The negative for players who are getting big NIL packages

[HooperScooper]

There's pressure to perform and if you don't you're getting heat from fans, coaches and teammates. Indiana's Oumar Ballo and Kansas State's Coleman Hawkins are 2 players who very recently publicly expressed their frustration about getting heat for not living up to their big NIL packages. It's tough to have it both ways with the amount of money being spent these days. Aren't fans the ones funding these NIL deals? I'm sure players would rather have the heat and the money than no money.

Online threats, harassment affecting college basketball players in NIL era: 'Just leave us alone'

More money has resulted in a trove of problems for players who don't always live up to the impossible hype

www.cbssports.com

Remember this from January when Rick Barnes pulled a player from the game because "he didn't do what he was being paid to do"?

Should college athletes now be treated as professionals?

I saw this comment from Tennessee's Rick Barnes and it raised my eyebrows. Now that college athletes are getting so much money to play should they be treated more like NBA players? I wonder how many coaches are thinking like Rick Barnes? First time I've heard a coach say something like this. On...

www.the-boneyard.com

 

[husky429]

There's pressure to perform and if you don't you're getting heat from fans, coaches and teammates. Indiana's Oumar Ballo and Kansas State's Coleman Hawkins are 2 players who publicly expressed their frustration about getting heat for not living up to their big NIL packages. It's tough to have it both ways with the amount of money being spent these days. Aren't fans the ones funding these NIL deals? I'm sure players would rather have the heat and the money than no money.

Online threats, harassment affecting college basketball players in NIL era: 'Just leave us alone'

More money has resulted in a trove of problems for players who don't always live up to the impossible hype

www.cbssports.com

Remember this from January when Rick Barnes pulled a player from the game because "he didn't do what he was being paid to do"?

Should college athletes now be treated as professionals?

I saw this comment from Tennessee's Rick Barnes and it raised my eyebrows. Now that college athletes are getting so much money to play should they be treated more like NBA players? I wonder how many coaches are thinking like Rick Barnes? First time I've heard a coach say something like this. On...

www.the-boneyard.com

I realize this isn't your article, but put me squarely in the "cry me a river" camp. That's true for folks on our team or anyone else. They're professional athletes now, and any other grown adult in a public positions makes high six-figures or more who doesn't do their job rightfully gets crapped on for it.

What I'm interested to see is if we get to a point where teams have performance minimums or performance bonuses.

 

[RuffRuff]

I realize this isn't your article, but put me squarely in the "cry me a river" camp. That's true for folks on our team or anyone else. They're professional athletes now, and any other grown adult in a public positions makes high six-figures or more who doesn't do their job rightfully gets crapped on for it.

What I'm interested to see is if we get to a point where teams have performance minimums or performance bonuses.

It's the same stuff pro athletes deal with. Time to get these kids the same kind of life coaching the pros do. Once you get paid 7 figures to play a sport, the expectations are set.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I suspect in Hawkins's case part of the blowback is because he was so transparent about going to the school that offered him the most money. I don't see how it's not a red flag when a kid leaves a starting role on an Elite 8 team to transfer to a crappier program. But at minimum you've gotta show up.

 

[QuickDraw]

They are poor student athletes is no longer a good reason to tell folks to back off. They had no problem shopping themselves out for this so it shouldn't come as a surprise.

 

[fatlucy]

If you’re a pro, you have to perform or you’ll not just get heat but you’ll be off the team pretty quickly. The loyalty thing is much less a factor now that they’re being paid.

 

[Umami Zen]

Not sure I've got this right-Maybe you guys can clarify for me. Is it true that in the not too distant future the NCAA will be putting a ceiling on NIL expenditure budgets for colleges so that there might be a more level playing field and/or at least limit the big conference schools from having a blank check for NIL? Or is that simply an idea that's being floated around with no chance of happening? Just curious-Thought I remember reading that in the last few months. Asking the Yard-didn't hit on Google.

 

[ec33]

Did they try giving some of the money back? Something more in-line with their actual performance?

Let me know how that works.

 

[aceboon]

Players need to tell their agents to stop bragging to the media about what they got then. We know everybody is getting paid now but this past offseason there were some notable players that had their NIL packages broadcasted pretty loudly to the media, that was all for the agent to get pub at the detriment of their client.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Not sure I've got this right-Maybe you guys can clarify for me. Is it true that in the not too distant future the NCAA will be putting a ceiling on NIL expenditure budgets for colleges so that there might be a more level playing field and/or at least limit the big conference schools from having a blank check for NIL? Or is that simply an idea that's being floated around with no chance of happening? Just curious-Thought I remember reading that in the last few months. Asking the Yard-didn't hit on Google.

Maybe it's the phrasing that I'm getting hung up on but schools don't have NIL budgets.

 

[DogMania]

I remember the days when we would say give them a break, they're just student athletes.

I must admit, I'm somewhat conflicted about all this. On one hand many of them are still teenagers, but on the other hand some are being paid ridiculous amounts of money.

For many years I was all for the student athletes getting some sort of financial compensation, but I never envisioned it to be anything like it is now.

It's a huge money grab for many of them, even incoming unproven freshmen, to seek the largest payout. Like many here on the Boneyard, I'm mentally and emotionally invested in our UConn Huskies who have to play in the same NIL sandbox as just about everyone else, sans a few deep pocket programs that are getting and/or trying to get players by offering huge dollars despite not having a proven winning track record.

I equate all this to seeing an incoming storm where there's nothing you can do about it except hunker down and let it blow over. Except I'm not sure if or when it will ever blow over.

 

[JMick]

Players need to tell their agents to stop bragging to the media about what they got then. We know everybody is getting paid now but this past offseason there were some notable players that had their NIL packages broadcasted pretty loudly to the media, that was all for the agent to get pub at the detriment of their client.

That or all of it needs to be public.

 

[StllH8L8ner]

Yeah..when you’re getting big bucks to do a job and you don’t do it well, people get pi$$ed. Welcome to the real world.

 

[Umami Zen]

Maybe it's the phrasing that I'm getting hung up on but schools don't have NIL budgets.

My question-perhaps with flawed phrasing- Is the NCAA going to put limitations on the amount any college can use in a particular year for NIL compensation to student athletes in their sports programs? It seems to me that I read that in 2026 the NCAA was going to create a ceiling that no program could exceed as opposed to the existing model that has wide variances based on the ability to gain access to those funds through sources. As an example-Alabama "spent" 15M on its MBB roster this year. Other than maybe St Johns-I doubt that any other BE programs approached that number. Maybe I'm way off in that assumption.

I only bring it up in this OP because I could see where the allocation of large NIL packages within a roster of talented players might be affected by such a ceiling in the future and how rosters might be constructed. I am sure creativity to work the numbers will continue to be advantageous to programs.

 

[mussels]

Because a kid agrees to accept money freely offered to play basketball, doesn’t give the right to every dejected gambler, life looser, and internet keyboard warrier dweeb to clog their IM with venom and death threats.

The kids have a valid point, but reality is in 2025 they’re gonna have to find ways to cope.

In a perfect world anyone wanting to threaten Oumar Ballo could only do so, to his face, standing three feet from him.

 

[phillionaire]

Threatening anyone for not playing a game well that has no impact on your life at all is total loser behavior and you should reconsider most of your life decisions that have led you to doing that.

 

[HuskyHawk]

My question-perhaps with flawed phrasing- Is the NCAA going to put limitations on the amount any college can use in a particular year for NIL compensation to student athletes in their sports programs? It seems to me that I read that in 2026 the NCAA was going to create a ceiling that no program could exceed as opposed to the existing model that has wide variances based on the ability to gain access to those funds through sources. As an example-Alabama "spent" 15M on its MBB roster this year. Other than maybe St Johns-I doubt that any other BE programs approached that number. Maybe I'm way off in that assumption.

I only bring it up in this OP because I could see where the allocation of large NIL packages within a roster of talented players might be affected by such a ceiling in the future and how rosters might be constructed. I am sure creativity to work the numbers will continue to be advantageous to programs.

No. Schools don't pay any NIL. The whole NIL world was created because the courts said that the NCAA could not prevent student athletes from making money on the side by licensing their name, image or likeness (making commercials or doing social media). That's it. That's all it was supposed to be. So if Mary Lou Retton can be on a Wheaties box, so can Livvy Dunne at LSU.

Then the boosters got together can created collectives to entice players with pre-arranged NIL opportunities. That actually violates NCAA rules. Now that is something the NCAA could crack down on, but they won't do it without Congress because they keep losing in court. Charlie Baker said as much to Congress.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Yeah..when you’re getting big bucks to do a job and you don’t do it well, people get pi$$ed. Welcome to the real world.

Except the actual job you are paid to do is whatever endorsement or promotional contract work you agree to in exchange for NIL. You cannot be paid NIL for playing the sport. I know nobody sees it that way, but that's the reality. It stops when the companies spending on those endorsements decide they aren't worth it, but often they are just fans willing to trade the bad deal for wins by their team.

 

[T-Squared]

That or all of it needs to be public.

If you play at a public school your NIL deal should be public information.

I’m hoping that the NCAA puts a cap on NIL budgets for all schools. Otherwise only P5 conferences will be able to afford the best players.

In any event I think that the NCAA whiffed on the whole NIL situation. Never took control of the proper oversight and it’s now the Wild West.

 

[superjohn]

Because a kid agrees to accept money freely offered to play basketball, doesn’t give the right to every dejected gambler, life looser, and internet keyboard warrier dweeb to clog their IM with venom and death threats.

The kids have a valid point, but reality is in 2025 they’re gonna have to find ways to cope.

In a perfect world anyone wanting to threaten Oumar Ballo could only do so, to his face, standing three feet from him.

People can say whatever they want to say. Easy solution don't have social media and definitely don't whine about your feelings being hurt when you're getting paid 2 million dollars.

If anyone seriously thinks their life is danger go to law enforcement.

The players wanted to be paid like professional athletes and the public wanted gambling legalized. Of course this was all going to happen. Stop whining about it.

 

[uh-no]

You wanted to be a pro athlete? Congratulations....dealing with imbecile fans is part of the deal.

 

[mussels]

People can say whatever they want to say. Easy solution don't have social media and definitely don't whine about your feelings being hurt when you're getting paid 2 million dollars.

If anyone seriously thinks their life is danger go to law enforcement.

The players wanted to be paid like professional athletes and the public wanted gambling legalized. Of course this was all going to happen. Stop whining about it.

I have a problem with the concept that once someone is being paid, a bunch of despicable behavior becomes acceptable and above complaint.

Call it a hunch, but the morons that produce the vitriol aren’t the ones writing the checks, so they have no greater skin in the game than they had watching unpaid players.

 

[UCFan1513]

Threatening anyone for not playing a game well that has no impact on your life at all is total loser behavior and you should reconsider most of your life decisions that have led you to doing that.

End thread

 

[superjohn]

I have a problem with the concept that once someone is being paid, a bunch of despicable behavior becomes acceptable and above complaint.

Call it a hunch, but the morons that produce the vitriol aren’t the ones writing the checks, so they have no greater skin in the game than they had watching unpaid players.

I have a problem with millionaires whining.

 

[uh-no]

I have a problem with millionaires whining.

in the real world, people get performance reviews for their job...and if they're not delivering, they get fired.