Newsletter #68 | Louisiana's New NIL Bill, Oregon's NIL Marketplace, Yahoo Sports Tourney Pick’em + ICYMI Ticker
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Recapping NIL This Weekend:
Proposed Loana bill would let schools facilitate NIL deals and give boosters more freedom
An amended bill proposed in Louisiana would let state universities and their employees compensate players for the use of their NIL; facilitate NIL deals; and give boosters more freedom to pay prospective recruits.
Senate Bill 250 filed Thursday by Sen. Patrick Connick (R-Marrero) would repeal those sections of the original state law passed last summer, which unintentionally created more restrictions than the NCAA’s sparse guidelines. The bill will be considered during the upcoming legislative session that begins March 14.
Under the proposal, LSU, other schools and their boosters will have the ability to arrange deals — as long as they don’t become pay-for-play situations. Athletes still have to participate in advertisements or autograph signings, for example, to avoid losing their eligibility. An amended portion of the bill also states school employees, including coaches, won’t be liable if athletes’ ability to earn compensation through NIL is damaged by “decisions and actions routinely taken in the course of intercollegiate athletics.”
“The NCAA did not take any action, and so this was our response,” Connick said. “This allows the LSU folks and the Tulane folks and the Southern folks to facilitate that compensation.”
Other states have taken similar actions. Alabama repealed its law last month, and Florida proposed an amended bill so teams can direct compensation to players.
Oregon launches first-ever licensed school NIL marketplace
The University of Oregon announced the creation of the Official NIL Marketplace of the Oregon Ducks, the first licensed school marketplace in college sports, which will support Oregon student-athletes in maximizing NIL opportunities. “Through a new relationship with Opendorse, which will power the Oregon Ducks platform, Oregon is the first school in the country to provide a single, branded marketplace containing a full directory of UO student-athletes. With this new platform, interested third parties can contact, book, pitch and pay any Oregon student-athlete for NIL activities in one compliant platform, built specifically for the student-athletes' needs.”
Every Oregon SA can choose to create their own Opendorse profile that can be customized and promoted to fans on their personal social media channels. "Today's launch sets a new standard for student-athlete NIL support," Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence said.
In addition to the marketplace, Oregon receives full access to Opendorse's all-in-one NIL platform, providing compliance, content and education tools to Duck SAs. Content: student-athletes are equipped with access to on-demand video and photo content through drag-and-drop media libraries, one-tap publishing technology, and real-time analytics. Education: student-athletes receive brand value assessments, live consultation sessions with industry leaders, and on-demand access to the NIL Masterclass, an education series featuring experts on brand building, monetization, and financial literacy from leading brands including Meta, Twitter, the Players' Tribune, Overtime and more. Compliance: student-athletes can automatically disclose NIL activity details to their institution to ensure eligibility.
Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero to partner with Yahoo Sports
Yahoo Sports is announcing it has signed Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren and Duke’s Paolo Banchero to name, image and likeness deals to support its Yahoo Sports Tourney Pick’em bracket game. These are the first NIL deals for the promotion of bracket gaming. (Per BCS’s Kristi Dosh).
Both Holmgren and Banchero are predicted to be top picks in the upcoming NBA Draft and will serve as co-ambassadors for the activation, including social and digital content amplification across their personal social channels, Yahoo Sports digital channels, marketing assets and more. The deals will run throughout the month of March.
“I’ve always loved tournament time because it brings some of the most exciting moments in sports,” Holmgren said. “I’m really looking forward to teaming up with Yahoo Sports and showing how fans can get in on the action through Yahoo Sports Tourney Pick’em.”
“This is a great opportunity to connect with fans and experience the hype, drama and adrenaline of college basketball in March. Growing up, I filled out my bracket on Yahoo and it’s incredibly exciting to have the opportunity to team up with them and help encourage fans to sign up now so they can be part of the excitement,” Banchero said.
One quick note- as many have pointed out, Banchero and Holmgren were not given permission to use their team word marks/logos in promotional material. Their “blank” jerseys can be seen HERE.
ICYMI Ticker
Great story from Erica Hunzinger (Associated Press) on female athletes benefiting from NIL deals this past year- including interviews with Livvy Dunne and Deja Kelly. “It’s a generational opportunity, it’ll set me up for life,” Kelly said. “If I were to stop playing basketball in five years, I would be fine because all the things I’m setting up now and I’m focusing on now.” Full story HERE.
Cool interview with South Carolina WBB’s Zia Cooke, who recently signed a groundbreaking deal with H&R Block. “It means a lot to me just because it shows me that H&R Block noticed me. They noticed my talent. And they wanted me to be one of the girls to let women know that we can do anything men do. We can - we have the same amount of opportunities,” she said. You can listen to the full NPR interview HERE.
Virginia Tech unveiled their latest enhanced partnership with INFLCR- Hokies Exchange. "This platform represents a great development for both Virginia Tech student-athletes and businesses across the nation," Tech Director of Athletics Whit Babcock said. "The Virginia Tech brand resonates so strongly across our region, and we're pleased to provide this opportunity for our student-athletes to leverage that brand along with their own unique personalities in partnership with various companies and business interests. This is just another example of Virginia Tech helping position our student-athletes for sustained success." Notably, INFLCR and VA Tech will not be facilitating deals.
Over the weekend, the Alabama quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young showed off his new wheels, via an NIL deal with BMW of Tuscaloosa. Young will be cruising the streets of Tuscaloosa in a new black BMW. See the announcement (a screenshot of his Instagram story post) HERE. Interestingly, Alabama’s Nick Saban has an ownership stake in several Mercedes dealerships in the area.
Touching all-access interview with 4-star athlete Malachi Coleman, who is the #1 football recruit in the state of Nebraska. Since cashing in on several NIL deals, he’s given back to projects involving the foster care system. “I'm gonna actually put on a camp for kids over spring break where they can come and just hang out with me, play games with me, that type of stuff," he said. "I know a lot of kids that have always wanted to, so I gave them the opportunity for it.” More HERE.