The Impact of NIL Contracts

[Hilltopper]

56 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

Scroll through the pictures. They just had this arena built in 2020. I don't think anyone could tell me with a straight face that the JAR is nicer than this.

 

https://www.athleticbusiness.com/project-galleries/architectural-showcase/m1UCQrt96Q/atlantic-union-bank-center-james-madison-university#next-slide

It's a nice arena. Pretty bare bones in terms of decor in the common areas. Decent amount of concession space. Nice padded seats all around. Nice scoreboard and ribbon boards. Good sized parking deck right next door. All paid for by the local government, not JMU. Not a palace and not a dump. Still has that new arena smell.  We will see how it ages. 

[Let'sGoZips94]

On 4/2/2024 at 12:35 PM, kreed5120 said:

I was going to go to the feartherootrust.com, but the website doesn't seem to work for me. Was anyone else able to give it a look?

 

Bud Wentz just tweeted out the website. It's actually FearTheRooCollective.com .

 

I can confirm this URL does work, although the website isn't complete. 

Edited April 4, 2024 by Let'sGoZips94

[kreed5120]

4 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

Bud Wentz just tweeted out the website. It's actually FearTheRooCollective.com .

 

I can confirm this URL does work, although the website isn't complete. 

Yes, it appears to still be a work in progress. Even the donate link doesn't work (at least not for me). It's still nice to see something is being worked on to avoid us from falling behind.

Edited April 4, 2024 by kreed5120

[Let'sGoZips94]

56 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

Yes, it appears to still be a work in progress. Event the donate link doesn't work (at least not for me). It's still nice to see something is being worked on to avoid us from falling behind.

 

And based on what Wentz said on the podcast, we're on pace or even ahead of other G5s and have been utilizing NIL for the past ~2 years. It's great to see. 

 

According to one of the Ball State fan accounts on Twitter, Jalin Anderson got a bump in NIL at Incarnate Word vs Balls. Makes you wonder if Mr. UCLA is struggling to use the same tactics to build his team/culture in Muncie, IN. Also makes you appreciate Groce that much more. 

Edited April 4, 2024 by Let'sGoZips94

[egregiousbob]

Yeah, okay, I hate to keep calling BS on Wentz, but he doesn't even have a website operational and he claims we're on pace or ahead of other G5s?  I would not be surprised if we're behind even a few other MAC schools - though not many.  WMU, Toledo and OU come to mind.

 

 

[Let'sGoZips94]

34 minutes ago, egregiousbob said:

Yeah, okay, I hate to keep calling BS on Wentz, but he doesn't even have a website operational and he claims we're on pace or ahead of other G5s?  I would not be surprised if we're behind even a few other MAC schools - though not many.  WMU, Toledo and OU come to mind.

 

 

 

Just because the public hasn't been as involved doesn't mean the behind the scenes work isn't on pace or ahead of other G5s. We just had a class of 5 seniors graduate - 3 of which spent 4+ years each at Akron, including an All American. There's clearly something in the background that has been in place to incentivize being at Akron. Instead of calling BS on Wentz, maybe we should be looking at applauding what he's probably heavily funding. 

[kreed5120]

43 minutes ago, egregiousbob said:

Yeah, okay, I hate to keep calling BS on Wentz, but he doesn't even have a website operational and he claims we're on pace or ahead of other G5s?  I would not be surprised if we're behind even a few other MAC schools - though not many.  WMU, Toledo and OU come to mind.

I think the real issue is accurately measuring others as there is no easy way of determining what others spend. The UMass AD, in an interview after making the move to the MAC official, stated only a few MAC programs have collectives for men's hoops. He stated UMass collective is significantly more substantial than anything in the MAC and it should give them a competitive advantage.

 

I don't think it's that Akron has been spending significant sums. I would imagine it's more that many of the smaller G5 have nothing in place. A school like WMU might have more in total, but basketball seems to be a pretty low priority. I imagine football and hockey eat up the vast bulk.

[egregiousbob]

I assume you haven't seen the plans for their new arena.  WMU received a $100M gift to athletics ($1B overall) that is putting them on another level. They'll still be stuck with the "directional Michigan" label, but nonetheless.

 

 

[Let'sGoZips94]

21 minutes ago, egregiousbob said:

I assume you haven't seen the plans for their new arena.  WMU received a $100M gift to athletics ($1B overall) that is putting them on another level. They'll still be stuck with the "directional Michigan" label, but nonetheless.

 

 

 

Eastern Michigan's arena did wonders for their program and fan support. 

[72 Roo]

2 hours ago, egregiousbob said:

Yeah, okay, I hate to keep calling BS on Wentz, but he doesn't even have a website operational and he claims we're on pace or ahead of other G5s?  I would not be surprised if we're behind even a few other MAC schools - though not many.  WMU, Toledo and OU come to mind.

 

 

Think what you will. This is a forum open to all opinions. I can tell you the talk in Pittsburgh was that our BBall collective was the best in the MAC. It has some serious backing. Just perhaps Bud knows that and getting serious money into the collective is more critical than opening it up to the public. FWIW, Groce is in one three guys who will require NIL money to come here. They are big time talents, for the MAC that is, and we have the money they are seeking. They like everything about our program which could tip the scales in our favor if the money is the same.

[akzipper]

57 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

Eastern Michigan's arena did wonders for their program and fan support. 

 

I'll never forget the Eastern Michigan TV crew pumping up the White Out vs the Zips last season. You know, all hundred people that were in the seats wore white. 

Edited April 4, 2024 by akzipper

[Let'sGoZips94]

13 minutes ago, akzipper said:

 

I'll never forget the Eastern Michigan TV crew pumping up the White Out vs the Zips last season. You know, all hundred people that were in the seats wore white. 

 

Just look at our football stadium. You can build the biggest, nicest facilities in the world, but if the culture is a losing one, it won't matter. Directional Michigan's have had losing cultures in their basketball programs for 2 decades. WMU has had the most success of the 3, and their Row the Boat football success is really what elevates them. The plan for their stadium is a solid, big picture one, but for it to mean anything for their basketball program, they'll have to commit to creating a culture of success instead of hiring the cheapest retread coaches they can find. It also has nothing to do with NIL, and we have no idea what their NIL looks like for basketball. 

Edited April 4, 2024 by Let'sGoZips94

[kreed5120]

2 hours ago, egregiousbob said:

I assume you haven't seen the plans for their new arena.  WMU received a $100M gift to athletics ($1B overall) that is putting them on another level. They'll still be stuck with the "directional Michigan" label, but nonetheless.

 

 

I'm very much aware. The arena will house the hockey team as well. The basketball program will play second fiddle in their own home arena. As I said before, their basketball program is a distant third in popularity behind football and hockey. That won't change.

[kreed5120]

If anyone is curious about diving into learning about NIL, I stumbled on this and skimmed the thread. From what I read in the thread there were a few key takeaways.

 

- UMass Collective tries to have 3-4 players on NIL

 

- Top role players sign for $20k-$30k. The borderline all-conference team types are $50k. Daron Holmes at Dayton signed for ~$175k

 

- The collective spent $170k on this past seasons roster. They're pushing for $400k for next years, but it sounds they're not close to that total.

 

https://www.umasshoops.com/newboard/viewtopic.php?t=16856

Edited April 5, 2024 by kreed5120

[Let'sGoZips94]

11 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

If anyone is curious about diving into learning about NIL, I stumbled on this and skimmed the thread. From what I read in the thread there were a few key takeaways.

 

- UMass Collective tries to have 3-4 players on NIL

 

- Top role players sign for $20k-$30k. The borderline all-conference team types are $50k. Daron Holmes at Dayton signed for ~$175k

 

- The collective spent $170k on this past seasons roster. They're pushing for $400k for next years, but it sounds they're not close to that total.

 

https://www.umasshoops.com/newboard/viewtopic.php?t=16856

 

My goodness UMass is so far ahead of most MAC programs, and I'm not just talking about NIL. They understand what it takes to compete and win on the bigger stages. Their fan base is well educated and high IQ, at least when it comes to sports. 

 

The knuckle draggers to our east are still working on spelling N-I-L. 

 

Great read - thanks for sharing!

Edited April 5, 2024 by Let'sGoZips94

[Hilltopper]

Dan Hurley will be the new coach at Kentucky. Probably $10 mil NIL at his disposal.

[Illini Zip]

7 hours ago, Hilltopper said:

Dan Hurley will be the new coach at Kentucky. Probably $10 mil NIL at his disposal.

 

I thought of this, but I'm not sure if Kentucky is a move up at this point. Money talks, but staying at UConn might be the better play.

[Let'sGoZips94]

His interview on McAfee the other day makes me think he'll be staying at UCONN. 

[kreed5120]

UConn now had as many national titles as UNC and 1 more than Duke. Those titles are split between 3 different head coaches. I'm not sure I'd quite put them in the same category as the blue bloods because year in and year out they haven't consistently had that same level of success, but they're certainly entering the conversation.

[Blue & Gold]

53 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

UConn now had as many national titles as UNC and 1 more than Duke. Those titles are split between 3 different head coaches. I'm not sure I'd quite put them in the same category as the blue bloods because year in and year out they haven't consistently had that same level of success, but they're certainly entering the conversation.

They are. A week ago I and a friend were talking & I said I considered the true Blue Bloods to be Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, and UCLA. Then I paused, …and maybe UConn?  My gut just doesn’t want to put them on that level yet even though my brain says they probably should be.

[kreed5120]

34 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said:

They are. A week ago I and a friend were talking & I said I considered the true Blue Bloods to be Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, and UCLA. Then I paused, …and maybe UConn?  My gut just doesn’t want to put them on that level yet even though my brain says they probably should be.

It also begs the question, is UCLA even a blue blood anymore? They obviously have the most titles, but all of that was mostly under Wooden. They have only made it to the Elite 8 4 times this century and only have  1 national title within the last 40 years.

Edited April 9, 2024 by kreed5120

[Let'sGoZips94]

33 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said:

They are. A week ago I and a friend were talking & I said I considered the true Blue Bloods to be Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, and UCLA. Then I paused, …and maybe UConn?  My gut just doesn’t want to put them on that level yet even though my brain says they probably should be.

 

Not Kentucky?

[zippy5]

Indiana

[Illini Zip]

Looking at the list online. Kentucky definitely. Indiana like UCLA hasn't done much lately, but yes. I mean Indiana has one more championship than Kansas. And Kansas is a no brainer to most people. UConn has 2 more than Kansas so I think it's official, they are a blue blood. The school that is borderline and the reason I Google searched is Villanova with 3 Championships.

[zippy5]

MSU is with Nova for me as borderline