NIL Newsletter #126 | NCPA's Revenue Share Push, Collectives Match Donations, Corum's Thanksgiving, + 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:
NPCA Begins Revenue-Sharing Push
The National College Players Association announced a new initiative this week, which is focused on equitably sharing NCAA sports revenue with student-athletes.
In a basketball game on Wednesday, Pitt’s Jamarius Burton and Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson sported the letter “S” written on their hand, which stands for their commitment to pursuing revenue share from the NCAA.
Goals of the NCPA’s initiative: (1) share revenue with athletes; (2) protect freedoms connected to name, image and likeness deals (NIL) in light of potential Congressional involvement; (3) preserve all sports (eliminating sports teams is “not justified”) ; (4) abide by Title IX; (5) improve graduation rates by extending scholarships to six years; and (6) enforce safety standards while paying athlete medical expenses.
There are two current lawsuits that can affect the way student-athletes are compensated. The House v. NCAA lawsuit was addressed previously HERE. In Pennsylvania, Johnson v. NCAA is fighting to make student-athletes be considered employees.
The full article is available HERE.
Two Collectives Start Dollar-for-dollar Matching Initiatives
Oklahoma’s Crimson and Cream and Indiana’s Hoosiers for Good collectives have both launched matching donation campaigns.
Oklahoma’s Crimson and Cream NIL collective has set a goal of raising $3 million dollars in the next 30 days. The collective is hoping to add an additional 4,250 members to their monthly subscription service, which allows donors access to supporter events, exclusive interview content, meet-and-greet sessions, and a raffle for signed memorabilia. Every dollar spent will be matched by an anonymous donor.
OU President Harroz: “College athletics is changing right before our eyes. Our approved NIL collectives are primed to deploy resources to ensure that we are SEC-ready and that our student-athletes are on a level playing field and prepared to be great university ambassadors.”
Indiana’s Hoosiers for Good NIL collective launched a similar initiative, which runs through December 31st, where an anonymous donor will match up to $1 million dollars in yearly NIL contributions. Sources suggest that a large portion of that will go towards the football program.
Tyler Harris, executive director of Hoosiers for Good: “When people see there’s someone getting engaged at this high of a level to support athletes at IU, I think it will generate some momentum.”
Michigan RB Blake Corum Uses NIL Money to Share Thanksgiving
A day after helping Michigan Football to an 11-0 record, Blake Corum was just down the road from The Big House in Ypsilanti, MI, using money he made from his NIL deals to donate Thanksgiving dinners for the second straight year.
He began the tradition, which he calls “Giving Back 2 Give Thanks,” last year, when he donated 200 Thanksgiving day meals to families in Ypsilanti. This year, he upped the total to 300 meals, with help from local food banks.
“It’s a blessing to be able to give back to my community,” Corum told The Detroit News. “Like I always tell everyone, Thanksgiving is a time where people can relax, sit back and get away from real-word problems and laugh and have fun.”
Corum, a Heisman hopeful, has signed a number of NIL deals, primarily with Michigan-based companies, and runs his own football camp. He also assisted in founding CLR Academy, an Ypsilanti-based youth sports academy.
The full story is available HERE. Go Blue, beat Ohio.
ICYMI Ticker
The 15 Club, a Kentucky NIL collective, just launched, and includes perks ranging from decals to a VIP dinner with student-athletes. LINK
Altius Sports Partners’ EVP of Collegiate Partnerships Donovan wonders if donors may “proactively not give [to collectives] because they no longer believe in the coach, want to hamper his or her success and believe withholding funds will ultimately lead to the desired outcome.” LINK
The Lady Shocks Squad, specific to Wichita State’s female student-athletes, has launched. LINK
Columbia partnered with Opendorse to launch an NIL marketplace for student-athletes. LINK
Penn State collective We Are NIL secured permanent total disability insurance for four athletes, protecting them from catastrophic injury in this year’s bowl game and NFL combine. LINK
Virginia collective Cav Futures partnered with Fans Meet Idols to create additional revenue for student-athletes through fan engagement. LINK
ZIPS Car Wash announced that 12 student-athletes from Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina will join them for their inaugural Car Wash Convos series. LINK
Duke Men’s Basketball commit Jared McCain signed with Excel Sports for NIL representation. LINK
Richmond launched the Richmond Spiders NIL marketplace in connection with Opendorse. LINK
Very interesting!