Dartmouth Union Updates, Bowl Game NIL Marketplace, Missouri's NIL Example, + ICYMI & More | NIL Newsletter #189
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Major News
Updates from Dartmouth Men’s Basketball’s NLRB Hearing
This past week, the Dartmouth Men’s Basketball team’s petition to unionize came in front of the NLRB board. The hearing will continue into this upcoming week.
The attorney for the players focused heavily on Justice Kavanaugh’s circular logic approach in NCAA v. Alston:
“You decide the players are amateurs, and then tell them you can’t pay them because they’re amateurs?”
The attorney for the University framed the Dartmouth Men’s Basketball team as different from other programs:
“Dartmouth players are told … if they need to miss practice to go to a lab, they should go to the lab.”
The attorney for Dartmouth also pointed out that various benefits provided to players (equipment, apparel, tickets to games, etc…) do not count as compensation under employment law.
Charlotte Sports Foundation Announces Bowl Game Marketplace
This week, Charlotte Sports Foundation, the owner and operator of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, partnered with Opendorse to announce a first-of-its-kind marketplace to provide NIL opportunities for athletes playing in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
“We are thrilled to work with Opendorse to provide opportunities for student-athletes participating in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl to engage our local business community via NIL,” said CSF executive director Danny Morrison. “We believe this marketplace will be impactful for all involved and we look forward to launching it in December.”
According to the release, businesses and brands will be able to use the marketplace to connect with athletes from schools participating in the Mayo Bowl.
“CSF and the Duke’s Mayo Bowl are setting the standard for providing student-athletes NIL opportunities during big games,” said Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence. “This is a game-changer for how easy it is to support your favorite athlete during bowl season.”
Missouri Sets an Example in the NIL Era
This summer, Missouri passed a state law allowing high school athletes to profit from their NIL, provided that they had signed a written agreement to enroll at a Missouri university.
That law has already proven advantageous for the Tigers, who earned the commitment of Five-Star Williams Nwaneri only only a month later.
“NIL’s been great – it kind of levels the playing field somewhat, said Nick Garner, CEO of the Missouri-focused Every True Tiger Foundation. “And I know that’s said a lot. But I do think that it just opens conversations with potential student-athletes that maybe wasn’t there before.”
Garner pointed to the ability to retain players through NIL as the key to Missouri’s success on the field this season: ““There are guys who were highly-graded by NFL scouts and had a chance to go to the next level,” he said. “And we were able to keep those guys, get them to stay and form the nucleus of what’s there now.”
In September, the Every True Tiger Foundation signed over 180 athletes across nine different Missouri sports.
For Athletes
Deal of the Week
The Utah-focused Crimson Collective announced a massive deal this week, in which every scholarship player on Utah’s football team will receive a 2024 Ram 1500 truck.
The leases will be for six months and renewed as long as each athlete is on scholarship and eligible to play. The lease and insurance costs are fully funded by Crimson Collective donors, but each athlete will need to cover the taxes.
ICYMI
The Kentucky-focused The 15 Club Collective partners with Athlete Licensing Company to help administrate NIL and IP rights. LINK
The Florida High School Athletic Association will likely allow high school athletes to profit from NIL as early as January. LINK
The North Carolina attorney general wrote to the NCAA about the Tez Walker decision. Attorney Mit Winter says to “expect more of the same if the NCAA ever tries to enforce NIL guidelines that are in conflict with state laws.” LINK
Shake Shack is launching its Stand For Something Good campaign in partnership with Altius Sports. LINK
Have you checked out OSC’s website?
Head to www.OptimumSportsConsulting.com to find important resources and features relating to all things NIL. These resources include State by State Resources for Admins, Agents and Athletes, including our initial “OSC Summaries” for over a dozen states coming soon.
More to come too, including links to helpful state information- agency laws and information about school policies, as well as seminar/congressional notes, worksheets, and much more!