Paige better get her signing hand ready this summer

[hoopsfan22]

“Take Paige out of a UConn uniform and few would know who she is.” Really? WBB fans around the country have been following Paige since 8th grade.

Geno knows NIL is inevitable and he is taking steps to protect UConn WBB by supporting it. If UConn doesn’t support NIL, and schools around the country do, UConn will undoubtedly be at a distinct disadvantage in recruiting and retaining top players.

I suspect Paige hasn’t said a thing to Geno about money. But awhile back her mother indicated that Paige staying in school for 4 seasons might depend on whether or not she can make some money. I don’t think that was idle chatter.

As I have said before, there are already “back room” deals in college sports. NIL will do a much better job of bringing everything out in the open. Please take some time to listen to Senator Slap’s podcast. He does an excellent job in laying out the issues.

I did listen to half of the podcast but it didn't seem like there was any new information that hasn't been regurgitated for the last year.

And yeah most people have no clue who Paige Bueckers is, even in the sports world. I could grab 100 random people off the street here in Connecticut, show them a picture of Paige without a uniform or basketball or anything else that indicates she's a basketball player, and If I find one or two people that recognize her or can tell me her name that would be a lot. While Paige has a large social media following, consider that even the likes of Charli D'Amelio and Addison Rae who have a following several orders of magnitude larger only pull in a few million a year and they are (or were) at the top of the non-celebrity social media food chain. So I dunno maybe someone pays Paige $1000 per post? Not really life changing money. She could make more if Nike or Puma sign her to a sizeable contract now if for no other reason than to lock her up post-college, but even DT-Sue-Stewie's endorsement deals "only" add up to about $1-1.5 million a year. Maybe the car dealership that hired CD to do a commercial hires Paige? What's that worth? I think some view this NIL thing as if it's about to turn student-athletes into multimillionaires, and I just don't see it based on existing benchmarks. There will be some that do well and will be able to afford cream cheese for their bagels, and if I had to guess where that investment goes, it's probably into the cream of the crop of football and men's basketball players.

CT’s state law, like many of the laws enacted around the country, provide the ability to amend the law to be in line with NCAA rules on NIL, assuming that the NCAA doesn’t punt again.

Maybe I'm missing something stupidly obvious here, but why do we need the laws at all? All the NCAA has to do is change their rules to make it permissible for the student-athletes to earn money from their NIL. I don't get why it has to be a mandate from government unless the NCAA just wants plausible deniability where they can say we didn't want to do this, but the government is forcing us, wink wink.

 

[Mdoggie]

I never heard of the Lakers before I heard of Lebron. I never heard of the Yankees before I heard of Aaron Judge. I never heard of Barcelona before I heard of Messi. Never heard of Duke before Reddick or USC (Trojans) before Reggie Bush. I need to get out more.
As many of you can tell, I’m home bored today. Need to find a good Netflix series. Any recommendations.

 

[Childhood]

Huh? So you never heard of the University of Connecticut before you heard Paiges name? Wow. Are you young much like your screen name?

I know those famous University like Stanford, UCLA, Yale but never heard about UConn. I am not young and I start watching nba in year 1997 when Spurs won the champion title. And now I try to watch wnba.

 

[Mdoggie]

I know those famous University like Stanford, UCLA, Yale but never heard about UConn. I am not young and I start watching nba in year 1997 when Spurs won the champion title. And now I try to watch wnba.

Ok.

 

[Childhood]

I have no intention to offend UConn. Have a good day and good night.

 

[Mdoggie]

I have no intention to offend UConn. Have a good day and good night.

GN child.

 

[oldude]

I did listen to half of the podcast but it didn't seem like there was any new information that hasn't been regurgitated for the last year.

And yeah most people have no clue who Paige Bueckers is, even in the sports world. I could grab 100 random people off the street here in Connecticut, show them a picture of Paige without a uniform or basketball or anything else that indicates she's a basketball player, and If I find one or two people that recognize her or can tell me her name that would be a lot. While Paige has a large social media following, consider that even the likes of Charli D'Amelio and Addison Rae who have a following several orders of magnitude larger only pull in a few million a year and they are (or were) at the top of the non-celebrity social media food chain. So I dunno maybe someone pays Paige $1000 per post? Not really life changing money. She could make more if Nike or Puma sign her to a sizeable contract now if for no other reason than to lock her up post-college, but even DT-Sue-Stewie's endorsement deals "only" add up to about $1-1.5 million a year. Maybe the car dealership that hired CD to do a commercial hires Paige? What's that worth? I think some view this NIL thing as if it's about to turn student-athletes into multimillionaires, and I just don't see it based on existing benchmarks. There will be some that do well and will be able to afford cream cheese for their bagels, and if I had to guess where that investment goes, it's probably into the cream of the crop of football and men's basketball players.


Maybe I'm missing something stupidly obvious here, but why do we need the laws at all? All the NCAA has to do is change their rules to make it permissible for the student-athletes to earn money from their NIL. I don't get why it has to be a mandate from government unless the NCAA just wants plausible deniability where they can say we didn't want to do this, but the government is forcing us, wink wink.

So you knew that Geno lobbied the State senate on NIL, that UConn had proposed exempting freshmen and that the CT bill provided for a mechanism to coordinate with any future NCAA legislation? Evidently, you are better informed than most of us.

We'll have to disagree on how well known Paige was and is. However, it has been pointed out that Paige had the highest social media following prior to arriving at UConn of any NCAA athlete in any sport, male or female.

In answer to your last question. There is absolutely no reason why we should need any state or federal laws on the books about NIL, except that the NCAA has done nothing on this for years. Ever since the NCAA lost the O'Bannon case, they and their member institutions have been avoiding this issue in the hopes that it would either go away or Congress would resolve it for them. Neither of those things happened. The states have finally stepped in and now it is time for the NCAA to put up or shut up on NIL.

 

[bluedevil]

I never heard of the Lakers before I heard of Lebron. I never heard of the Yankees before I heard of Aaron Judge. I never heard of Barcelona before I heard of Messi. Never heard of Duke before Reddick or USC (Trojans) before Reggie Bush. I need to get out more.
As many of you can tell, I’m home bored today. Need to find a good Netflix series. Any recommendations.

I bet you never heard about the moon until you had a moon pie.

 

[Alydar]

No politician wants to be blamed for ..................................

The key thing to remember when lobbying a politician

 

[Mdoggie]

I bet you never heard about the moon until you had a moon pie.

Im funny, now you funny too. The words of the great George Thorogood and the destroyers

I bet you never heard about the moon until you had a moon pie.

 

[Alydar]

Her team has won a game or two...but not the two that matters the most to the Uconn dynasty.

How many championships have the Kardashions won? NIL is all about marketability. Bueckers will be rich before she graduates because everyone likes/admires her and she has a compelling personality.

Christian Laetner couldn't sell ice in hell despite his ring.

Further, this is not going to ruin anything in wcbb. A few players will make money. Of the 350 D1 teams NIL should effect maybe 10 teams. And if it makes recruitment more complicated for coaches so what? It only makes a high profile team like UConn more attractive.

Even further, this could be a financial windfall for UConn. If a couple of their players sign deals and appear wearing a UConn uniform then UConn needs to be compensated, no?

 

[Alydar]

On a previous thread, some raised concerns that NIL would result in the top recruits all wanting to go the the very best programs because that’s where the most opportunity would be. Thus causing the rich to get richer and hurting parity. I don’t agree with that. It could actually work in the opposite way. If a top recruit has NIL as a priority when selecting a team, he/she could go to a school in a smaller city and have a full time job endorsing car dealerships, barbershops, facial salons, pizza joints, Joe’s Diner, and Condom City. Oh the need for a good accountant.

Of course that also requires that she play at UConn where the non-basketball citizens know who she is. I'd bet that if you walked down Main St in Palo Alto or Waco the average person wouldn't be able to name three players on the womens or mens basketball teams.

 

[Alydar]

Huh? So you never heard of the University of Connecticut before you heard Paiges name? Wow. Are you young much like your screen name?

LOL On this board "child" is anyone under 60

 

[hoopsfan22]

Of course that also requires that she play at UConn where the non-basketball citizens know who she is. I'd bet that if you walked down Main St in Palo Alto or Waco the average person wouldn't be able to name three players on the womens or mens basketball teams.

You can walk down Main St in Hartford, Bridgeport, New Haven, or Stamford and I'll bet the average person couldn't name three players on any UConn team, never mind the women's basketball team.

 

[oldude]

WBB may not be as popular as MBB or CFB, but I dare say that WBB is at least as popular as Women’s Gymnastics or Women’s Swimming. So what should be a reasonable earnings expectation for the best WBB player in the country? Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky have promoted their respective NIL’s to the tune of net worths currently estimated at $6 million and $4 million respectively.

 

[Mdoggie]

LOL On this board "child" is anyone under 60

Oops, I’m a child also. A young 55

 

[wolfe613]

How many championships have the Kardashions won? NIL is all about marketability. Bueckers will be rich before she graduates because everyone likes/admires her and she has a compelling personality.

Christian Laetner couldn't sell ice in hell despite his ring.

Further, this is not going to ruin anything in wcbb. A few players will make money. Of the 350 D1 teams NIL should effect maybe 10 teams. And if it makes recruitment more complicated for coaches so what? It only makes a high profile team like UConn more attractive.

Even further, this could be a financial windfall for UConn. If a couple of their players sign deals and appear wearing a UConn uniform then UConn needs to be compensated, no?

rich might be a bit of a stretch

 

[The CDR-Ret]

] I like Paige and I am very happy she is at UConn but good lord people. Can we let her win something first? She hasn’t proven to be our savior yet.

Now if she makes more than the highest paid WNBA player, she may stay for her fifth year due to CoViD rules....

 

[hoopsfan22]

Now if she makes more than the highest paid WNBA player, she may stay for her fifth year due to CoViD rules....

No chance she will make more than the highest paid WNBA player. Half a dozen players make the supermax base salary of over $220k. Throw in endorsement deals worth $1-2 million for the top echelon, plus whatever they bank overseas. Parker supposedly makes $4.5 million a year all in.

 

[Mdoggie]

Now if she makes more than the highest paid WNBA player, she may stay for her fifth year due to CoViD rules....

I don’t care what she makes. What I want her to do is bring home the trophy where it belongs!

 

[Bald Husky]

No "she" has won 28 college games. Most UConn fans are knowledgeable enough to recognize that that is a tremendous accomplishment.

Paige also "won" all the national player of the year awards she was eligible for namely the AP Player of the Year, the Naismith College Player of the Year, the USBWA Women's National Player of the Year and the John R. Wooden Award and the Nancy Lieberman Award as the top point guard in the nation.. She was the first freshman to receive any of these awards, an astounding achievement.

Further she received First Team All-American honors from the AP and the USBWA. She was a Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Coaches' All-America Team selection. She also shared two major NCAA Division I freshman of the year awards with Caitlin Clark, the Tamika Catchings Award, presented by the USBWA and the WBCA Freshman of the Year award.

By any reasonably well informed metric, Paige has had an amazing freshman season. Much of it was, literally, unmatched by anyone before her. To state that "she hasn't won anything" is woefully uniformed.

Paige is one of the most accomplished college basketball players in history, and doing it as a freshman is mind boggling. I do not have an issue with that. There have been a multitude of great players to take the court for UConn, from Lobo, to Sales, to Stewie, and the list goes on. These players come and go, with new exciting ladies adorning the court for us every year. This forum isn't about Paige Bueckers, or Nakeesha Sales, or Brianna Stewart. Its about Uconn, and as of last year the front of their uniforms do not say Paige, it says UConn. Paige can be the most iconic and important player in our history, but she is just a freshman. We are here because we love UConn basketball, and yes we do love the players because Geno recruits not just great talent, but really great kids. Sue said it herself that the players are judged by NCs. You may disagree, but regardless, I believe Paige will lead us to at least two NCs, and hopefully more. When she does that I will gladly say that she is one of UConns greats, if not the greatest, and the individual awards will be gravy and enhance her legacy. Until then though, lets support her and the rest of our girls and root them to our 12th NC.

 

[oldude]

No chance she will make more than the highest paid WNBA player. Half a dozen players make the supermax base salary of over $220k. Throw in endorsement deals worth $1-2 million for the top echelon, plus whatever they bank overseas. Parker supposedly makes $4.5 million a year all in.

In 1996 Nike jumped on an upcoming 21 year old athlete, giving him a $40 million, 5 year endorsement deal, after he left college following his sophomore year. 5 years later, Nike gave him a $100 million deal. That athlete was Tiger Woods. The deal with Nike was signed before Tiger had won a single major championship. I can absolutely see Nike, Puma or Addidas in a bidding war to sign Paige to a long term endorsement deal that will make her a very rich young lady.

 

[hoopsfan22]

In 1996 Nike jumped on an upcoming 21 year old athlete, giving him a $40 million, 5 year endorsement deal, after he left college following his sophomore year. 5 years later, Nike gave him a $100 million deal. That athlete was Tiger Woods. The deal with Nike was signed before Tiger had won a single major championship. I can absolutely see Nike, Puma or Addidas in a bidding war to sign Paige to a long term endorsement deal that will make her a very rich young lady.

Nah. Paige isn't Tiger. She's not even Taurasi or Bird or Parker who as well known as they are in their sports still make peanuts 20 years and multiple gold medals into their pro careers. Tiger plays a popular individual sport while Paige plays a team sport that relatively few, and even fewer in the prized 18-34 demo, care about.

 

[Mdoggie]

In 1996 Nike jumped on an upcoming 21 year old athlete, giving him a $40 million, 5 year endorsement deal, after he left college following his sophomore year. 5 years later, Nike gave him a $100 million deal. That athlete was Tiger Woods. The deal with Nike was signed before Tiger had won a single major championship. I can absolutely see Nike, Puma or Addidas in a bidding war to sign Paige to a long term endorsement deal that will make her a very rich young lady.

Why would they do that? What has she done? Right now her money can be made because of social media. Big sports brands aren’t giving big money for non sports related activity. Maybe you guys don’t get it. Because you are at aww does not mean big business is…… yet.

 

[oldude]

Nah. Paige isn't Tiger. She's not even Taurasi or Bird or Parker who as well known as they are in their sports still make peanuts 20 years and multiple gold medals into their pro careers. Tiger plays a popular individual sport while Paige plays a team sport that relatively few, and even fewer in the prized 18-34 demo, care about.

Obviously, we’re going to disagree on this. There is an absolute parallel between Tiger Woods and Paige Bueckers. Golf was not nearly as popular before Tiger came along. Tiger brought millions of fans to golf who never played, watched or cared about golf. Paige has the potential to do the same for WBB. Let’s see what happens once NIL is fully implemented.

 

[Mdoggie]

Obviously, we’re going to disagree on this. There is an absolute parallel between Tiger Woods and Paige Bueckers. Golf was not nearly as popular before Tiger came along. Tiger brought millions of fans to golf who never played, watched or cared about golf. Paige has the potential to do the same for WBB. Let’s see what happens once NIL is fully implemented.

Wrong.

 

[oldude]

Why would they do that? What has she done? Right now her money can be made because of social media. Big sports brands aren’t giving big money for non sports related activity. Maybe you guys don’t get it. Because you are at aww does not mean big business is…… yet.

Non sports related activity? Not sure what you’re talking about. NIL will permit college athletes to sign contracts with shoe companies. Shoe companies are willing to roll the dice on up and coming athletes like Nike did with Tiger Woods. This is not about monetizing your Twitter feed.

 

[oldude]

Wrong.

Time will tell

 

[Mdoggie]

Non sports related activity? Not sure what you’re talking about. NIL will permit college athletes to sign contracts with shoe companies. Shoe companies are willing to roll the dice on up and coming athletes like Nike did with Tiger Woods. This is not about monetizing your Twitter feed.

You CANT compare Tiger and Paige. Ridiculous.
Childhood? Is that you. You didn’t know golf until Tiger Woods or WCBB before Paige?

 

[oldude]

You CANT compare Tiger and Paige. Ridiculous.

It really isn’t ridiculous. But if you don’t like that comparison, how about comparing Paige to Michelle Wie? Wie had won exactly one tournament, the US Amateur Public Links Championship when, at the age of 15, she signed multiple endorsement deals with Nike & Sony, paying her over $5 million per year. Women’s golf was nowhere near as popular as men’s golf, or WBB for that matter, and yet Wie was set for life at the age of 15.