How NIL can and will change things.

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disco

disco

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I posted the below quote in another thread, but want to take it a step further.

The schools that can pay big money for players have extremely wealthy donors that are extremely invested in those programs. Texas A&M players are averaging $85,000. Michigan, $65,000. Oklahoma, $64,000.

Bryce Young is making $3.2 million.
CJ Stroud is making $2.5 million.
Caleb Williams - $2.4 million.

For a comparison, the NFL minimum is $705,000. This is the reality of big time college football going forward.
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The following scenario hasn't happened yet, but it could, and I believe at some point, it will.

NIL isn't just for big time revenue sports. It's for ALL NCAA sports and athletes. Just because D3 can't grant scholarships doesn't mean those players can't accept NIL (or basically, payments for playing - let's be honest.)

Let's say I'm rich Uncle Scrooge with my money bin full of zillions of dollars, and I attended St. Johns in Collegeville (a D3 school we are all familiar with). Joe Quarterback is the biggest high school prospect of that year, and has offers from Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and USC.

Let's say I have millions in F-you money, and I decide to offer Joe Quarterback guaranteed $15 million to "advertise" my widget business, if Joe plays for D3 St. Johns. Joe knows that all things considered, even as a top prospect, his chances of playing in the NFL and having a long career are kind of a crapshoot, which they are for any prospect.

At that level, a player like Joe would be a total game changer. This is a guy who was so highly rated, he could have started at Bama. But he takes the life-changing money to play at SJU, and they steamroll everyone on their way to four D3 titles. Joe never plays in the NFL, but who cares - he made $15 million in college, and Rich Uncle Scrooge got to watch his alma mater win four D3 titles with Joe at QB. Essentially, Rich Uncle Scrooge bought four years of his own entertainment for an amount he could afford.

I talk a lot about how not being able to play (PAY) with the big boys will hurt the Gophers in the long run, but this can, and I believe will, trickle down to lower levels of sports. All it takes is one super rich person who wants to buy a few years of entertainment, and maybe some bragging rights with his or her other super rich buddies.

It's all about money, and any school who wants to win, better be willing to pony up and play the money game.
 

Probably true, although a bit stretched, and definitely depressing. What would stop this trend from resulting in no academic connection between the players and the school? Why require any academic performance or even enrollment? The players would be merely contractors for the team representing the school, not students. Other than history, what would be the point of having school teams? Might as well be a pro league.
 

Yeah no one is paying a million or even 100k for a D3 player. No one loves their D3 university sports team that much.

"In a report published a few days ago, it was found that the average NIL deal for Division III athletes was only a tenth as valuable as the average Division I athlete's ($47 for D-III versus $471 for D-I)."
 


disco said:
I posted the below quote in another thread, but want to take it a step further.



The following scenario hasn't happened yet, but it could, and I believe at some point, it will.

NIL isn't just for big time revenue sports. It's for ALL NCAA sports and athletes. Just because D3 can't grant scholarships doesn't mean those players can't accept NIL (or basically, payments for playing - let's be honest.)

Let's say I'm rich Uncle Scrooge with my money bin full of zillions of dollars, and I attended St. Johns in Collegeville (a D3 school we are all familiar with). Joe Quarterback is the biggest high school prospect of that year, and has offers from Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and USC.

Let's say I have millions in F-you money, and I decide to offer Joe Quarterback guaranteed $15 million to "advertise" my widget business, if Joe plays for D3 St. Johns. Joe knows that all things considered, even as a top prospect, his chances of playing in the NFL and having a long career are kind of a crapshoot, which they are for any prospect.

At that level, a player like Joe would be a total game changer. This is a guy who was so highly rated, he could have started at Bama. But he takes the life-changing money to play at SJU, and they steamroll everyone on their way to four D3 titles. Joe never plays in the NFL, but who cares - he made $15 million in college, and Rich Uncle Scrooge got to watch his alma mater win four D3 titles with Joe at QB. Essentially, Rich Uncle Scrooge bought four years of his own entertainment for an amount he could afford.

I talk a lot about how not being able to play (PAY) with the big boys will hurt the Gophers in the long run, but this can, and I believe will, trickle down to lower levels of sports. All it takes is one super rich person who wants to buy a few years of entertainment, and maybe some bragging rights with his or her other super rich buddies.

It's all about money, and any school who wants to win, better be willing to pony up and play the money game.
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Does it really change much if those QBs were going to go to Alabama, Ohio State and USC anyway?
 


FanSinceTheFifties said:
Probably true, although a bit stretched, and definitely depressing. What would stop this trend from resulting in no academic connection between the players and the school? Why require any academic performance or even enrollment? The players would be merely contractors for the team representing the school, not students. Other than history, what would be the point of having school teams? Might as well be a pro league.
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My example was extreme to be sure. But that was kind of the point.

And we are trending towards what you said. It's kind of been the case with one and done basketball players for some time. After players get their first semester grades, they really don't have to do much of anything if they are preparing for the draft.
 


Ope3 said:
Does it really change much if those QBs were going to go to Alabama, Ohio State and USC anyway?
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It wouldn't for the Minnesota's and Indiana's of the world. But I'm making a point that we are in an era where it only takes one extremely wealthy booster to make that difference. Granted, it was always like this to some extent, but it's all out in the open now, and I really don't think that a lot of Gopher fans understand this.

The future is paying for the best players. What we call here "helmet schools" may not always be. It's going to be the highest bidder, with no salary cap. And unlike the Pony Express era, it's all out in the open.
 

Gophers1992 said:
Ok cool you let me know when this happens.
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Why isn't Bucky playing for the Gophers this year? Because Oregon was able to get him more money. Why are Texas A&M players averaging $85,000 a year, and Michigan $65,000 a year? What is Minnesota's plan to combat this? Piddly crowd funding?
 



disco said:
Why isn't Bucky playing for the Gophers this year? Because Oregon was able to get him more money. Why are Texas A&M players averaging $85,000 a year, and Michigan $65,000 a year? What is Minnesota's plan to combat this? Piddly crowd funding?
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Sorry for the confusion, I was replying to your scenario about Uncle Scrooge from St. John's paying for the top QB in the country.
 

I can understand the effort to compensate players, but NIL in current state is a problem. Less for the scenario listed, and more because a decade from now, the top 25 school NIL pools will more-or-less mirror the top 25 rankings. Way less fun.
 

The NCAA has its hands tied behind its back. It can't do anything unless there is new federal law created that addresses payments and professionalism of college athletes.
 

Gophers1992 said:
Sorry for the confusion, I was replying to your scenario about Uncle Scrooge from St. John's paying for the top QB in the country.
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The SJU was a very extreme example, and I did that on purpose, just to show theoretically how askew this could get. I don't expect anyone to pay a D3 player $15 million - though the ultra wealthy can be really eccentric when it comes to their interests. (Foxcatcher comes to mind in a terrible way).
 



I think more fans will stop watching college football, growing tired of the same half-dozen NIL $$$$ schools every year in the playoffs before your scenario plays out.
 

disco said:
The SJU was a very extreme example, and I did that on purpose, just to show theoretically how askew this could get. I don't expect anyone to pay a D3 player $15 million - though the ultra wealthy can be really eccentric when it comes to their interests. (Foxcatcher comes to mind in a terrible way).
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If some gazillionare wants to spend his money on a kid to play for his favorite football team, go for it. I'm a capitalist so I don't have a problem with it. How it will change CFB is to be seen, but so be it.
 

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