College basketball's portal recruiting hits unthinkable levels of financial chaos

[HooperScooper]

Good article from Matt Norlander of CBS Sports. If you have a few minutes you should read it if you're interested in what is going on. The gist of the article is that the NIL money this year is insane because this is the last year of this system. Although Norlander thinks even though with the new revenue sharing model things will be chaotic. Reading this article makes you appreciate how much the NCAA messed up with the implementation of NIL. No rules, no guardrails.

The article says there are 8 schools believed to have at least $10 million in NIL to spend this year. Then there's a list of at least 14 schools thought to have at least $8 million but less than 8 figures. UConn is in that bunch.

"The guys aren't worth the money they're going for," one high-major coach in the Midwest told CBS Sports. "I could spend $15 million, but the roster I'd put together wouldn't win a national championship. There are bad players going for big money."

The $10 million club: College basketball's portal recruiting hits unthinkable levels of financial chaos

The price of talent is spiking to record amounts -- again -- now with hundreds of millions at stake in college hoops' unregulated economy

www.cbssports.com

 

[nelsonmuntz]

How is Seton Hall going to compete with this? I was going to add "how is Butler going to compete with this?" but it is possible that Matta blew $6-7 million on that collection of low major mediocrities that he is assembling.

 

[ec33]

I am glad that he addressed the fact that rich donors aren't going to just go away. We are going to back to outright cheating. As bad as the current system is, at least we don't have to worry about cheating.

Duke, Kentucky, and Kansas will just go back to outright cheating. St. John's too.

Financial reality was going to settle in. Iamaleava was shown the door. Fran Brown at Syracuse laughed at a WR that asked for $2million:

 

[djct1999]

UConn shows some restraint and their system allows them to never outbid the sleeves. That said, we have enough ammo to get who we want.

 

[bendm]

How is Seton Hall going to compete with this? I was going to add "how is Butler going to compete with this?" but it is possible that Matta blew $6-7 million on that collection of low major mediocrities that he is assembling.

You are obsessed with the Hall

 

[Jaydumo20]

Great read. Also, not all schools are skilled at putting together a roster. There are only a handful of AD's and staffs in this country that can equal ours. I remember AD Dave saying something about how they leveraged and bet on the futures of the 23 uconn team to shore up some of the donor money. It was a shrewd move from one of the best.
These other schools could be making mistakes left and right and losing big time, and it seems like some already are. When you are the best program in all cbb you're the best off the court and behind the glass walls as well.

 

[bendm]

UConn SJU Nova is a great trio of BE powerhouses

 

[Kemba15]

How is Seton Hall going to compete with this? I was going to add "how is Butler going to compete with this?" but it is possible that Matta blew $6-7 million on that collection of low major mediocrities that he is assembling.

I’ve heard SHU has a bigger NIL budget than people think. $5M or so. The problem right now for them is they don’t think players are worth what they’re asking for and Sha isn’t doing a great job running the business side of things

 

[Jaydumo20]

UConn SJU Nova is a great trio of BE powerhouses

Wait.... don't forget Georgetown.

 

[champs99and04]

One of the issues here is that revenue sharing and NIL aren't really compatible concepts. You can either have the current model where we pretend that the "student-athlete" is making millions in endorsement money, or you can have the version where they're employees being paid directly by the school. The second one still isn't viable in large part because you cannot legally pay male athletes their share of the pot without paying female athletes the same. (I could be wrong on that last part, but I'm pretty sure this has been the primary hurdle to legally paying the players all along.)

 

[dennismenace]

UConn SJU Nova is a great trio of BE powerhouses

Basketball Capital of the World, NYC and Philly. Interesting geographical collection. Location, Location Location.

 

[Jaydumo20]

One of the issues here is that revenue sharing and NIL aren't really compatible concepts. You can either have the current model where we pretend that the "student-athlete" is making millions in endorsement money, or you can have the version where they're employees being paid directly by the school. The second one still isn't viable in large part because you cannot legally pay male athletes their share of the pot without paying female athletes the same. (I could be wrong on that last part, but I'm pretty sure this has been the primary hurdle to legally paying the players all along.)

The men are making more money. Some football players get 10 million. But you expose something that is troubling, to me at least.
The real reason for NIL's birth is the argument that schools are making money on the player"s name and likeness. By definition Name Image Likeness.

Cooper Flagg, Arch Manning, Cam Ward, J Dart etc. could and in most cases, did command huge NIL packages as college athletes....But, i follow sports closely and none of those guys are more recognizable or marketable than Paige Bueckers, Juju Watkins or Caitlin Clark, and Angel Reese. It doesnt matter how much more money Miami football brings in than LSU wcbb because this was an 'individual' issue from the jump.
Paige is more visible and marketable than any male college athlete right now. Jaxon Dart could walk down any main street today outside of Oxford, with almost zero recognition, not so for Paige - and she made her millions on her own.
In my opinion, nothing shows the continued, egregious, gender gap in this country more than this. Sadly, the macho male power structure in this country is getting a lot worse.

 

[Fan1978]

Good article from Matt Norlander of CBS Sports. If you have a few minutes you should read it if you're interested in what is going on. The gist of the article is that the NIL money this year is insane because this is the last year of this system. Although Norlander thinks even though with the new revenue sharing model things will be chaotic. Reading this article makes you appreciate how much the NCAA messed up with the implementation of NIL. No rules, no guardrails.

The article says there are 8 schools believed to have at least $10 million in NIL to spend this year. Then there's a list of at least 14 schools thought to have at least $8 million but less than 8 figures. UConn is in that bunch.

"The guys aren't worth the money they're going for," one high-major coach in the Midwest told CBS Sports. "I could spend $15 million, but the roster I'd put together wouldn't win a national championship. There are bad players going for big money."

The $10 million club: College basketball's portal recruiting hits unthinkable levels of financial chaos

The price of talent is spiking to record amounts -- again -- now with hundreds of millions at stake in college hoops' unregulated economy

www.cbssports.com

Schools won’t need to cheat. Fairfield has opted into the settlement and will get a bucket of money from ncaa. In addition they will take tax deductible donations into the general operating account and dole out at their discretion. This makes nil a tax deductible contribution which will further increase the money available and associated chaos.

 

[Hunt for 7]

Good article from Matt Norlander of CBS Sports. If you have a few minutes you should read it if you're interested in what is going on. The gist of the article is that the NIL money this year is insane because this is the last year of this system. Although Norlander thinks even though with the new revenue sharing model things will be chaotic. Reading this article makes you appreciate how much the NCAA messed up with the implementation of NIL. No rules, no guardrails.

The article says there are 8 schools believed to have at least $10 million in NIL to spend this year. Then there's a list of at least 14 schools thought to have at least $8 million but less than 8 figures. UConn is in that bunch.

"The guys aren't worth the money they're going for," one high-major coach in the Midwest told CBS Sports. "I could spend $15 million, but the roster I'd put together wouldn't win a national championship. There are bad players going for big money."

The $10 million club: College basketball's portal recruiting hits unthinkable levels of financial chaos

The price of talent is spiking to record amounts -- again -- now with hundreds of millions at stake in college hoops' unregulated economy

www.cbssports.com

But we are still having conversations on why late first round and second round picks should leave for the NBA. Those who laughed at posters on the BY who said a player should stay and get better always used money as the reason. Before this post was made I did some comparison work.

We are going to get to the point that the nba draft is only 1 round. And the rest will be UFA but those will be players that have exhausted their college eligibility.

The numbers are clear and the salaries in CBB are increasing quicker than the starting salaries in the NBA for late first and second round players.

If they can coral this situation it could lead to a better product for CBB, because more players in the situation like a -layer on our team will play out their eligibility not necessarily because they want to but because they will make more money staying in college.

Lottery picks are excluded right now but if the gap continue to close for the best players maybe it will be like it was during our first chip or even 2004 when we get to see a players like Emeka and Ben Gordon stick around for three years.

None of us really like this but it could make the college game better. As for the development apparatus being much better for a player in the NBA with all this money on the table all of that could be escalated in colleges and then you add the pressure of playing and performing in front of 20,000 rabid fans which will never happen in the GLeague staying in college will become a way to maximize you career basketball earning not hurt it.

I wonder how academics will even play into it and if the players we actually have to go to class. Of course the smart kids will get an education for free in a relative field. They will have all that money and should be taking courses related to things that will extend their time making money in basketball. Being that rich that young takes mentorship and understanding that even today if you make $10M in one year you are walking away with about $6m minimum depending on the state you live in. Now we have to start thinking about high tax states being a detriment. Unfortunately CT taxes its resident at one of the higher rates of any state in the country. Schools in Texas and Florida will have a huge edge.

 

[dennismenace]

The men are making more money. Some football players get 10 million. But you expose something that is troubling, to me at least.
The real reason for NIL's birth is the argument that schools are making money on the player"s name and likeness. By definition Name Image Likeness.

Cooper Flagg, Arch Manning, Cam Ward, J Dart etc. could and in most cases, did command huge NIL packages as college athletes....But, i follow sports closely and none of those guys are more recognizable or marketable than Paige Bueckers, Juju Watkins or Caitlin Clark, and Angel Reese. It doesnt matter how much more money Miami football brings in than LSU wcbb because this was an 'individual' issue from the jump.
Paige is more visible and marketable than any male college athlete right now. Jaxon Dart could walk down any main street today outside of Oxford, with almost zero recognition, not so for Paige - and she made her millions on her own.
In my opinion, nothing shows the continued, egregious, gender gap in this country more than this. Sadly, the macho male power structure in this country is getting a lot worse.

By "gender gap" I guess you are referring to
something "unfair" or worse "immoral".

Free market choices are simply what the market says is the asking price.

It may be the players name image and likeness but it's value came about through playing on a collegiate basketball team. Otherwise it would have been unsalable.

What you refer to as the "macho male power structure" as "sad" could also be just consumers making their free market choices as to what they consider to be the better product because it is in every sense of the word superior and worth putting money down for. Kind of like voting with your wallet.

Personally I think Gino Auriemma is the greatest basketball coach over the last 50 years. He gets everyone to buy into team first and total commitment. There games are like clinics to demonstrate fundamental basketball skills by the best female basketball players at the collegiate level. And he and they have been doing it for decades. But I have never gone to a ladies live game and have not bought any name shirts for gifts for my grandchildren (there not into it). There is nothing moral about this nor should anyone be put on a guilt trip for it.

 

[Jaydumo20]

By "gender gap" I guess you are referring to
something "unfair" or worse "immoral".

Free market choices are simply what the market says is the asking price.

It may be the players name image and likeness but it's value came about through playing on a collegiate basketball team. Otherwise it would have been unsalable.

What you refer to as the "macho male power structure" as "sad" could also be just consumers making their free market choices as to what they consider to be the better product because it is in every sense of the word superior and worth putting money down for. Kind of like voting with your wallet.

Personally I think Gino Auriemma is the greatest basketball coach over the last 50 years. He gets everyone to buy into team first and total commitment. There games are like clinics to demonstrate fundamental basketball skills by the best female basketball players at the collegiate level. And he and they have been doing it for decades. But I have never gone to a ladies live game and have not bought any name shirts for gifts for my grandchildren (there not into it). There is nothing moral about this nor should anyone be put on a guilt trip for it.

I respect this and am not trying to make any individual fan a target of my viewpoint.

 

[Dogdeacon]

The men are making more money. Some football players get 10 million. But you expose something that is troubling, to me at least.
The real reason for NIL's birth is the argument that schools are making money on the player"s name and likeness. By definition Name Image Likeness.

In my opinion, nothing shows the continued, egregious, gender gap in this country more than this. Sadly, the macho male power structure in this country is getting a lot worse.

I'm not sure I follow. If Paige & Caitlan Clark made their money on their own using personal NIL deals + school NIL AND made more than other college hoop players male or female and other super-duper-stars can do the same, why is the male power structure a big problem (not saying it doesn't exist) ? Is it that there is much more money for the 5th - 100th male hoop players?

It is tough to bring college football into mix for comparison. Whole different revenue /TV $$ and obviously just a male sport.

 

[Jaydumo20]

I'm not sure I follow. If Paige & Caitlan Clark made their money on their own using personal NIL deals + school NIL AND made more than other college hoop players male or female and other super-duper-stars can do the same, why is the male power structure a big problem (not saying it doesn't exist) ? Is it that there is much more money for the 5th - 100th male hoop players?

It is tough to bring college football into mix for comparison. Whole different revenue /TV $$ and obviously just a male sport.

Good question. I appreciate this debate. I used the football argument to explain ingrained mindset. But it was a faulty comparison. You're correct.

Paige was the number 1 independent NIL earner last year of any college athlete male or female in any sport. This money was not from the university.

That's a pretty good metric to claim that she is one of, if not THE most popular collegiate athlete in the country. Her Dallas jersey sold out day one.

This has to add up to more money for the uconn brand but I doubt the money paige got from uconn coffers comes close to 100's of other male athletes in the ncaa that don't have 1/1000th of the popularity or money making power that she does.

It's an unspoken acceptance that she should go do it on her own and prove that she deserves it, where, from this very article above, we see unproven, crappy male players simply asking for the moon and getting it. As a culture we've accepted men make more than women. It'd be hard to claim that the boys club that runs college sports is exempt from centuries of systemic bias. But it's clearly getting way better.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Good question. I appreciate this debate. We agree the bulk of Paige's money is coming from deals she made on her own, not institutional school money. NIL was initially based on being able to seek these deals legally but then morphed into pay to play without regards to the likeness part of it.

USC football will likely pay a male football player more than juju would get from the school alone. And though usc football may be more popular than wcbb in LA there is no way to prove that a single football player, that most of the country doesn't know, is the driver of football sales. The way I see it, it's accepted across the board at USC to spend 4 million on a male athlete so the TEAM will be better, this runs counter to NIL.

It's hard to quantify, but the number of paige jerseys sold probably will eclipse the number of Silas Demary jerseys sold, thus proving in the only way we can, that paige is way more popular and drives more eye balls to uconn ball nationwide than Silas will, but we accept that he would get paid more by the school itself. We would never question that disparity and that's the thing I have issue with.

Also, in the non-sports world, women still get paid less than men for the same job, and i don't see college sports as exempt from that accepted social mindset. I'm using this example to explain our collective subconscious, not to claim that women play football. This is all so hard to prove at the college level, so I still only claim this as an opinion.

Thoughtful response, thanks. We agree 100% on non-sports world.
Sports is tougher as women's sports (esp pro) are generally less widely popular and less money making vs men's. It seems the very top womens players are getting paid by the schools & on their own, not sure if that trickles to other prominent starters or if there is any money for the 6th - 12th on rosters?

The key to me though is they unlocked the ability of the Paige Bueckers of the world to get deals on their own. This is huge vs payments on the sly and so many players getting near $0 for substantial efforts (ie Kris Jenkins lawsuit vs NCAA)

There weren't details in the CBS article on exactly how they are going to restrict, monitor (vetted by Deloitte?!), cap and police schools 'awarding' NIL.

Bottom line I suppose is that big donors are willing to pay $XX for male athletes b/c that's what they like and are most interested in. Whether that is done more upfront or via 'cheating' it (meaning more $ for men) remains more a societal issue and preference. It is improving over time but probably only solvable to the extent the goal is equally compensated for earnings/value vs equal pay amongst males & females.

 

[Jaydumo20]

Thoughtful response, thanks. We agree 100% on non-sports world.
Sports is tougher as women's sports (esp pro) are generally less widely popular and less money making vs men's. It seems the very top womens players are getting paid by the schools & on their own, not sure if that trickles to other prominent starters or if there is any money for the 6th - 12th on rosters?

The key to me though is they unlocked the ability of the Paige Bueckers of the world to get deals on their own. This is huge vs payments on the sly and so many players getting near $0 for substantial efforts (ie Kris Jenkins lawsuit vs NCAA)

There weren't details in the CBS article on exactly how they are going to restrict, monitor (vetted by Deloitte?!), cap and police schools 'awarding' NIL.

Bottom line I suppose is that big donors are willing to pay $XX for male athletes b/c that's what they like and are most interested in. Whether that is done more upfront or via 'cheating' it remains more a societal issue and preference. It is improving over time but probably only solvable to the extent the goal is equally compensated for earnings/value vs equal pay amongst males & females.

I agree. I realize that my position was largely reactionary and negative in nature. By my own admission, I should shade on the side of celebrating the mammoth opportunity and shift that has occurred in female sports, basketball especially, which allows athletes like Paige, Juju and Angel to reach these new heights. As for the other, i retreaded the age old argument that schools will not play by the rules given the chance. Great discussion.

 

[Scrutineer]

Paige is one of the few examples you could cite as to players getting "real NIL" because she gets it for clicks on her Instagram and other accounts as well as endorsement money from companies that have signed her.

The vast majority of college players are just getting paid for playing.

As for how much women are paid, it's just like the WNBA. They don't generate enough revenue nor attract enough eyeballs to warrant more money. Look at how little Paige will make per year from playing in the WNBA.

 

[Jaydumo20]

Paige is one of the few examples you could cite as to players getting "real NIL" because she gets it for clicks on her Instagram and other accounts as well as endorsement money from companies that have signed her.

The vast majority of college players are just getting paid for playing.

As for how much women are paid, it's just like the WNBA. They don't generate enough revenue nor attract enough eyeballs to warrant more money. Look at how little Paige will make per year from playing in the WNBA.

I'm with you on a lot of this.
I found an intersting number in CT. Insider:
Uconn womens basketball exceeded 3.5 million in ticket sales. More than Alabama, Florida and Georgia mens teams. So for uconn, paying Paige less than Florida paid Clayton jr. would run counter to most claims. Although I admit i don't know those numbers.
You are way more correct than incorrect but this stat is enough to have a real conversation

 

[UConnJim]

I'm with you on a lot of this.
I found an intersting number in CT. Insider:
Uconn womens basketball exceeded 3.5 million in ticket sales. More than Alabama, Florida and Georgia mens teams. So for uconn, paying Paige less than Florida paid Clayton jr. would run counter to most claims. Although I admit i don't know those numbers.
You are way more correct than incorrect but this stat is enough to have a real conversation

You have to take into account all of the revenues of a program which include TV revenues, sponsorships, donations, NCAA Tournament credits, etc. People estimate that 15% to 20% of a P4 media deal is for men's basketball, so you could have ~$10 million+ in revenues for Florida men's basketball just from the media contract.

 

[knicksin7]

The men are making more money. Some football players get 10 million. But you expose something that is troubling, to me at least.
The real reason for NIL's birth is the argument that schools are making money on the player"s name and likeness. By definition Name Image Likeness.

Cooper Flagg, Arch Manning, Cam Ward, J Dart etc. could and in most cases, did command huge NIL packages as college athletes....But, i follow sports closely and none of those guys are more recognizable or marketable than Paige Bueckers, Juju Watkins or Caitlin Clark, and Angel Reese. It doesnt matter how much more money Miami football brings in than LSU wcbb because this was an 'individual' issue from the jump.
Paige is more visible and marketable than any male college athlete right now. Jaxon Dart could walk down any main street today outside of Oxford, with almost zero recognition, not so for Paige - and she made her millions on her own.
In my opinion, nothing shows the continued, egregious, gender gap in this country more than this. Sadly, the macho male power structure in this country is getting a lot worse.

People will pay if they generate money. Pretty straightforward.

 

[Man's Field]

When the command comes down to the IRS this could be a pathway to strip tax-exempt status from universities.

 

[jibsey]

When the command comes down to the IRS this could be a pathway to strip tax-exempt status from universities.

They are non profits and considered charitable so it would be exceedingly difficult to lose tax exempt status. Universities who endorse political candidates could be challenged but even that unlikely. Also picking and choosing which University loses its tax exempt status for whatever reason is not an option so don’t for a minute think Harvard is losing theirs.
You would see UConn lose its tax exempt status about the same time as you see churches lose theirs.

 

[Jaydumo20]

People will pay if they generate money. Pretty straightforward.

I agree.

I gotta go spend time with my kids. This BY is bad for my health.

 

[Man's Field]

They are non profits and considered charitable so it would be exceedingly difficult to lose tax exempt status. Universities who endorse political candidates could be challenged but even that unlikely. Also picking and choosing which University loses its tax exempt status for whatever reason is not an option so don’t for a minute think Harvard is losing theirs.
You would see UConn lose its tax exempt status about the same time as you see churches lose theirs.

That's what I wanted to hear!

 

[HooperScooper]

Another good article on the subject. From John Fanta.

"This is an absolute cesspool," said one high-major coach, who has solid NIL money. "It's birthed by the far-too-long original sin of NCAA greed. The adults in the room gave NIL with no guidelines. No guidance. No rules. Imagine the NBA with annual unrestricted free agency, and no salary cap. And now imagine asking a team full of players earning six figures to go to class."

"The state of the sport is f---ed," a senior who just graduated told me. "You’ve got guys on one-year contracts, so they’re free agents every summer. Coaches are tampering with anyone that has eligibility because they can."

College basketball’s 'lawless, cesspool' transfer portal must be fixed | FOX Sports

College basketball's "lawless" transfer portal gets players paid, but its structure is lacking. FOX Sports' John Fanta breaks down why the entire sport suffers for it and what should be done moving forward.

www.foxsports.com

 

[bendm]

Good article from Matt Norlander of CBS Sports. If you have a few minutes you should read it if you're interested in what is going on. The gist of the article is that the NIL money this year is insane because this is the last year of this system. Although Norlander thinks even though with the new revenue sharing model things will be chaotic. Reading this article makes you appreciate how much the NCAA messed up with the implementation of NIL. No rules, no guardrails.

The article says there are 8 schools believed to have at least $10 million in NIL to spend this year. Then there's a list of at least 14 schools thought to have at least $8 million but less than 8 figures. UConn is in that bunch.

"The guys aren't worth the money they're going for," one high-major coach in the Midwest told CBS Sports. "I could spend $15 million, but the roster I'd put together wouldn't win a national championship. There are bad players going for big money."

The $10 million club: College basketball's portal recruiting hits unthinkable levels of financial chaos

The price of talent is spiking to record amounts -- again -- now with hundreds of millions at stake in college hoops' unregulated economy

www.cbssports.com

The only schools I was surprised not to see in this list were MSU, Zona, and Bama