Villanova Basketball, Paige Bueckers Gives Back, + ICYMI | NIL Newsletter #186
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Quick Hitters:
How Villanova Basketball Runs a Professional Franchise
According to a Wednesday article from the Philadelphia Inquirer citing three sources close to the program, the Villanova Basketball-focused collective is paying out around $3 million in NIL deals for the team, with every scholarship player receiving around $75,000, at a minimum.
Last month, Villanova hired Baker Dunleavy—a former Villanova player and assistant coach—away from his job as Quinnipiac’s head coach. He assumed the position of General Manager within the Villanova Basketball program.
“Amateur five years ago would have sounded silly, with all the money coming into big-time college athletics,” said Dunleavy. “There is a lot of money being paid for live television sports. That’s been going on for a long time. The money is nothing new. Just the players can now in their own way partake in it.”
Justin Moore, who will return for his fifth-year later this fall, discussed his decision to return, calling NIL an “add-on” or “bonus,” not the whole story.
LINK ($)
Paige Bueckers Gives Back Through NIL
Bueckers, who has lost nearly half of her collegiate career through unfortunate injuries, nevertheless remains one of the most marketable collegiate athletes.
She was the first collegiate athlete to sign a deal with Gatorade, and has followed that with deals with Nike, StockX, and Crocs, among other large brands.
Most recently, Bueckers partnered with Chegg to support a local food pantry.
“I didn’t know I could have this impact,” Bueckers said. “NIL was new for me and for everybody when it came in super-fast. So, to see all the things that I can do to help give back is crazy. I just didn’t really know I could do all this stuff, especially as a freshman in college when NIL became possible. To be able to partner with these organizations and brands and for us to collaborate ideas it’s pretty cool to see.”
Sam Weber, Opendorse’s head of brand marketing, has been impressed by Bueckers and others: ““The willingness of athletes to kind of give back has been eye-opening,” Weber said. “... I think the stigma is that you know, these 18, 19, 20-year-old kids are going to get a big check in the mail. They're going to buy shoes and lease cars and live large. And there's a tiny, tiny percentage of that that's happening. … But a lot of these athletes are figuring out better ways to invest, to give back to their communities, all of that.”
ICYMI
Iowa State Football athletes partner with Iowa Pork Producers Association to encourage the public to “Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon.” LINK
Stanford Football’s Terian Williams II donates $10,000 to his favorite teacher through NIL deal with Cheez-It. LINK
Washington Football’s Rome Odunze signs NIL deal with Panini America Trading Cards. LINK
Former Buffalo Bills General Manager Doug Whaley joins the Pitt-focused Alliance 412 collective as Senior Advisor. LINK
Iowa partners with Altius Sports to place an on-campus NIL General Manager. LINK
SAXX Underwear partners with six football players to donate $1,000 per sack to the Testicular Cancer Foundation. LINK
Have you checked out OSC’s website?
Head to www.OptimumSportsConsulting.com to find important resources and features relating to all things NIL. These resources include State by State Resources for Admins, Agents and Athletes, including our initial “OSC Summaries” for over a dozen states coming soon.
More to come too, including links to helpful state information- agency laws and information about school policies, as well as seminar/congressional notes, worksheets, and much more!