How NIL absence is hurting the Ivy League

[Improviser]

Looks like the Ivies may not have trouble getting, or keeping top recruits based on the current cycle.

How the Ivy League became a stepping stone to NIL paydays in college basketball's 2024 transfer cycle

Does a two-year period of earning NIL money outweigh the lifelong benefits of graduating from a school like Harvard?

www.cbssports.com

 

[dogpause]

The Ivy League schools have a very wealthy alumni and a lot of great minds. They will figure it out if they want to.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

The Ivy League schools have a very wealthy alumni and a lot of great minds. They will figure it out if they want to.

The percentage of their alumni that care even one bit about their athletics is incredibly low.

 

[JungleLobo]

Looks like the Ivies may not have trouble getting, or keeping top recruits based on the current cycle.

How the Ivy League became a stepping stone to NIL paydays in college basketball's 2024 transfer cycle

Does a two-year period of earning NIL money outweigh the lifelong benefits of graduating from a school like Harvard?

www.cbssports.com

‘They are wagering that the money they earn and basketball development they receive at new institutions will ultimately prove more valuable than lifelong status as an Ivy League graduate.’

We already know how this ends.

 

[coachcap]

The irony is that up until the late 70s the Ivies took some sports (football, hockey, lacrosse-then a niche sport) VERY seriously. There was one season where both Yale & Dartmouth football were ranked in the Top 20 nationally. When John Toner, as NCAA President, created Division 1-AA, a turning point was reached. The Ivies were forced (kicking & screaming) into 1-AA (UConn & the YanCon moved up from Division-2). Gone were the days of Calvin Hill, Brian Dowling, & Dick Jauron. As a result, the Ivies have downplayed sports in general, whereas the rest of the college sports scene views intercollegiate sports as a major advertising point for their respective institutions.

 

[gtcam]

In the present day I don't think athletics is top of mind at these schools.

 

[Improviser]

‘They are wagering that the money they earn and basketball development they receive at new institutions will ultimately prove more valuable than lifelong status as an Ivy League graduate.’

We already know how this ends.

The other part of the wager might be that if they played maybe 2 or 3 years at the Ivy, and moved on in their junior or senior year to the more competitive portal school, they still could tout their 2 or 3 years as an Ivy attendee(presumably a high academic person) to a prospective employer who might not care that they didn't graduate from say, Yale or Harvard.

The big bank and hedge fund employers, where many of Ivy grads apply for jobs, take investment bets all the time on buying companies and businesses, with their private equity. They might actually respect the BB decision to invest in a potential high paying stint in the NBA, whether or not that portal transfer did not translate into an NBA stint.

This UConn grad doesn't walk in those circles.

 

[Greedo]

I always cringe a little bit when I see some of these Ivy League players transfer before finishing their degree. I'm sure it will work out for some of them, but I don't think a lot of them understand what they're passing up.

My wife has an Ivy League degree (I'm a buffoon compared to her), and literally any time she applies for a new job she gets a phone call the same day asking her to interview. She obviously has to perform from that point forward, but I don't think a lot of people fully realize the doors that level of degree opens for you. I don't know if these players fully realize it.

I should also note that before I became a teacher she and I worked in the same industry, and had pretty similar resumes outside of where we went to school (my UConn degree). If I just applied to a job without knowing anyone, there was zero chance I would hear anything. I got the jobs I did from networking and meeting people in the industry. She applies to jobs and the same day has people falling over each other to interview her.

 

[phillionaire]

Dang won’t someone think of the poor ivy league schools? They never get any breaks

 

[superjohn]

I always cringe a little bit when I see some of these Ivy League players transfer before finishing their degree. I'm sure it will work out for some of them, but I don't think a lot of them understand what they're passing up.

My wife has an Ivy League degree (I'm a buffoon compared to her), and literally any time she applies for a new job she gets a phone call the same day asking her to interview. She obviously has to perform from that point forward, but I don't think a lot of people fully realize the doors that level of degree opens for you. I don't know if these players fully realize it.

I should also note that before I became a teacher she and I worked in the same industry, and had pretty similar resumes outside of where we went to school (my UConn degree). If I just applied to a job without knowing anyone, there was zero chance I would hear anything. I got the jobs I did from networking and meeting people in the industry. She applies to jobs and the same day has people falling over each other to interview her.

They're basketball players, they would be foolish to stay at an Ivy League school if they can play at the highest level of D1.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

The percentage of their alumni that care even one bit about their athletics is incredibly low.

This is not even remotely true but their aspirations for their athletics programs are not the same as they are at P5 schools. I know plenty of alums who contribute to the programs they played at but they do so to make them competitive among their peer group.

 

[Greedo]

They're basketball players, they would be foolish to stay at an Ivy League school if they can play at the highest level of D1.

"Most of us will go pro in something other than sports." Yes, some of those basketball players will make careers out of playing basketball, but not all of them. I definitely think some of the kids transferring would benefit more by staying at an Ivy school. For someone like Wolf, I think he's making a good decision by leaving, but others would benefit from the piece of paper staying at at Ivy.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

This is not even remotely true but their aspirations for their athletics programs are not the same as they are at P5 schools. I know plenty of alums who contribute to the programs they played at but they do so to make them competitive among their peer group.

You’re talking about alums of the programs. I’m talking about broader alumni support. Of all the folks I know that went Ivy League, never heard one of them say a thing about their university’s sports. I’m not saying no one cares, I’m saying it’s way too limited to use the argument that the schools and alumni are rich so they should be good. School doesn’t care enough because they a) don't need the marketing, and b) it’s not a big part of student life.

 

[JungleLobo]

"Most of us will go pro in something other than sports." Yes, some of those basketball players will make careers out of playing basketball, but not all of them. I definitely think some of the kids transferring would benefit more by staying at an Ivy school. For someone like Wolf, I think he's making a good decision by leaving, but others would benefit from the piece of paper staying at at Ivy.

Agreed. The NCAA stats have 1.1% of these student athletes going on to pro basketball in a given year.

Not a great ratio when you give up a near 100% chance of an Ivy League degree.

Yale’s Makai Mason. Remember him? First team Ivy, Second team Big 12 for Baylor. He could play. Undrafted.

 

[whosurdaddy2720]

Earn your degree in 3 years from an Ivy > do your graduate year at a major D-1 school for possible NBA exposure.

Even if you don’t make the league, you’ve still got your shiny degree in hand.

Shonn Miller did it right.

 

[whosurdaddy2720]

FWIW I know Grant Williams’s parents on a somewhat personal level and they’ve told me that he was recruited hard by nearly every Ivy especially Harvard but was confident he would get to the NBA if he played at a major school. He chose Tennessee instead and the rest is history.

No, he’s not the greatest pro ever but he signed a 53 million dollar contract last year so I’d say betting on himself worked out pretty well.

 

[That Guy]

"Most of us will go pro in something other than sports." Yes, some of those basketball players will make careers out of playing basketball, but not all of them. I definitely think some of the kids transferring would benefit more by staying at an Ivy school. For someone like Wolf, I think he's making a good decision by leaving, but others would benefit from the piece of paper staying at at Ivy.

I think only the kids that get offers from blue blood programs after entering the portal should make the jump. You will probably make like $1 million or more depending on how many years of eligibility you have left and playing for one of those elite programs will open way more doors into working within basketball as a coach or otherwise than an Ivy would. And hell, if you pick Duke, UCLA, or UNC then you're getting the best of everything if we're being honest. Great NIL, elite education, and everything that comes with playing for a blue blood.

 

[aceboon]

Earn your degree in 3 years from an Ivy > do your graduate year at a major D-1 school for possible NBA exposure.

Even if you don’t make the league, you’ve still got your shiny degree in hand.

Shonn Miller did it right.

Is it that easy to get an Ivy League degree in 3 years? Shonn was at Cornell for 4 years but only played 3, he redshirted a year due to injury.

 

[Huskybass]

Is it that easy to get an Ivy League degree in 3 years? Shonn was at Cornell for 4 years but only played 3, he redshirted a year due to injury.

Shonn Miller was a really good player. One of the real highlights of the Ollie era. He would be a great addition to any squad.

 

[Rich]

Yale and Harvard have endowments of <35 billion. The other Ivies, specifically Penn and Princeton are right up there.

If they wanted to pay players literally the top 50 or so would never go anywhere else.

 

[speckle]

I always cringe a little bit when I see some of these Ivy League players transfer before finishing their degree. I'm sure it will work out for some of them, but I don't think a lot of them understand what they're passing up.

My wife has an Ivy League degree (I'm a buffoon compared to her), and literally any time she applies for a new job she gets a phone call the same day asking her to interview. She obviously has to perform from that point forward, but I don't think a lot of people fully realize the doors that level of degree opens for you. I don't know if these players fully realize it.

I should also note that before I became a teacher she and I worked in the same industry, and had pretty similar resumes outside of where we went to school (my UConn degree). If I just applied to a job without knowing anyone, there was zero chance I would hear anything. I got the jobs I did from networking and meeting people in the industry. She applies to jobs and the same day has people falling over each other to interview her.

If you work in a male dominated field, "she went to an ivy league school," is all that's needed to get an interview. Doesn't mean she gets the job, or even deserves the interview, but it's a free pass with the hr folks monitoring diversity. It is what it is.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Of the ten players selected across all three All-Ivy teams who had not yet graduated, only two of them: Danny Wolf and Malik Mack, transferred.

I mean, if four guys from the Ivy League transferred before graduating, is that really that big of a story?

Yes, NIL is an impact, but the players that end up at Ivies do so to be at an Ivy. Yes, players will still transfer, but the exit rate to chase high-major money and playing time is still relatively low and the Ivy League will still, yet again, be one of the best mid-major conferences in the nation with Princeton, Yale, Brown, Penn and Columbia looking like the best teams next year.