Name, Image, and Likeness

[byco42]

Well, it?s a new landscape, or one that was finally pealed back. Now that college athletes can be accountable to businesses and corporations as well as to their universities, coaches, and teammates, we?ll see how these young men and women handle the responsibilities. And the disappointment of losing these deals as they are still associated with their selected teams.

Very interested in the projections from this erudite and interesting group of posters that we have here.

Oh, the fine print of the contracts ?

Will there be performance incentive clauses?

Will players be enticed to move to better offers?

What of players stuck on the depth charts who feel their ?marketability? is hindered by their circumstances?

Will the local Ford dealership in Ann Arbor be able to sign players to deals and offer them vehicles?

The social media aspect of this is obvious, but what are the consequences of selling your NIL to a sponsor who can now influence what you post and not post? What of organizations that are opposed to the sponsors that athletes choose to promote?

It?s clear that you don?t have to be famous to ?capitalize.? Link

 

[Michchamp]

Well, it?s a new landscape, or one that was finally pealed back. Now that college athletes can be accountable to businesses and corporations as well as to their universities, coaches, and teammates, we?ll see how these young men and women handle the responsibilities. And the disappointment of losing these deals as they are still associated with their selected teams.

Very interested in the projections from this erudite and interesting group of posters that we have here.

Oh, the fine print of the contracts ?

Will there be performance incentive clauses?

Will players be enticed to move to better offers?

What of players stuck on the depth charts who feel their ?marketability? is hindered by their circumstances?

Will the local Ford dealership in Ann Arbor be able to sign players to deals and offer them vehicles?

The social media aspect of this is obvious, but what are the consequences of selling your NIL to a sponsor who can now influence what you post and not post? What of organizations that are opposed to the sponsors that athletes choose to promote?

It?s clear that you don?t have to be famous to ?capitalize.? Link

I used to think this was a serious concern: if the players were also allowed to sell their image, name, and likeness, and openly negotiate for a piece of the pie, how would we make sure they behave reasonably and prudently with that cash?


We don't. Just like we already KNOW that coaches, ADs, and boosters don't do the same with the piles of money they make.



And so many players are already receiving boatloads of cash from boosters, almost openly now, that these concerns are immaterial, and could not possibly get worse if we moved these transactions out of the proverbial back alleys of college football into the light of day.

 

[Michchamp]

Look at the Tattoogate scandal at OSU that took Tressel down: that was illuminating because we actually got to read the emails from a head coach on the topic.

When the attorney, Cicero, reached out to Tressel to tell him that his players were associating with a known drug dealer, and selling memorabilia through him, Tressel was like "whatever, thanks." and did nothing about it, or even care.

From what I recall, nor did the NCAA care; they only sanctioned Tressel for lying to them about when he knew, not for what his players did. If they really cared about "integrity," they wouldn't have given OSU a slap on the wrist for that... they would've had an investigator living in Columbus to make sure the school cleaned up its act.

If they weren't concerned, why should we be?

I think the only reason they argue against (openly) paying the players is because it gives players a bigger share of the pie, and cuts the money available for coaches, and whatever other shady things the Athletic Directors want to spend the TV money & largesse on. If these assholes cared about integrity, academics, and human decency, they wouldn't be in this business, pushing administrators to admit kids who fail, give them bullshit classes to stay eligible, and kick them to the curb as soon as they don't pan out as 4/5 star recruits, or get hurt.

We know the money generated by schools is NOT going into academics. For decades now, it's been known that only a relative handful of school athletic departments break even or turn a profit, and even those barely make money; it appears winning at college sports is more correlated with spending $$$$ than we'd all like to admit...

in an interesting postscript, Chris Cicero is disbarred now; he got sanctioned for communicating with Tressel in the first place, since he had been contacted by Eddie Rife to represent him, and disclosed privileged client information to Tressel when he tried to warn him his players might get caught up in this. No good deed... eh? I'm not sure what he was disbarred for; the Ohio Bar doesn't disclose the terms of the proceedings on its website, just the outcome. He had one mark on his record even before the OSU thing, fwiw.

 

[Michchamp]

I've found sometimes it's hard to keep the focus where it belongs, on the ones making these idiotic rules, not on the players breaking them.



When kids collect cash or cars from boosters... it's hard to blame them. The "adults" in the equation are the morally bankrupt ones.


That book I've mentioned a couple times - this one (published by our own University of Michigan Press) - Byers had an anecdote about how far from preserving moral integrity, the current regime (whereby starting players get money under the table from boosters and assistant coaches), seemed to corrupt the players by opening their eyes toward how the good old boy networks operate.


At SMU during their scandal plagued 80's, when the assistant coaches who had been the paymasters for the players started getting told to hold on to the cash due to NCAA scrutiny, some of the players figured out where the cash they had been promised was being held, broke into that assistant's office, and stole it all.

 

[tinselwolverine]

I figure this can only help Michigan.

Who?s got it better than us to market over our iconic winged headgear image?

Nobody.

 

[Michchamp]

I figure this can only help Michigan.

Who?s got it better than us to market over our iconic winged headgear image?

Nobody.

basically, yes. if we make "cheating," i.e. paying players okay, then the cheaters lose.

 

[byco42]

I used to think this was a serious concern: if the players were also allowed to sell their image, name, and likeness, and openly negotiate for a piece of the pie, how would we make sure they behave reasonably and prudently with that cash?


We don't. Just like we already KNOW that coaches, ADs, and boosters don't do the same with the piles of money they make.



And so many players are already receiving boatloads of cash from boosters, almost openly now, that these concerns are immaterial, and could not possibly get worse if we moved these transactions out of the proverbial back alleys of college football into the light of day.

Actually, the actual compensation is the last of my concerns. So much so, that I didn?t even mention that in my OP. On the contrary, I have no concerns whatsoever, save that these kids will likely be exploited in ways additional to what was in effect already. I don?t think this (NIL) frees them; it merely adds a layer of obligation and commitment they did not have before.

 

[tinselwolverine]

Actually, the actual compensation is the last of my concerns. So much so, that I didn?t even mention that in my OP. On the contrary, I have no concerns whatsoever, save that these kids will likely be exploited in ways additional to what was in effect already. I don?t think this (NIL) frees them; it merely adds a layer of obligation and commitment they did not have before.

These guys are, I?ll use the word, ?blessed? with natural abilities that gives them access that almost none of their cohorts have.

Whether they?re being ?exploited? or not, they?re all adults with same personal responsibilities as anyone else.

This is a benefit. If some individuals screw it up - how is that going to be any different from the screw ups a myriad of individuals made with the benefits their natural abilities afforded them heretofore?

 

[byco42]

These guys are, I?ll use the word, ?blessed? with natural abilities that gives them access that almost none of their cohorts have.

Whether they?re being ?exploited? or not, they?re all adults with same personal responsibilities as anyone else.

Legal adults, yes. Mature adults? Not likely.

This is a benefit. If some individuals screw it up - how is that going to be any different from the screw ups a myriad of individuals made with the benefits their natural abilities afforded them heretofore?

What are the consequences of breaking the terms of an endorsement contract? And the burden of honoring it? I, for one, as an 18-year-old, would not want to be obligated to such terms, regardless of compensation.

Now, if EA sports wanted to pay me a lot of money to be on the cover of their video game, that, to me, is different than, say, actively endorsing a shoe or whatever.

 

[tinselwolverine]

Legal adults, yes. Mature adults? Not likely.



What are the consequences of breaking the terms of an endorsement contract? And the burden of honoring it? I, for one, as an 18-year-old, would not want to be obligated to such terms, regardless of compensation.

Now, if EA sports wanted to pay me a lot of money to be on the cover of their video game, that, to me, is different than, say, actively endorsing a shoe or whatever.

No question, they?re not.

Neither are most that age who are not scholarship athletes.

If they don?t want to, they don?t have to.

 

[byco42]

No question, they?re not.

Neither are most that age who are not scholarship athletes.

If they don?t want to, they don?t have to.

What kid that age would refuse?

 

[tinselwolverine]

What kid that age would refuse?

Wait?what?

For one, you!

You literally stated exactly that in the post I quoted!

 

[byco42]

Wait?what?

For one, you!

You literally stated exactly that in the post I quoted!

There were mitigating circumstances that I thought were stated. Would I sign a deal with Bubba Jake?s Catfish, or even Coca Cola? No. Would I take money for my likeness to be on EA sports NCAA 2022? Probably.

Call me flaky.

 

[Michchamp]

Legal adults, yes. Mature adults? Not likely.



What are the consequences of breaking the terms of an endorsement contract? And the burden of honoring it? I, for one, as an 18-year-old, would not want to be obligated to such terms, regardless of compensation.

Now, if EA sports wanted to pay me a lot of money to be on the cover of their video game, that, to me, is different than, say, actively endorsing a shoe or whatever.

It's probably not that burdensome, assuming the players have access to competent legal counsel.

maybe the contract spells out they have to make a handful of appearances and sign autographs or hold up a shoe and smile, and how much they get paid for it, and who's liable and who's insuring who if the shoe explodes and kills everyone, or the building collapses and buries everyone under a pile of rubble 10 stories tall.

there may be a handful of bigger deals that have more onerous terms.

the players will probably get screwed or underpaid in a lot of cases, reflecting their lack of sophistication vs. corporate/sponsor negotiators/hyenas, who do this all the time, but I still think - overall - letting them get some money through owning the rights to their names and likenesses in college is better than telling them to shut up and smile while the coaches and ADs wallow on piles of money, grope the coeds they have working in their offices and have circle jerks with sleazy boosters and used car salesmen at University events.

 

[Michchamp]

There were mitigating circumstances that I thought were stated. Would I sign a deal with Bubba Jake?s Catfish, or even Coca Cola? No. Would I take money for my likeness to be on EA sports NCAA 2022? Probably.

Call me flaky.

I think the important thing is you get to make that choice, rather than the AD or the NCAA.

 

[zyxt9]

Now we just need UM to properly market NIL... with something along lines of, "hey, we have connections for getting your NIL on top search results on Google!"...or something.

This definitely opens some huge payment options, it all comes down to internet power from here out. You want to build a champion team, this is what you target full throttle.

Recruiter, "We have already setup massive NIL pipelines for you. Come to our school and if you play well you will make millions. When you jump to the pros, you will be taking a paycut due to their rookie contracts, so we look forward to you being a Wolverine for 4 years!"

Make it happen!

 

[byco42]

Some players are already "designing" personal logos, and they are "wanting"

Link

 

[Michchamp]

Some players are already "designing" personal logos, and they are "wanting"

Link

They're 18-22 years old, and football players aren't exactly known for their artistic ability (more their bumping and smashing abilities). Were you expecting something more?

 

[Michchamp]

I read that Arkansas banned players from using the school colors in their endorsements. kinda petty, but there are going to be real issues when players endorse dodgy shit, and/or unscrupulous sponsors try to insist the player wear his uni or colors in an ad to make it look like a legitimate research university vetted their crap...

Alex Jones' BONE BROTH Supplements... the official dietary supplements of Mr. Baylor QB (whoever he is)

Orlando Heights Megachurch & Gay Conversion Therapy Camp... endorsed by Florida's next Tim Tebow.

 

[byco42]

They're 18-22 years old, and football players aren't exactly known for their artistic ability (more their bumping and smashing abilities). Were you expecting something more?

Uh, yeah. Like getting some assistance from someone more qualified. Better to have no logo than a bad one.