Let’s Talk Lady Vols NIL

[madtownvol]

LOL see why this is confusing? Sounds like you can earmark for a specific sport but not a specific athlete.

I'm waiting on a reply to my email.

Okay, it sounds like there is an official entity that collects $ from those who donate their spare change, Salvation Army style, and then allocates $ across the different LV sports. But schools like LSU have devoted NIL people who act as agents who help athletes get sponsorship. Doesn't UT have that, as per Rickea's deal. It seems that the latter option is where the NIL game is really played.

 

[Voltopia]

OR BR is part of the conspiracy!

We've done this dance so often I can almost predict the next 6 posts. Ya'll wanna break down the 1.1 instead?

We have, but now that Brian Rice has said the same thing some of us were saying on here throughout the season - and being lambasted for even suggesting the thought - I'm somewhat of a mind to rub some noses in it. For just a little while. Just until supper's ready ... ... next week ... month ...

That is, unless they want to say Brian Rice is also wrong. Oh ho! I'm sure some will try.

 

[glv98]

Okay, it sounds like there is an official entity that collects $ from those who donate their spare change, Salvation Army style, and then allocates $ across the different LV sports. But schools like LSU have devoted NIL people who act as agents who help athletes get sponsorship. Doesn't UT have that, as per Rickea's deal. It seems that the latter option is where the NIL game is really played.

This is why the lawyers and agents are going to be the real guys getting rich on NIL while it's in Wild West phase.

Here's my understanding. The collective devoted to UT Sports is Vol Club/Spyre. Until recently, LV sports were exclusively collected for by the LVBHC. Both collect your pocket change and distribute NIL opportunites to the athletes. The LVBHC also sponsors events to earn small $s for athletes that otherwise wouldn't get much. Recently it was decided new LVs would sign with Vol Club which apparently frees up more funds. It remains a mystery currently under investigation by us how the donated funds are distributed across the various sports. But their professional fund development seems way ahead of the LVBHC.

Most schools have NIL consultants, or agents, but they can't solicit funds. Can help with taxes, etc and I believe can coordinate NIL opportunites w athletes. Then for an extra layer of confusion, top players, such as Rickea, have their own fancy agents who I assume do the same thing the school coordinator does.

 

[glv98]

We have, but now that Brian Rice has said the same thing some of us were saying on here throughout the season - and being lambasted for even suggesting the thought - I'm somewhat of a mind to rub some noses in it. For just a little while. Just until supper's ready ... ... next week ... month ...

That is, unless they want to say Brian Rice is also wrong. Oh ho! I'm sure some will try.

I promise you they'll say BR is singing the party line. That's the great thing about a conspriacy. Everything that disproves it just further proves it.

 

[T_Vol376]

Brian Rice on the Sports Animal was answering a listeners question a couple of days ago. The LV's have a lot of small donors who have helped the current players have opportunities. Big chuncks have been somewhat limited and used to keep current players or help portal transfers. Not much available for hign school recruits and that has been an issue. Several top players wanted to come but the $ was better elsewhere. Apparently, Danny White has made some progress on this of late and there should be more NIL oprtunities moving forward. The university cannot be directly involved as of yet. There are ways around this rule. Also, when I asked The Volunteer Club about donating to specific athletes they couldn't do it. Have to participate in the players NIL offerings.

Thanks for sharing this!

 

[sigmundoooz]

Okay, it sounds like there is an official entity that collects $ from those who donate their spare change, Salvation Army style, and then allocates $ across the different LV sports. But schools like LSU have devoted NIL people who act as agents who help athletes get sponsorship. Doesn't UT have that, as per Rickea's deal. It seems that the latter option is where the NIL game is really played.

I think it isn't well understood that an NIL group is an independent group that step up to support what they determine to be important with whatever unofficial input they get from the sports they set out to support. If there are no well organized or well funded groups supporting the Lady Vols, it is because that support is lacking. The Spyre group is primarily run by people who set out to support the men's programs with the majority of the support going to football. Title IV has no sway on those individual groups. There isn't going to be a principal of collect and divide equally. This is more like the entertainment industry. Harrison Ford and Tom Cruise are going to get a lot more "monetary support" than Jim Varney.

 

[glv98]

I think it isn't well understood that an NIL group is an independent group that step up to support what they determine to be important with whatever unofficial input they get from the sports they set out to support. If there are no well organized or well funded groups supporting the Lady Vols, it is because that support is lacking. The Spyre group is primarily run by people who set out to support the men's programs with the majority of the support going to football. Title IV has no sway on those individual groups. There isn't going to be a principal of collect and divide equally. This is more like the entertainment industry. Harrison Ford and Tom Cruise are going to get a lot more "monetary support" than Jim Varney.

So are you saying funds donated to the Vol Club can't be earmarked for Lady Vol basketball? If so I wonder why the LVs think moving new players to the Vol Club will give them more funds to work with. Sounded like they had some kind of guarantee.

I haven't gotten a reply to my email asking the Vol Club this question.

 

[mike099]

So the players can get an upfront payment that they can spend right away?
As I understand the players can get sponsorships thru product promotion, personal appearances and merchandise sales.

 

[lfvol]

That can't be. That's impossible. IMPOSSIBLE. People on here have sworn up and down for the last eight months that there has never been a NIL problem and that NIL was not impacting recruiting. Even when other posters who had ties to the program said as much, people picked fights and argued about how it was not an issue.

Wait. Were all their snide, snarky remarks about NIL mistaken!? How can that be!? Their stance on NIL was so obviously smarter and righter and betterer than everyone else on this forum.

Surely Brian Rice is wrong. How could he possibly know anything about it?

I think very few have said NIL wasn’t a problem once you went beyond bringing back Jackson. However they have said the coach and her results contribute to the lack of big donor support. And most of us have pointed out Harper couldn’t recruit before NIL, before changing assistants or at NCSt. It is just the latest excuse.

 

[CagleMtnVol]

I was thinking their was a someone from Spyre that has posted on Volnation in the past but can't remember their username.

 

[twoffo]

It would seem the confusion around NIL for Lady Vols could have been a negative in the coaching search. Given how important it is to recruiting these days, would you as a coach want to risk the NIL environment at UT? Especially since technically Danny White can’t promise you an NIL budget? I mean, apart from a promise to do better along with a wink and a nudge, can UT provide any certainty around NIL?

Would there be any consequences if a coach came and the ‘promised’ NIL never materialized?

I’m obviously not familiar with how it works, so educate me if I’m not perceiving this correctly.

 

[Majors]

I think very few have said NIL wasn’t a problem once you went beyond bringing back Jackson. However they have said the coach and her results contribute to the lack of big donor support. And most of us have pointed out Harper couldn’t recruit before NIL, before changing assistants nor at NCSt. It is just the latest excuse.

Nothing wrong with saying how it was.

 

[glv98]

So the players can get an upfront payment that they can spend right away?
As I understand the players can get sponsorships thru product promotion, personal appearances and merchandise sales.

My understanding is big schools offer recruits an upfront NIL guarantee which is a fig leaf for a salary. South Carolina's has been made public. A group of lawyers gives ea signee 25K, not sure if it's lump sum, payed monthly, etc. In return, the group may ask the athlete to make a commercial, a tik tok, sign tshirts, etc. at some point in the future. Reportedly this is the part the LVs were struggling to find donors for. There is reluctance to sink big money into an unproven high school player. More willing to pony up for a proven portal player.

Athletes are free to also pursue actual name, image and likeness the way it was intended where they do events, sell jerseys, etc and get a cut of the proceeds.

 

[TNHopeful505]

@WillAtSpyre. Can you shed any light on this?

 

[brittannica]

My understanding is big schools offer recruits an upfront NIL guarantee which is a fig leaf for a salary. South Carolina's has been made public. A group of lawyers gives ea signee 25K, not sure if it's lump sum, payed monthly, etc. In return, the group may ask the athlete to make a commercial, a tik tok, sign tshirts, etc. at some point in the future. Reportedly this is the part the LVs were struggling to find donors for. There is reluctance to sink big money into an unproven high school player. More willing to pony up for a proven portal player.

Athletes are free to also pursue actual name, image and likeness the way it was intended where they do events, sell jerseys, etc and get a cut of the proceeds.

Speculation from Iowa fans on reddit is they are upping their NIL offerings to all their wbb players from 15K to 30K with the expectation they do some charity work and social media posts.

 

[SmokinBob]

@WillAtSpyre. Can you shed any light on this?

I don’t think he’s posted here since last August…

 

[TNHopeful505]

I don’t think he’s posted here since last August…

Yeah, just figured I'd try.

 

[lvocd]

Here's a question: Where were all these hundreds of thousands of dollars BEFORE NIL? I mean, just how damn much money were various entities making to now be able to afford to pay outrageous amounts of money to college kids just because they play sports?

Another question: WHY DID THE UNIVERSE MAKE ME BE BORN SO MANY FREAKING DECADES TOO LATE TO BE ABLE TO MAKE MORE MONEY AT 18 JUST BECAUSE I PLAY BALL THAN I EVER DID AS A FREAKING PROFESSIONAL ADULT?

But I'm not bitter. Noooooo, never. *heavy sigh * lol

 

[CagleMtnVol]

Here's a question: Where were all these hundreds of thousands of dollars BEFORE NIL? I mean, just how damn much money were various entities making to now be able to afford to pay outrageous amounts of money to college kids just because they play sports?

It's always been there. The donors threw it into practice facilities, updated stadiums/arenas and state of the art locker rooms & player lounges etc..

Now donors can be even more hands on with NIL in helping secure the commitment of individual players that teams/coaches focus in on through collective.

 

[Majors]

It's always been there. The donors threw it into practice facilities, updated stadiums/arenas and state of the art locker rooms & player lounges etc..

Now donors can be even more hands on with NIL in helping secure the commitment of individual players that teams/coaches focus in on through collective.

Those buildings don’t build themselves. Great way to your legacy, donate a lot of money and get a building/room named after you.

 

[volfan102455]

It's always been there. The donors threw it into practice facilities, updated stadiums/arenas and state of the art locker rooms & player lounges etc..

Now donors can be even more hands on with NIL in helping secure the commitment of individual players that teams/coaches focus in on through collective.

There is only so much money - the question will eventually be - do you want the player or the better facilities? Lack of the best facilities, coaches, etc. will also be a factor.

NIL should be the result of an individual player being recognizable enough that just who they are can be used for promotion. It is quickly turning into an employment like process verses what it was intended to be.

Using Clark as an example - she did not need Iowa for NIL. Her play on the court created the NIL opportunities. Same is true for Reese. Those opportunities will follow them into the next chapter of their life. For most players, the NIL will end when they have played their last game because it is not really something they created.

 

[turbovol]

There is only so much money - the question will eventually be - do you want the player or the better facilities? Lack of the best facilities, coaches, etc. will also be a factor.

NIL should be the result of an individual player being recognizable enough that just who they are can be used for promotion. It is quickly turning into an employment like process verses what it was intended to be.

Using Clark as an example - she did not need Iowa for NIL. Her play on the court created the NIL opportunities. Same is true for Reese. Those opportunities will follow them into the next chapter of their life. For most players, the NIL will end when they have played their last game because it is not really something they created.

Exactly. NIL was corrupted by idiot schools and idiot programs who opted to start making it part of recruiting and, in doing so, have totally tainted college football/basketball. Donors will waste money, kids are being turned into unappealing money-grubbing mercenaries--and now coaches can blame their recruiting/team woes on NIL. NIL was supposed to be a way for top players--already established at their schools--to get a cut of any monies made by the school for selling merch with their name/image/likeness or for players who engage in promotional activities for private businesses. Fair enough. It wasn't conceived as a bribery war chest for recruiting and, as such, has totally screwed up college sports.

 

[Volstylexx]

Rumor is Kim got all our girls electric scooters for campus. Going to need to step it up lol

 

[VolBall09]

So tired of this topic

 

[VolBall09]

Rumor is Kim got all our girls electric scooters for campus. Going to need to step it up lol

Honestly I love an electric scooter. I’d be stoked lol.

If we start winning we’ll be seeing social media posts like this from OUR players.