NIL Question

GREAT questions!  I wonder if a player or two will stick around for their senior seasons now that they can earn income like this?  My guess though is that it won’t have a crazy effect on that one way or another.  It seems to me like the transfer portal mostly consists of players who aren’t going to get the playing time they desire.  I wonder if this level of athlete will really be at a level that is going to benefit a lot from the NIL?  I mean, how much endorsement money is there going to be available from a third-string defensive lineman?  

Here’s where I think the traditional blue-blood programs with huge donor bases are going to benefit:  Let’s take Alabama since they’re the current top dog.  Let’s say the local Tuscaloosa Ford dealership owner is an alum and huge athletic backer for the Alabama program.  Let’s also say that there’s a 5-star running back out of Florida that has an offer from every program in America.  What’s to stop that Ford dealer owner from offering that RB a $5,000,000 contract to do a couple of commercials?  So, in reality, Alabama has just paid a player to join their program right out in open daylight.  Let’s be honest here, there’s probably a lot of things like that going on as it is, but the NIL just makes it legal.  I support an athlete’s right to earn money from their likeness, but I think the smaller programs will be hard-pressed to even make the top 50 cuts of some of these stars.  They really aren’t now, but this kind of puts the final nail in that coffin.  

My guesses are:

1. The players who are going to be automatic first round guys will leave as soon as they can realistically be taken in the draft at that level. Players who are likely to go in latter rounds or who are possibly not for sure money makers will probably have a tough decision to make. 

2. Again, I think you have to take the sure-fire stars out of this. I’m not sure they’d ever enter the portal to begin with. Some of the more top end portal talent, will have a tough decision. I wonder what somebody with a game changer reputation like a Darren Carrington or a Gionni Paul or some player of that level who considered coming to Utah might do? Locally you’d think there’d be somebody who’d through something at them to convince a player that would create that level of excitement. 

3. My guess here would be the cream of the crop in football and basketball will be business as usual? I would think this is just a way to help them legalize some of the things they’ve already been doing. I think this makes the next tier of clubs more competitive. 

Good questions.  I don’t know the answers and I really don’t think anyone else does.  What I do know is that there will be unintended consequences.  Some may be positive, but I suspect that there will be more negative surprises.  The unintended consequences of the portal need to be addressed, but I do not hear about any adjustments.

One talking head said it best.  Virtually every coach and organization will take things to the limit and many will cross the line as much as they think they can and get away with it, i.e., ASU, NE Patriots, etc.  The line has been moved and every coach and athletic director is trying to figure out how this new line can benefit them AND how far can we cross it and still get away with it.

I agree that it won’t make OSU, Clemson, or Alabama any better.  However, they are now set in concrete.  I believed that there was some hope for change.  I think this is now unlikely.  I think it does help our conference rivals USC and UCLA because they can improve and being located in the 2nd largest TV market in the country, they will be able to pay more for endorsements than the Utes could ever do.  It also helps Oregon because Nike can now legally do what they have been doing to a smaller extent.

Oh well.  We will just have to make the best of what we have to deal with.

Our culture is about buying things and experiencing sexual activities. I would assume that most players will focus on those things.

Is there performance stipulations attached to these payments? Kids signing multi-million dollar deals to sit on a bench, transfer, or quit- highly doubt that’ll make boosters happy.