UNT boosters form NIL collective

NT93 · August 2, 2022

NIL should be what a kid can get outside of school once they are at a school. It should not be alumni creating “collectives” to pay players and entice them to go to a particular school.

Since he was mentioned earlier, let’s talk about Johnny Football. No doubt he should have been able to get paid for signing autographs. Should have also gotten a percentage of every #2 jersey sold. To me, that’s what NIL should be, but it is a far cry from it.

And please stop mentioning how much coaches make*. If you’re an FBS head coach, you have a college degree and you’ve paid your dues to get one of only 130 jobs in America. Quit trying to equate that to a 20 year old who is a good college football player, who, I might add, was happy to get a scholarship offer from their school only a couple of years prior.

Speaking of that scholarship, a college degree can end generational poverty. I’d say that’s a great incentive colleges are providing to these athletes.

*I agree that most head coaches are overpaid

GrayEagle · August 2, 2022

Back in the old days, I and others would try to get players jobs so that they would have spending money for cars, dating etc. At that time they had stated practice times and no lifting schedules. Now practice, lifting, class time and required study times make an all-day job so there is no time for work on the side. That gives me some solace to condone the granting of money to cover their expenses that aren't covered by their scholarship. The problem is the "stars" will get the bulk (maybe all) of the NIL money. I'd much prefer that each player gets a minimum and then add to the "stars" stipend with NIL contributions. Anyway, this is all in its infancy so hopefully it will all work out.

97and03 · August 2, 2022

9 hours ago, NT93 said:

NIL should be what a kid can get outside of school once they are at a school. It should not be alumni creating “collectives” to pay players and entice them to go to a particular school.

Since he was mentioned earlier, let’s talk about Johnny Football. No doubt he should have been able to get paid for signing autographs. Should have also gotten a percentage of every #2 jersey sold. To me, that’s what NIL should be, but it is a far cry from it.

And please stop mentioning how much coaches make*. If you’re an FBS head coach, you have a college degree and you’ve paid your dues to get one of only 130 jobs in America. Quit trying to equate that to a 20 year old who is a good college football player, who, I might add, was happy to get a scholarship offer from their school only a couple of years prior.

Speaking of that scholarship, a college degree can end generational poverty. I’d say that’s a great incentive colleges are providing to these athletes.

*I agree that most head coaches are overpaid

Completely agree. And schools, even indirectly, should have zero to do with it. Sounds like even at little old UNT we are involved indirectly- which we have to be to compete.
In a perfect world, it would operate as you mentioned above, with autographs, jersey sales, & NCAA video game royalties!
But the big boys were already in a position to capitalize on this, in some cases possibly just legalizing what they were already doing under the table.
My hope is that in all the wreckage of this disaster is that some kids that don’t end up making millions as pros will have a chance to make some up front money while in school to help their families or build up a little money - even if only a few thousand- to get them started after college. Definitely would have been nice to had a couple grand in the bank after graduation to pay apartment deposits and down payment on a car, right? Looking for a silver lining.

PlummMeanGreen · August 2, 2022

3 hours ago, GrayEagle said:

Back in the old days, I and others would try to get players jobs so that they would have spending money for cars, dating etc. At that time they had stated practice times and no lifting schedules. Now practice, lifting, class time and required study times make an all-day job so there is no time for work on the side. That gives me some solace to condone the granting of money to cover their expenses that aren't covered by their scholarship. The problem is the "stars" will get the bulk (maybe all) of the NIL money. I'd much prefer that each player gets a minimum and then add to the "stars" stipend with NIL contributions. Anyway, this is all in its infancy so hopefully it will all work out.

Jack, our friend Ken Murphy comes to mind, too. Seems he employed a bunch of athletes back in the day at his Dallas-based company. Last time I saw Ken was at his wife Shirley’s funeral where a small army of UNT folks were in attendance. Hope he’s doing well.

https://northtexan.unt.edu/issues/2018-summer/unt-revamps-murphy-centerGMG!

Edited August 2, 2022 by PlummMeanGreen

TheColonyEagle · August 2, 2022

What does a first round draft pick generally make? Here pretty quick...are we going to get to the point where the first rounder decides to actually stay in school for his senior year because he already has the Lamborghini and millions...

rcade · August 2, 2022

20 hours ago, GrandGreen said:

What happens when the student body who actually pay for most of the cost of athletics at most of the schools decide that they have no interest in paying some freshman QB a thousand a month.

I'm confused. In what scenario are student service fees for athletics going to be making direct payments to players?

NIL is about outside entities -- companies, boosters pretending to run companies, Ken Hitchcock impersonator Rick Villareal -- paying players.

The growing money monster in college athletics isn't because of student funding. It's because live sports on TV generates crazy amounts of money. Before NIL, that money was flowing to everybody except for athletes.

rcade · August 2, 2022

10 minutes ago, TheColonyEagle said:

What does a first round draft pick generally make? Here pretty quick...are we going to get to the point where the first rounder decides to actually stay in school for his senior year because he already has the Lamborghini and millions...

I could see NIL slowing the trend of players leaving before their eligibility is fully used up if they are projected as an NFL late-rounder. Especially those who might not get drafted at all, like a player whose name rhymes with TeAndre Dorrey. It's a crying shame somebody convinced him to give up his final game when his chance of being drafted was not assured.

rcade · August 2, 2022

17 hours ago, NT93 said:

NIL should be what a kid can get outside of school once they are at a school. It should not be alumni creating “collectives” to pay players and entice them to go to a particular school.

I don't see how it could be about anything other than getting an athlete to come to a school and keeping him from leaving it to go someplace else.

You don't want to talk about coaching salaries but when the top coaches are pulling down $10 million a year, that tells every top college football and basketball player that other people are making crazy money so why shouldn't you? And if you can't get crazy money, maybe you can at least have some nice-clothes, nice-car, make-it-rain money?

97and03 · August 2, 2022

17 minutes ago, rcade said:

I don't see how it could be about anything other than getting an athlete to come to a school and keeping him from leaving it to go someplace else.

You don't want to talk about coaching salaries but when the top coaches are pulling down $10 million a year, that tells every top college football and basketball player that other people are making crazy money so why shouldn't you? And if you can't get crazy money, maybe you can at least have some nice-clothes, nice-car, make-it-rain money?

It started out as trying to get paid for being featured in the NCAA football video game, at least in part. So I don’t think the intent was ever as a direct recruiting tool.

NT93 · August 2, 2022

1 hour ago, rcade said:

I don't see how it could be about anything other than getting an athlete to come to a school and keeping him from leaving it to go someplace else.

You don't want to talk about coaching salaries but when the top coaches are pulling down $10 million a year, that tells every top college football and basketball player that other people are making crazy money so why shouldn't you? And if you can't get crazy money, maybe you can at least have some nice-clothes, nice-car, make-it-rain money?

I’m the star QB at UNT. Rudy’s BBQ pays me the going rate to make an appearance and sign autographs. Pretty simple and I believe the original intent of NIL.

Since they are amateurs, they shouldn’t think anything of the coach making good money in his chosen profession. Maybe it should inspire them to get their degree so that they can follow in the coaches footsteps.

If I’m a high school kid am I mad because I make $12/hr working at a fast food joint while my coach is making over $100,000/year? Extreme example, but as I’ve said before, where does it end?

GrandGreen · August 3, 2022

2 hours ago, rcade said:

I'm confused. In what scenario are student service fees for athletics going to be making direct payments to players?

NIL is about outside entities -- companies, boosters pretending to run companies, Ken Hitchcock impersonator Rick Villareal -- paying players.

The growing money monster in college athletics isn't because of student funding. It's because live sports on TV generates crazy amounts of money. Before NIL, that money was flowing to everybody except for athletes.

Name any g5 school that makes money on athletics. TV may generate a lot of money for SEC teams but few others.

I did not state students fees were going directly to players, but that the biggest source of funds for most athletic programs comes from students. Students by the way that must pay the fees if they want to attend the school.

rcade · August 3, 2022

14 hours ago, GrandGreen said:

Name any g5 school that makes money on athletics. TV may generate a lot of money for SEC teams but few others.

I did not state students fees were going directly to players, but that the biggest source of funds for most athletic programs comes from students. Students by the way that must pay the fees if they want to attend the school.

I think any student at a G5 who cares about football or basketball knows that their school is paying coaches (and now athletes) bigger money through outside sources, not through student service fees.

Maybe the ones who don't support sports will be mad when they see some athletes are getting NIL money, but those students are usually too anti-sports to pay any attention at all.

My sons are all in college at UF and UCF, and because I failed them as a parent they don't pay attention to their football teams at all. None of them know what NIL is.

rcade · August 3, 2022

15 hours ago, NT93 said:

Since they are amateurs, they shouldn’t think anything of the coach making good money in his chosen profession. Maybe it should inspire them to get their degree so that they can follow in the coaches footsteps.

Their sport is amateur in name only. They became too profitable to ignore the elephant in the room -- all the other people getting paid.

Fans who miss the era of amateur college athletics have a lot of other sports to follow other than football and basketball. I got a chance to see some women's college softball conference tournament games at UF this summer and they were great.