NIL Newsletter #121 | Senators want collective help, Michigan State’s Mady Sissoko, Orlando City/Pride + ICYMI Ticker
Welcome to the NIL Newsletter by Optimum Sports Consulting - providing valuable, actionable NIL resources for student athletes, administrators, agents and other sport professionals.
Recapping NIL This Week:
Senators ask NIL collectives to provide feedback on activities
U.S. Senators Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) have asked 30 NIL collectives for feedback as part of their process of drafting bipartisan, federal legislation related to NIL.
Senators Tuberville and Manchin announced in August their legislation would follow guidance from relevant stakeholders. The Senators previously asked for feedback from athletic directors and other administrators, as well as university associations and athlete groups.
One respondent from the initial inquiry defined a collective as an organization that, “thinly-veiled pay-for-play model damages the integrity of the collegiate athletic model, but more importantly eats away at the credibility and integrity of many fine institutions across the county… legislation should be put in place to restore the balance so an institution can protect its student athletes and fan base from schemes.”
“Several respondents recommend establishing a penalty structure for collectives that are involved in inducing student-athletes during the recruiting and transfer process, while others recommended a regulatory structure establishing when and how student-athletes may interact with third parties or collectives. Nearly all respondents recommended greater transparency in the process,” the letter stated.
Comments are due by October 3rd. To read the full letter, click HERE.
Michigan State’s Mady Sissoko to donate NIL money to help impoverished people in native Mali
Mady Sissoko, who grew up in Bafoulabe, Mali in West Africa, is a forward on the Michigan State MBB team and has announced that his NIL earnings will go back to Mali to work on a variety of philanthropic pursuits.
Sissoko has signed with Detroit-based Helium Sports & Entertaining Marketing Inc. for his NIL representation, and plans to donate all of his marketing revenue to The Mady Sissoko Foundation to help the impoverished people in Mali have more opportunities.
“I moved here when I was 15 and I know what it was like back home, and now Mali is a really poor country and there’s a lot of people there who need help,” Sissoko said. “I have an opportunity to help many people over there and I want to do that, so having this NIL stuff gives me an opportunity to do that. I want to do something to help people, especially the youth, so they can have a better opportunity going forward in life.”
“I was not surprised to hear that Mady would use his NIL opportunities to help others,” MSU HC Tom Izzo said. “He’s a kid who we just love because he works so hard and is dedicated to being the best that he can, and that goes on the court and off. To know that he created his own foundation to help the impoverished people of where he grew up in Mali, and to help create solutions for drinking water and to provide English classes does not surprise me. He is a kind and generous guy who has a deep care for others, especially those in his hometown. Mady is a testament to the good that we all can do.”
Orlando City and Pride join forces with Dreamfield, SAs for NIL deals
Orlando City SC and Orlando Pride have teamed up with Dreamfield Sports to sign 17 local, SAs to NIL deals as Club ambassadors.
Working with Dreamfield, co-founded by former University of Central Florida (UCF) quarterback McKenzie Milton, the athletes, who represent a variety of collegiate sports, have partnered with Orlando City and Orlando Pride to showcase the Clubs' match day experiences and serve as Club ambassadors on their respective College campuses.
“NIL is an exciting and fast-growing opportunity for both marketers and collegiate athletes. We’re happy to be partnering with a local organization, but also that we are able to invest in student-athletes, who play right here in our backyard, to represent both Orlando City and Orlando Pride in the Central Florida community and their respective College campuses,” said Pedro Araujo, chief marketing officer for the Club.
“It is great to see another professional sports organization in our home state of Florida not only engage with collegiate athletes as part of their marketing endeavors, but to also have chosen Dreamfield to help them facilitate their marketing program” said Corey Staniscia, Director of External Affairs at Dreamfield. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Orlando City and Orlando Pride soccer clubs well into the future by engaging with the Orlando community and grow the game of soccer through the power of NIL.”
The 17 UCF athletes that will work with the club can be found HERE.
ICYMI Ticker
Jared McCain, a senior guard at Corona Centennial High School, the fourth-ranked player in California, 247Sports.com reports, has inked a multiyear deal with Champs Sports. McCain, who is committed to Duke, will be featured in the Eastbay Performance “Field Day’ Collection alongside Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts. He also has partnerships with Crocs and Lemon Perfect.
Hoosiers Connect has launched to facilitate sponsorship agreements between brands and Indiana athletes, specifically football and men’s basketball. The nonprofit will also offer individual and corporate members access to student athletes. The move comes after Hoosiers for Good started connecting athletes with Bloomington, Indiana, charitable organizations. One of the first collectives in the country to receive 501(c)3 status and earn a Federal tax exemption, it launched this spring and heard from fans and businesses the want to participate in NIL partnerships.
Former Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush is claiming that the NCAA conducted a sloppy investigation into him receiving impermissible benefits in the latest episode of I AM ATHLETE. “Everything about the investigation was sloppy. They didn't do their homework, they didn't talk to my parents, they didn't talk to any of our family members, anything,” Bush said. Last year, Bush's Heisman Trophy came into question, and the Heisman Trust said at the time that it would give the trophy back if the NCAA reinstated his statistics. It doesn't appear the NCAA will do so, according to Nick Bromberg of Yahoo Sports.
Texas A&M Today premieres September 26th on KAMU-TV. Viewers also will learn why Texas A&M has an official glassblower and the reason behind Aggieland being chosen to house a rare replica of the Liberty Bell. These lesser-explored stories will be followed by a Q&A discussion with well-known A&M Athletic Director Ross Bjork, who addresses some challenges accompanying the 2021 NCAA rule allowing athletes to monetize their NIL. More HERE.
The California Legends Collective, powered by Beastmode Marketing announced that all-time Cal Swimming great Ryan Murphy has agreed to join its advisory board. Murphy dominated the NCAA backstroke competition becoming the individual national champion in both the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke events in each of his 4 years at Cal. He currently holds six Olympic medals, four of them gold, and previously had set the world record in the men's 100-meter backstroke.
Speaking of swimming, Swimming World took a look a look at how NIL has impacted NCAA swimming - HERE.
If you enjoyed Florida vs. Tennessee this past Saturday, then you might want to check out On3’s top-5 NIL potential earners from both teams.
Louisville has partnered with Advance, an industry leader in NIL education, to further advance the school's NIL program including ongoing guidance on strategic development, evaluation of departmental initiatives as well as comprehensive educational support.