NILVerge

@JoelKlattShow @joelklatt The industry must avoid replacing one fragmented system with another driven primarily by speculative valuations and unchecked spending behavior.

"The current era of college football is unsustainable." @joelklatt with more on the dangers that lie ahead unless guardrails are put in place in college football.

What’s happening now is the predictable result of building a multi-billion dollar commercial ecosystem on top of governance structures designed for a completely different era of college athletics. The conferences evolved into businesses faster than the infrastructure evolved around them.

What’s happening now is the predictable result of building a multi-billion dollar commercial enterprise on top of governance structures designed for a completely different era of college athletics. The conferences evolved into businesses faster than the infrastructure evolved around them.

For the first time the power conferences are bigger than the NCAA — financially, legally, more nimble, overall leverage. Why the association’s “borrowed” authority” is at stake headed into the SEC spring meetings.

The NIL market definitely has a “gold rush” feel right now. The difference between hype and sustainability will ultimately come down to governance, transparency, & credible ROI analytics. NIL is a now a business, but has no corporate structure, fragmented ideology, and zero upward accountability.

The NIL era is basically the homebrewing craze all over again. Lots of people suddenly became “experts,” a lot of questionable results, and every person involved is convinced they’re excellent. #AthDevProblems

@GregBerge Talent may win attention. Culture, accountability, and infrastructure sustain organizations long after the talent changes.

The fastest way to destroy a culture is letting talent negotiate the standard.

The NIL market may be attempting to solve governance failures by forcing professional labor structures onto collegiate athletics before sustainable infrastructure and operational accountability have matured. At some point, the industry must ask: Are we attempting to preserve collegiate athletics or convert it into a professional employment model?

NCAA college athletes are not calling for collective bargaining. They just aren't. So, who is? Grifters. Good morning.

NIL should function as a structured business ecosystem with accountability shared equally between athletes, universities, brands, and governing oversight entities.

NILVerge is approaching the final stages of testing and is preparing for our soft launch. We will give credible infrastructure and transparency from negotiation to execution to the NIL business space. NILVerge provides complete oversight and compliance auditing between Universities, Brands, and Athletes.

The current environment is an unsustainable and reckless approach nearing its boiling point. This will indeed snowball and we are already seeing the affects at the D2,D3,NAIA, and JUCO levels. These schools and their financial supporters can’t emulate even a fraction of the funding needed to even be relevant at the current compensation levels. They will just end up being the NIL versions of Radio Shack and Blockbuster. These continued arbitrary and irresponsible valuations being given credibility without considering Brand and University ROI just make the hill steeper and that snowball ultimately lands in the lap the end consumer. That family of four will be paying a weeks wages or more just to attend a football game if governance, transparency, and infrastructure doesn’t become the priority.

The biggest schools will be fine financially. But the middle tier of schools and everyone else on down will need to have serious come-to-Jesus moments with their donors, regents, fans, etc. Read what Louisville did. wdrb.com/sports/crawfor…

NIL isn’t the problem. Lack of infrastructure, governance, transparency, and measurable ROI is. The market is behaving more like speculative investing than sustainable athletics economics. Eventually that correction comes for every industry.

The NIL market is starting to resemble the dot-com era. Massive spending. Fear of missing out. Escalating valuations. Weak governance. Unclear ROI. A few organizations will build sustainable infrastructure. Many others won’t survive the correction.

@Dan_Furman Sustainable NIL ecosystems will eventually outperform reactionary spending.

There was a $20.5M injection of cash into NIL from every P4 school in America and we thought the market was going to go down?

@Dan_Furman NIL valuation without measurable ROI eventually becomes market speculation.

Here's what I'm hearing from programs working through this 👇 The smartest athletic departments aren't waiting for Congress. They're building the infrastructure now that positions them well regardless of what legislation passes. NIL compliance frameworks. Contract structures that hold. Roster budgets built for multiple regulatory scenarios. The August recess deadline creates real urgency. The SCORE Act vote is targeted for the week of May 18. Seven days. The programs that prepared — win either way. 🎯

The White House just released the most ambitious federal intervention into college sports in history. Coach salary caps. Pooled media rights. A new governing body. A Group of Six playoff. Here's everything in the draft — and what it actually means. 🧵👇

@Dan_Furman The NIL market is starting to resemble the dot-com era. Massive spending. Fear of missing out. Escalating valuations. Weak governance. Unclear ROI. A few organizations will build sustainable infrastructure. Many others won’t survive the correction.

Here's what 2022 and 2023 actually looked like 🔥 Collectives were signing players before they ever stepped on campus. High school juniors. Kids who hadn't played a single college snap. Bronny James signed NIL deals before his freshman year. JuJu Watkins. DJ Wagner. High school athletes with Nike contracts. By 2023 the NIL market hit $1.17 billion. Booster-funded collectives accounted for 70% of that number. Fans weren't just watching anymore. They were funding the roster. 🏆

In 2022 NIL collectives were scrappy booster clubs run out of someone's basement. In 2026 they're multi-million dollar machines that control who wins championships. Here's the wildest four year run in college sports history. 🧵👇

@brauf33 @basket_review The NIL market is starting to resemble the dot-com era. Massive spending. Fear of missing out. Escalating valuations. Weak governance. Unclear ROI. A few organizations will build sustainable infrastructure. Many others won’t survive the correction.

NIL spending was supposed to slow down. Instead, college basketball keeps getting more expensive. Why? My latest for @basket_review looks at why the market keeps climbing, and why the sport may not be close to its ceiling yet: basketunderreview.com/college-basket…

@RossDellenger @On3 The NIL market is starting to resemble the dot-com era. Massive spending. Fear of missing out. Escalating valuations. Weak governance. Unclear ROI. A few organizations will build sustainable infrastructure. Many others won’t survive the correction.

College sports’ seven-year lobbying effort for a federal solution is down to its last gasp. The latest flop is another reminder of Ronald Reagan’s famous quote: “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” More in our @On3 weekly sports biz column on3.com/news/inside-th…

@FOS_News_ @JayBilas Eventually the market will ask: “How are we determining whether these NIL investments actually make sense?” That question is coming. These inflated valuations with no oversight or governance are impetuous.

"The NCAA is lobbying Congress for an antitrust exemption... so that they can limit players, and limit their costs." ESPN college basketball analyst @JayBilas suggests Congress should create a federal pathway for collective bargaining instead.

There is no question that performance is being rewarded. The fact that we are seeing companies actually assign NIL Valuations to Players and Teams using “Transparent Algorithms” that attach an arbitrary dollar figure based on position, social media followers, draft potential, and available NIL money at their University is reckless and irresponsible. A player getting paid for their “Brand” is no different than a small business being successful because they offer a better service.

We’re getting closer to the day when everyone in college athletics publicly admits the athletes are being paid to play their sport, not just for their NIL rights. It will help college athletics move forward with certainty.

@bportnoy15 @ESPN_BillC NIL needs Transparency and Governance not wealth distribution to the 1%. Every athlete at any level and any sport should have equal access to NIL opportunities Value to the university or brand ROI.

Strong, pointed words from Trahan on the SCORE Act and why she was opposed to it:

@On3NIL If you are in Law School and aren’t focusing on NIL Compliance & Contract Law you should! Attorneys that specialize in this space will be the next beneficiaries of the NIL Payday. I wonder if my LSAT for Dummies Paperback is still relevant?

NEW: Oregon is suing Oklahoma DB Dakoda Fields for an alleged breach of contract, The Daily Emerald reports. Fields transferred from Eugene to Norman in January. Details: on3.com/college/oregon…