More Congressional NIL Battles, NIL Athlete Exploitations, NCAA Women's Tournament + ICYMI | NIL Newsletter #166
Welcome to the NIL Newsletter by Optimum Sports Consulting - providing valuable, actionable NIL resources for athletes, administrators, agencies and other sport professionals.
More from Monday:
SEC Greg Sankey Calling For Congressional Support
Last week, Senator Mitch McConnell blamed universities for the congressional NIL stalemate, claiming that all the universities must come behind a particular proposal for it to survive the legislative process. (link)
That said, on Monday, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey pushed back, claiming that “only Congress can adequately resolve these issues.”
During the Conference's annual media days, Sankey spent the bulk of his time calling on Congress —similarly to how he did when he visited Washington last month—to fully address the challenges facing college athletics.
Below is an excerpt from his speech:
“Whether congressional action is achievable is a matter of debate. Much debate. But educational opportunity, supporting equitable opportunities for men and for women, ensuring the United States' continued success in the Olympic Games, providing medical care, nutritional support, academic support, mental wellness counseling, these are nonpartisan issues that deserve a nonpartisan solution."
Sankey also claims that the student-athletes want this uniformity, giving Congress yet another party that is asking for their help in this matter.
For more on Sankeys speech, click HERE
Quick Hitters:
NIL Scams Targeting Student-Athletes
While NIL has provided many student-athletes with the ability to be compensated for their work, it also provides an avenue for scammers to abuse student-athletes.
One example is the story of Savannah Schoenherr. Savannah, a gymnast on the second-place team at the NCAA gymnastics championships last year, received an offer from a supposed New York Clothing Brand, offering her $1,500 to model its apparel.
After nearly 15 emails detailing clothing styles and measurements, Savannah and the company scheduled a photoshoot at a defunct train station. One week later, a $3000 check arrived, however, the check bounced. Savannah had nearly been scammed.
Savannah’s story is just one of many of athletes who have, or almost have, been scammed through NIL deals.
click HERE for more details on how student-athletes are being targeted by NIL deals.
New NCAA Tournament for Women
On Monday, the NCAA announced that they intend to create a women’s tournament that will act like the men’s NIT for 32 teams that did not qualify for the Women’s NCAA Tournament.
The creation of the tournament is another effort to create equal postseason opportunities for men and women in college basketball.
As Jamie Boggs, the chair of the Division I Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee said, “ Women’s basketball is at an all-time high with records being set for national championship and Final Four viewership, and the tournament was the most viewed since 2009.”
This opportunity comes at a time when we are seeing a huge increase in popularity for women’s basketball. (link)
ICYMI
5-star basketball recruit Flory Bidguna is no longer considering Indiana, and is now considering Auburn, Duke, Kansas, and Michigan. (link)
KJ Henry, a Washington Commanders defensive end, was able to raise money through his NIL to pay for his fathers kidney transplant. (link)
5-star Georgia quarterback commit Dylan Raiola is the current top-ranked prospect in the 2024 class. (link).
A new Missouri law allows Missouri high school athletes to be able to cash in on NIL deals once they sign a letter of intent to an in-state college. (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!