NIL Newsletter #125 | Olivia Dunne v. NYT, ADs love NIL, PA New NIL Law, + ICYMI
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:
Olivia Dunne v. New York Times
Dunne, an LSU gymnast, has been one of the most successful student-athletes, male or female, in the new world of NIL. On3 estimates that her NIL value will top $2 million over the next year.
Dunne has signed deals with companies like American Eagle and Vuori activewear, primarily showcasing their brands to her 6.3 million TikTok and 2.3 million Instagram followers.
Last week, the New York Times released a scathing article about Dunne, insinuating that her new-found success was the result of “traditional feminine desirability” rather than “athletic excellence.”
There are unsubstantiated reports that the New York Times told Dunne they were writing an article about her NIL success, and instead released the piece available HERE.
Dunne has no regrets about her success: “Seven figures,” she said. “That is something I’m proud of. Especially since I’m a woman in college sports.” She added: “There are no professional leagues for most women’s sports after college.”
Also noteworthy is the fact that LSU gymnastics finished last season with the highest average attendance in the nation, ending Utah’s streak of 17 consecutive seasons.
Athletic Directors Embrace NIL
Last week, we displayed a video of Tennessee Athletic Director Danny White encouraging boosters to throw their support into Tennessee focused NIL collectives, including the Volunteer Club and the Lady Vol Boost Her Club.
This vocalization of support for Tennessee’s NIL collectives would not have been possible without the recent guidelines released by the NCAA. These updated guidelines permit universities to engage with NIL opportunities for their student-athletes.
This week, Wisconsin Athletic Director Chris McIntosh joined the fray in announcing his support of The Varsity Collective. At the forefront of his announcement were several mentions of charitable activity by the collective and Wisconsin student athletes.
McIntosh was certain to note that the collective has the best interests of Wisconsin sports in mind. The full release is available HERE.
Pennsylvania Passes New NIL Law
Pennsylvania House Bill 2633 was passed unanimously by the state Senate and House of Representatives, and signed into law last week by Governor Tom Wolf.
Although the changes made as a result of this new law are minimal, they are quite impactful. The law removes any language that prohibits schools from organizing NIL deals for their student-athletes. Additionally, it removes a requirement that student-athletes disclose contracts to their universities seven days prior to execution.
While the new NCAA guidelines still do not allow for schools to negotiate on behalf of their student-athletes, it will be interesting to see whether the NCAA guidelines or the state law takes precedent. There is also the possibility of the NCAA removing that stipulation in a future release.
“This is a small, but important clarification that will give student-athletes more agency over their private contracts and the money they earn as a result,” Pennsylvania State Sen. Scott Martin said. “In the absence of national standards around NIL compensation by the NCAA or Federal Law, we must do everything we can here in Pennsylvania to make sure every student-athlete that chooses one of our schools is treated fairly.”
The full release is available HERE.
ICYMI Ticker
Kent State announced Phase Two of their NIL strategic plan, a comprehensive student-athlete focused initiative. LINK
Athletes from Bryant, Hofstra, Indiana State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State, Robert Morris, Rutgers, Creighton and Penn State promoted civic participation this past week, using their platforms to encourage followers to vote. LINK
Stanford WBB HC Tara VanDerveer, for instance, sees the focus on beauty for NIL purposes as regressive for women athletes. “I guess sometimes we have this swinging pendulum, where we maybe take two steps forward, and then we take a step back.” LINK
Toledo AD Bryan Blair states that the job of an FBS AD has never been more complex, with NIL a major factor in the changing landscape. LINK
The US Department of Labor has proposed new rules for independent contractors which could seriously change the dynamics of student-athletes and collectives. LINK
Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart joined in on supporting NIL collectives, encouraging fans and boosters to contribute to collectives and join exchanges. LINK
Five separate Texas-focused NIL collectives have joined to form Texas One Fund. LINK
Florida QB Anthony Richardson has reportedly signed over $1 million in NIL deals this year, not including any compensation from Florida NIL collectives. LINK
Jaden Rashada Flips to Florida
Rashada was reportedly the recipient of a market-changing NIL deal from Miami (FL) booster John Ruiz, which Ruiz disputed. He flipped his commitment to Florida this week.
Mike Morris x Mike Morse