Is this the Next evolution of NIL - Corporate Sponsors (FedEx Inks Deal)

[99Gopher]

We knew this was coming but it looks like Memphis gets the first Corporate NIL deal done - FedEx pledges $25M over 5 years to NIL program at Memphis
Can the UofM compete if we start to need these type of deals?

FedEx pledges $25M to NIL program at Memphis

FedEx has pledged $25 million over the next five years to be used in sponsorship deals with University of Memphis athletes.

www.espn.com

 

[GophersInIowa]

Come to MN and you'll get a lifetime supply of Cinnamon Toast Crunch thanks to General Mills. In return you just have to walk around with a box in your hands to promote the brand around campus.

 

[1983]

The key word is "athletes" not just the QB.

 

[PMWinSTP]

I think the U could work this into their uniforms...

 

[Out State Gopher]

I think we can forget about Uber & Lyft donating.

 

[99Gopher]

I wonder if we will get to a point where our jersey will look like the NBA where there could be a corp logo on each shoulder or one under the number on the back.

 

[Ski-U-Ham]

I wonder if we will get to a point where our jersey will look like the NBA where there could be a corp logo on each shoulder or one under the number on the back.

Football jerseys are bigger, so we should be able to jam those babies full of logos

 

[MaxyJR1]

Saw a tweet that FedEx has always given raises to family members of players who stayed home at Memphis

 

[WAGopher]

Saw a tweet that FedEx has always given raises to family members of players who stayed home at Memphis

No wonder their service has turned to crap. I cringe
when something comes to me FedEx ground.

 

[tikited]

I feel like this is moving so fast and so out of control that a literal explosion is coming.

 

[MonikerSchmoniker45]

Corporate sponsors are the only way we'll ever compete. Hoping it becomes the norm because they're not gonna nickel and dime me to keep up with Phil Knight.

 

[btowngopher]

Why do the corporate sponsors care what school the athletes go to? Don’t they get more out of inking deals with the top athletes and continuing those relationships when they go pro?

 

[laazrakit]

I think we can forget about Uber & Lyft donating.

Donating...? It's like pulling teeth to get them to pay the drivers.

 

[Gophers1992]

Good for Memphis and those players. If a private company or individual wants to pay players there’s no reason to restrict it.

 

[Spaulding!No!]

So, fed ex will use the names, images and likenesses in their business? I mean that is why the money is being paid ryyyyyy?

 

[fmlizard]

Would a giant Best Buy price tag on our helmets be too on the nose?

 

[fmlizard]

I think the U could work this into their uniforms...
View attachment 31077

When the QB throws it into the turf on a 5 yard out route while the receiver wears this the memes are going to be wild

 

[Jack jones]

With Fed. Ex giving money to Memphis players, what happens when the player gets hurt? Give their money back.

 

[TNGophfan]

Interesting article.

Meet the man responsible for bringing disorder to college athletics ... and who could shape its future

Jeffrey Kessler is the lead attorney in what is shaping up to be the most revolutionary case in NCAA history.

www.yahoo.com

 

[howeda7]

Why do the corporate sponsors care what school the athletes go to? Don’t they get more out of inking deals with the top athletes and continuing those relationships when they go pro?

They don't. But they already got a few million of free publicity from this.

 

[Panthadad2]

If I was a current athlete, I'd walk around campus looking like Roy MacAvoy in Tin Cup with cheesy company logos adorning my clothes if it paid enough.

 

[Panthadad2]

Personally, I prefer this type of NIL look.

 

[mngg11]

I feel like this is moving so fast and so out of control that a literal explosion is coming.

Agreed, housing market in 2008 explosive

 

[fmlizard]

Lay’s could sponsor a chip on our shoulder, but who can we sell the crack to?

 

[HitMeAgainIAmStillMoving]

With Fed. Ex giving money to Memphis players, what happens when the player gets hurt? Give their money back.

Obviously they would ship him out.

 

[Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0]

Obviously they would ship him out.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

FWIW - Memphis has been the corporate home of FedEx for 50 years. the company has made a decision to take some of its profits and "invest" them in the local University.

in theory, there is nothing stopping any MN-based or Twin Cities-based company from doing the same thing with the U of MN. But in the Twin Cities, the big companies have tended to align themselves with the various pro teams through sponsorships and/or naming rights.

here's a thought - Huntington Bank (formerly TCF) is paying about $1.8-million a year on average to slap its name on the football stadium. what if the U said, "instead of naming rights, why not give that money to our NIL collective?" I think the money would provide more benefit to the football program as NIL than it would for having a name and logos on a building.

likewise with any other corporate donations or gifts - tell the donors to send the money to the collective. go to Target, Best Buy, General Mills etc and make a pitch for those companies to make a donation - nothing crazy - maybe $1-million a year - to the NIL collective. Use the Fed Ex deal as a template to show the value of a company strengthening its ties to the home state or home town program.

 

[Out State Gopher]

It seems the issue is not Minnesota corporations but the U itself. Frustrating the administration does not work more for the benefit of Gopher sports & their fans. They desperately need long term relationships with corporations. Minneapolis is not a one stop light college town. B1G is the best football conference the U needs to start acting like it. DTA can only do so much.

 

[Out State Gopher]

FWIW - Memphis has been the corporate home of FedEx for 50 years. the company has made a decision to take some of its profits and "invest" them in the local University.

in theory, there is nothing stopping any MN-based or Twin Cities-based company from doing the same thing with the U of MN. But in the Twin Cities, the big companies have tended to align themselves with the various pro teams through sponsorships and/or naming rights.

here's a thought - Huntington Bank (formerly TCF) is paying about $1.8-million a year on average to slap its name on the football stadium. what if the U said, "instead of naming rights, why not give that money to our NIL collective?" I think the money would provide more benefit to the football program as NIL than it would for having a name and logos on a building.

likewise with any other corporate donations or gifts - tell the donors to send the money to the collective. go to Target, Best Buy, General Mills etc and make a pitch for those companies to make a donation - nothing crazy - maybe $1-million a year - to the NIL collective. Use the Fed Ex deal as a template to show the value of a company strengthening its ties to the home state or home town program.

IRS does not recognize NIL donations as tax deducible.

 

[Cedar Rapids Gopher]

No wonder their service has turned to crap. I cringe
when something comes to me FedEx ground.

FedEx ground is a agent company not corporate FedEx. So it just depends on who runs it in your area.