlight to push for changes in NCAA rules and federal laws that will provide more protections and opportunities to make money for college athletes.

The players, spearheaded by a trio of Big Ten upperclassmen, plan to protest throughout the tournament on social media using the hashtag #NotNCAAProperty and host panel discussions with athletes and experts to discuss "unjust NCAA rules and ways to ensure college athletes are treated fairly," according to a statement sent on behalf of the group Wednesday night. They did not indicate any plans to boycott games.

The players are being assisted by the National Collegiate Players Association, an advocacy group that also helped organized similar public protests from football players this past summer.

Iowa's Jordan Bohannon, Michigan's Isaiah Livers and Rutgers' Geo Baker first connected via videoconference to discuss these issues last summer. They gathered with a larger group of players and NCPA president Ramogi Huma earlier this week to finalize plans to launch their protest. Players from 15 of the 68 tournament teams have signed up to be a part of the protest.

In a statement Wednesday, the NCPA said the group was calling for the NCAA to change its rules by July 1 to allow players to hire agents and sign endorsement deals. The group also wants meetings with NCAA president Mark Emmert as well as lawmakers at the state and federal levels.

The NCAA has been under increasing pressure to change the rules that prohibit players from profiting off of their names, images and likenesses (NIL). Six states have already passed laws that will make current NCAA amateurism rules illegal in the future, and more than a dozen other states have similar bills actively moving through the legislative process. Those laws will start to go into effect as soon as July 1.

Entire article: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-b...push-nil-reform-using-notncaaproperty-message

Michigan's Isaiah Livers Wears 'NotNCAAProperty' Shirt at 2021 NCAA Tournament

Livers, who is currently sidelined with a foot injury, is leading the charge alongside Rutgers guard Geo Baker and Iowa guard Jordan Bohannon. The movement's stated goals can be found here via Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic:



Entire article: https://bleacherreport.com/articles...notncaaproperty-shirt-at-2021-ncaa-tournament