NIL (Poke holes in my theory)

[cap10dingus]

Why wouldn't it benefit everyone to make these changes to the NIL world:

1. Money accumulated through NIL is paid at graduation
2. If a student athlete transfers on their own accord the accumulated NIL fund they have at their current school would be left behind
2b. All forfeited NIL funds from transfers would be distributed to the other players, remaining on the roster, evenly

Now kick my thoughts to the curb, I want to hear why it wouldn't work! (I'm quite certain I'm missing something)

 

[Rocktheworld]

You haven’t said or demonstrated in what way and how this is “beneficial”. What is the point of this? It would help if you defined “beneficial”.

On the face of it, it makes no sense to me. Do you wait until end of fiscal year to get paid from your job? Do you leave the money you’ve made in a fiscal year at a job behind if you go to a new job within said year?

 

[WrenchFan69]

NIL money is made by the individual due to their "marketability." Has nothing to do with the school and nobody else has any right to withhold or redistribute it. At least that's what we're still pretending at this point.

 

[husky429]

You're trying to be cutesy with it and end up with an idea somehow worse than the putrid cesspool that is NIL already.

Earned money is earned money. NIL is like mowing lawns in the summer. Your school has nothing to do with it. You keep the cash, pay taxes on it, and spend on whatever the hell you want.

Your idea would be laughed at in court by whatever judge had the displeasure of trying to understand the rationale behind this.

NIL needs to be amended, though. At the very least we agree on that.

 

[Rocktheworld]

NIL money is made by the individual due to their "marketability." Has nothing to do with the school and nobody else has any right to withhold or redistribute it. At least that's what we're still pretending at this point.

I mean it’s true. They don’t even need to be at or receive NIL from any school; a company can choose to pay them for sponsorship regardless of academic affiliation. So that’s a whole other aspect of how this OP makes absolutely no sense

 

[Jbirdp5]

It sounds like you want to motivate people to stay at their current school, that would be up to the nil collectives to put incentives in the contracts they have with the players each year. Something like a retention bonus that kicks in when they re enroll the following year for school. You can’t hold their money hostage tho that they have already earned, and you certainly can’t give it to others.

 

[navery12]

Why wouldn't it benefit everyone to make these changes to the NIL world:

1. Money accumulated through NIL is paid at graduation
2. If a student athlete transfers on their own accord the accumulated NIL fund they have at their current school would be left behind
2b. All forfeited NIL funds from transfers would be distributed to the other players, remaining on the roster, evenly

Now kick my thoughts to the curb, I want to hear why it wouldn't work! (I'm quite certain I'm missing something)

For the same reason that when you signed your contract at your job you didn't agree to accept your full salary at the end of your tenure there. Especially since the top NIL earners are guys who have no intention of staying 4 years and graduating. They'd never accept those terms

Or a better example might be the signing bonus you get is all paid up front, and then does have a clause similar to your 2nd point. But those types of things are already happening, like with the Utah football NIL deal with the truck dealership

 

[John]

Why wouldn't it benefit everyone to make these changes to the NIL world:

1. Money accumulated through NIL is paid at graduation
2. If a student athlete transfers on their own accord the accumulated NIL fund they have at their current school would be left behind
2b. All forfeited NIL funds from transfers would be distributed to the other players, remaining on the roster, evenly

Now kick my thoughts to the curb, I want to hear why it wouldn't work! (I'm quite certain I'm missing something)

RE: 1
The players that stand to gain the most from NIL are not going to graduate, they'll be gone after a year or two.

 

[cap10dingus]

Well as predicted this went down pretty hard. I'm clarifying my thoughts below based on the above questions, not arguing for it.

YES the point was to use the NIL process to promote graduation and also limit the transfer mess we have through using the new NIL "process" that we have today to also promote some loyalty.

It's beneficial to the kids because it promotes their graduation.

It would turn the demonization of the "student athlete" process into something that might potentially help return it to what it really should be, using sports to promote higher education.

 

[Rocktheworld]

turn the demonization of the "student athlete" process into something that might potentially help return it to what it really should be, using sports to promote higher education.

lmao that concept has been dead for decades and ain’t coming back

Holding their money hostage is cruel and unfair, and withholding and redistributing the money they’ve but their bodies on the line to earn is a horrific idea. You’re not really thinking about the athletes with ideas like what you posted. Someone mentioned incentives for sticking around; that would be fine.

 

[John]

lmao that concept has been dead for decades and ain’t coming back

Holding their money hostage is cruel and unfair, and withholding and redistributing the money they’ve but their bodies on the line to earn is a horrific idea. You’re not really thinking about the athletes with ideas like what you posted. Someone mentioned incentives for sticking around; that would be fine.

The incentive to stick around is a college degree.

 

[navery12]

The incentive to stick around is a college degree.

Good luck convincing Cooper Flagg to turn down the NBA for 3 years to stay in college

 

[krinklecut]

Requiring kids to graduate to get money they earned is absurd. How about kids with jobs on campus? Let’s just pay them out at graduation.

I really don’t understand why so many are so against these kids getting a fair shake of the economy their talent creates.

 

[SubbaBub]

Because NIL exists under real world law and not the fictional world law of the NCAA. Keeping someone else's money is super illegal.

 

[John]

Good luck convincing Cooper Flagg to turn down the NBA for 3 years to stay in college

The degree incentive is for the mear human players, the Coopers have whopping NILs.

 

[DogMania]

NIL = Name, image and likeness. No where do you see school, program or team. Granted, often the dollars come from entities that support a specific program while some don't.

Money provided during the season the player is at that specific institution should stay with that player. If he or she moves on, then they shouldn't get any more money from entities that are associated with that program.

I'm really not sure how they can legislate this to prevent student athletes from moving from program to program each year when the NIL money is better somewhere else other than I guess limiting how many consecutive times they can move from one school to another.

I've not followed what legislation has been put in place. Even the pros are locked into a specific franchise due to contractual agreements. They can't just move whenever they want for more money unless they're free agent eligible or find a way to force a trade.

I do like the idea of having incentives if they stick around, but it seems there will always be someone that will offer more money that exceeds the incentive to stay.

 

[Rocktheworld]

The incentive to stick around is a college degree.

They can already get that from wherever they transfer…

 

[Chuck]

Well as predicted this went down pretty hard. I'm clarifying my thoughts below based on the above questions, not arguing for it.

YES the point was to use the NIL process to promote graduation and also limit the transfer mess we have through using the new NIL "process" that we have today to also promote some loyalty.

It's beneficial to the kids because it promotes their graduation.

It would turn the demonization of the "student athlete" process into something that might potentially help return it to what it really should be, using sports to promote higher education.

I'm not attacking you, but this just doesn't make sense even as a starting point. The whole idea of NIL is that the student athletes own their NIL. Period. They can do anything they want with their NIL (and the money they get from letting people use it), just like any other student and any other job.

The relationship between colleges and their players is becoming a fully business relationship. Your ideas could be implemented as part of a negotiation between the NIL purchaser and the player. But a kid will never go to a school whose alums/fans put those kinds of restrictions on their compensation over another that gives them the full and immediate benefit.

 

[cap10dingus]

Good luck convincing Cooper Flagg to turn down the NBA for 3 years to stay in college

So he leaves for the NBA and makes the time to finish his degree in the future?

Listen I agree the players at 17-18 would hate the idea of someone holding their money BUT back in the day my mom would have loved this idea and I can't imagine moms today wouldn't love this. The money being held could almost be like a long term investment, earning interest, and if they wanted it they just had to graduate from the school that committed to them as they did the same. Didn't matter if it was using their athletic eligibility or coming back after a 1/5/12 year NBA career. Going to the NBA wouldn't void the funds, transferring would.

I still like it as a concept. I'm aware it has major holes. 3 years ago players didn't legally get paid at all. What we've done now needs to be changed in some significant way, it's killing college sports for now and as we are starting to learn it will have a negative impact on the professional level with players being able to make more money staying in college. If you think the powers that be are going to let the players have the power to dictate who can and can't draft them with threats of just staying in school long term you are lying to yourself.

The rate we are going overseas leagues are going to become main stream in the long term because like the business world there will be less hoops and easier money with more opportunity, the big business model. See it or not by fighting over "power" we are creating other spaces for the product. Both sides need to understand that.....

Let them go pro out of HS, stop trying to force them to college when they don't want to go and are only going because they have to.

If they go to college incentivize them to stay in school but more so honor their commitment to a school that committed to them.

Reward them for graduating and bettering their future outside of sports.


Honestly these should be what we are focusing on if we want to see the product prosper. With that my thoughts are not the only solution or close to it.

 

[cap10dingus]

I'm not attacking you, but this just doesn't make sense even as a starting point. The whole idea of NIL is that the student athletes own their NIL. Period. They can do anything they want with their NIL (and the money they get from letting people use it), just like any other student and any other job.

The relationship between colleges and their players is becoming a fully business relationship. Your ideas could be implemented as part of a negotiation between the NIL purchaser and the player. But a kid will never go to a school whose alums/fans put those kinds of restrictions on their compensation over another that gives them the full and immediate benefit.

Great points and thoughts here. I agree with you. Wouldn't it be simpler to just let the people that wanted to make fast money, and possibly had the talent to do so, do that our of HS? Aren't we creating a catch 22 by saying you can't go bro yet but here is your NIL money. Let them go pro!

I don't take this as attacking from anyone. I like the conversation to be honest. It's an important one to the future of the NCAA.

Thank you for your post~

 

[Tampahusky]

NIL has nothing to do with NCAA or schools, no one wants to pay millions in court costs if something were to happen. It’s an individual contract with athlete and said partner.


Say Frank’s furniture decided not to pay player X and broke the contract, player x can’t go get his money owed from UConn/NCAA. It’s Frank’s Furniture contract.

 

[navery12]

So he leaves for the NBA and makes the time to finish his degree in the future?

Listen I agree the players at 17-18 would hate the idea of someone holding their money BUT back in the day my mom would have loved this idea and I can't imagine moms today wouldn't love this. The money being held could almost be like a long term investment, earning interest, and if they wanted it they just had to graduate from the school that committed to them as they did the same. Didn't matter if it was using their athletic eligibility or coming back after a 1/5/12 year NBA career. Going to the NBA wouldn't void the funds, transferring would.

I still like it as a concept. I'm aware it has major holes. 3 years ago players didn't legally get paid at all. What we've done now needs to be changed in some significant way, it's killing college sports for now and as we are starting to learn it will have a negative impact on the professional level with players being able to make more money staying in college. If you think the powers that be are going to let the players have the power to dictate who can and can't draft them with threats of just staying in school long term you are lying to yourself.

The rate we are going overseas leagues are going to become main stream in the long term because like the business world there will be less hoops and easier money with more opportunity, the big business model. See it or not by fighting over "power" we are creating other spaces for the product. Both sides need to understand that.....

Let them go pro out of HS, stop trying to force them to college when they don't want to go and are only going because they have to.

If they go to college incentivize them to stay in school but more so honor their commitment to a school that committed to them.

Reward them for graduating and bettering their future outside of sports.


Honestly these should be what we are focusing on if we want to see the product prosper. With that my thoughts are not the only solution or close to it.

Honestly, the more you type the worse it gets. These are honestly just awful ideas. I agree they should be able to go pro out of HS.

But the idea of saying to a kid you can't see this money until you graduate is absolutely insane. If a school or booster thinks they can do that to a kid they are quickly going to realize they're not getting a single top recruit anymore. Why would any top recruit want to wait 20 years to see their NIL money? The purpose is to give these kids money to live now.

I could keep going because there's about 100,000 issues with this system you came up with but it's not worth the time

 

[McLovin]

So he leaves for the NBA and makes the time to finish his degree in the future?

Listen I agree the players at 17-18 would hate the idea of someone holding their money BUT back in the day my mom would have loved this idea and I can't imagine moms today wouldn't love this. The money being held could almost be like a long term investment, earning interest, and if they wanted it they just had to graduate from the school that committed to them as they did the same.

I don’t think we need the NCAA or these institutions being the financial stewards of legal adults (yes, they are young). Especially since most institutions aren’t even good stewards of their own finances lmao.

Allow universities to provide the necessary financial and legal support resources to their athletes and let them / their families decide how to invest or spend the money. But that should be the extent of their involvement.

 

[Rico444]

Honestly these should be what we are focusing on if we want to see the product prosper.

I want the product to prosper, but not at the expense of the student-athletes. You don't seem to care about what benefits them; just what would make college basketball more enjoyable for you.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Fundamental misunderstanding of this. Everyone, including HS kids can market themselves and make money. Like TikTok or Instagram stars. The NCAA used to say you can’t do that and retain eligibility. All that has changed is that the NCAA can no longer prevent that. They could still prevent boosters from using NIL to influence recruiting, but it’s legally complex so they don’t have those rules in place yet. They will. Schools cannot pay NIL money.

The only role the school has is whether or not they will let the student athlete promote themselves in uniform or in association with the school. They can also help connect kids to opportunities with advertisers etc. That they do control. Paige can’t do a Gatorade add in a UConn jersey unless UConn permits it. This is the same for pro athletes by the way.