Adidas NIL Network

[shadow force]

The brand announced on Wednesday that it is forming an NIL network that will be accessible to its 109 NCAA Division I partner schools. Through the program, eligible students across 23 D-I sports will have the opportunity to become a paid affiliate brand ambassador with Adidas, a first for a major sports brand.

The initiative is the latest chapter of Adidas’s “Impossible Is Nothing” campaign, which promotes the brand’s goal of creating a more equitable and inclusive future in sports. To start, athletes will have the chance to profit through commission links, but Adidas plans to also offer elevated opportunities at a brand partnership and entrepreneurial level.

 

[Morgantown Card]

Quick - someone tell a booster to offer DJ Wagner $8M to film a commercial eating a fish sandwich in a Louisville uniform down at KingFish!

 

[Thecycle27]

This is how it should be let the players build their own brand. NIL will keep kids in school longer which the ultimate goal. Jersey sales will increase and kids will get some of the proceeds.

The don’t need to over regulate NIL either. They need to make sure kids aren’t taken advantage of. With social media kids have the opportunity to really benefit.

 

[Morgantown Card]

I thought NIL deals would be stuff like, "Here DJ Wagner - come to UofL, and we'll film a commercial of you at Bonnie & Clyde's Pizza, saying 'After a big win - because Kenny Payne won those games - I'm hungry. And when I'm hungry, I need a Meat Eater's Special from Bonnie & Clydes. Right here in Louisville on Dixie Highway" and he gets $2k/month or something for the duration it is aired. I never, EVER, envisioned these crazy numbers like Texas A&M ($31M, spread across the entire roster), Ohio State ($3M in six months, for their entire roster), and now Tennessee ($8M for a single recruit, the 5* QB they recently got a commit from) are now reporting. Absolute insanity.

I can't logically argue against it - people definitely own themselves (if you don't own you, what do you own) and they certainly own their name, image, & likeness. If someone wants to pay an 18 year old to eat a fish sandwich at Mike Linig's, then I can't argue against it logically. But still, these deals make me very uneasy.

 

[Morgantown Card]

Finally - and again - given all this, are we really supposed to think that Louisville gained an unfair recruiting advantage for $5k spent over 4 years for a bunch of ugly, nasty, stanky, skank trick-ass ho's? I have often posted about the "dark cloud" and how the hammer is coming, but I have changed my mind given this new information.

In the NIL era, this is just silly. Pursue Ho-Gate in criminal courts if you want (that's where this belongs) but that ~$5k across 4 years (her numbers) had no leverage on Louisville winning a title or any of those wins. The banners need up back up and all the wins restored, credit given for time already served, and call it a day.

 

[zipp]

Clowns don't want those banners and wins restored. In their little minds, that part of our history gives them legitimacy. Restoring past accomplishments begs the question "why are clowns (still) here?"

This adidas/NIL news doesn't really distinguish U of L in any way. We rake in major money from adidas, but that's contractually required and not because we're a strategic partner anymore. That partner sentiment--and reality--left with Jurich. With the current performance of our sports programs, esp. the revenue sports, adidas gets nothing from U of L that it wouldn't get from an association with most P5 programs.

We have around five years to change that for the better, or the $16 million we get annually from adidas will be a fond memory when our next contract rolls around for a fraction of that...

 

[Thecycle27]

I think the programs struggling is tied to a lot of others things not the deal with adidas. The reality is especially in basketball talent is getting spread out organically or via attrition.

Too early to tell the impact. We will see in a couple of years if Adidas with Payne has a impact. If not they need to explore options.

I will agree Adidas hasn’t helped much in recruiting even under Pitinio.

 

[BPGhost]

Clowns don't want those banners and wins restored. In their little minds, that part of our history gives them legitimacy. Restoring past accomplishments begs the question "why are clowns (still) here?"

This adidas/NIL news doesn't really distinguish U of L in any way. We rake in major money from adidas, but that's contractually required and not because we're a strategic partner anymore. That partner sentiment--and reality--left with Jurich. With the current performance of our sports programs, esp. the revenue sports, adidas gets nothing from U of L that it wouldn't get from an association with most P5 programs.

We have around five years to change that for the better, or the $16 million we get annually from adidas will be a fond memory when our next contract rolls around for a fraction of that...

Which clowns specifically don’t want banners / wins restored? I agree that the partnership vibe with adidas left with Jurich but, it was as much to do about the current and previous scandals as it is with TJ’s presence.

No question that UofL is on the clock with respect to proving to adidas that they’re worth it. Who knows - if KP kills it (and satterfield shows an upward trend) maybe Nike gets involved?