NIL Newsletter #130 | Next NCAA President, NLRB's Ruling, Holiday Season, + 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:
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker Named Next NCAA President
Charlie Baker, who ends his second term as Governor of Massachusetts in January 2023, will succeed current NCAA President Mark Emmert in March 2023. Emmert has served in his current position since 2010.
Baker, a Harvard graduate, was a member of the university’s basketball team when he attended school. His wife is a former collegiate student-athlete, as are two of his children.
Those involved in the presidential search noted Baker’s history of “successfully forging bipartisan solutions to complex problems,” which led them to believe he was “uniquely suited to the NCAA’s present needs.”
While Baker appears to be a popular choice to assume the position, he will also be the first NCAA President with no previous experience in leading an athletic department or university.
His position on NIL remains to be clarified, but the NCAA Board of Governors appears to be hoping that the career businessman and politician is the correct choice to lead the NCAA through the next wave of uncertainty that follows next.
The full NCAA release is available HERE.
National Labor Relations Board Plans to Pursue Unfair Labor Charges
The NLRB released their plan to pursue unfair labor charges against USC, the Pac-12, and the NCAA as single and joint employers of FBS football players and D1 Men’s and Women’s basketball players at USC. This decision comes 10 months after the National College Players Association filed their charge with the NLRB office for the Los Angeles Region.
The original charge filed by the NCPA included UCLA as a defendant, but at this time, the NLRB’s ruling includes only private schools. It is also likely that, with USC’s impending move to the Big 10 Conference, the Pac-12 conference is dropped and replaced by the Big 10.
“It’s big,” says Gregg Clifton, a sports attorney based in Arizona and a former agent. “We are to have a trial over whether or not student-athletes are actually employees.”
The first hearing will come in the following months in front of an administrative law judge in California. The decision that follows from the preliminary hearing can be appealed to the National Labor Relations Board in Washing, DC, a 5-person board with a Democratic majority.
The Democratic-leaning board will likely rule in the NCPA’s favor, finding that student-athletes at USC are to be considered employees. A Supreme Court appeal will likely follow. Within a year, it is possible that student-athletes will be considered as employees.
The full story is available HERE.
Georgia’s Micah Morris Shares Holiday Gifts
Micah Morris, a sophomore offensive lineman for Georgia, spent this past Friday purchasing and giving over a hundred Christmas presents to children and families from the Boys and Girls Club of Athens.
Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett partnered with Onward Reserve and sports marketing agency ESM to take 10 children each on a $200 shopping spree.
Two more Georgia football student-athletes took 16 children to another shopping event at Dick’s Sporting Goods.
The full story is available HERE.
ICYMI Ticker
Celsius Energy Drink announced partnerships with Caleb Williams, 2022 Heisman winner, and Bryce Young, 2021 Heisman winner. LINK
Tulane AD Troy Dannen publicized his concerns on the relationship between NIL and state legislatures: “They just got a taste of empowerment through NIL. What's next? My fear is we've lost control and now how do we get it back?” LINK
Marquette partnered with Altius Sports to participate in their on-campus General Manager program, focused on NIL support. LINK
Tennessee Football’s Grant Frerking will hang up his cleats following Tennessee’s bowl game and join On3 as Director of Athlete Network Development. LINK
ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla comments on transfer portal activity: “I am hearing that some talented college teams are starting to crack because of NIL payments not being made on time, NIL promises not kept or jealousy among teammates. Not a value judgement on NIL. It’s just human nature. The ‘new normal.” LINK
Northern Illinois announced both an NIL marketplace in partnership with Opendorse and a new SANIL managed collective. LINK
Iowa announced the UFC as a sponsor of men’s and women’s wrestling, the first time the UFC has ventured into collegiate athletics. LINK
Not Surprising
See also: