With the College Football Playoff championship game just days away, the NCAA reached an eight-year deal with ESPN worth $115 million per year — $920 million total — to broadcast 21 men’s and 19 women’s collegiate sports championships each season, college sports’ governing body announced Thursday.

The deal, beginning on Sept. 1, encompasses every NCAA championship domestically aside from Division I football and men’s basketball.

The wild success of Division 1 women’s basketball of late, led by superstars like Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu, A’ja Wilson, and Angel Reese, sparked speculation that the NCAA would spin off the sport’s rights. Reports suggested that if the sport was sold as its own entity, college women’s basketball could garner roughly $80 million in Year 1 of a new sports media deal.

However, despite drawing 9.9 million viewers in last year’s women’s title game, ESPN and the NCAA decided to keep the annual women’s basketball tournament within this new package deal valued at $65 million per year. Keeping the burgeoning, emerging product is a significant win for ESPN, with the NCAA saying selling women’s hoops on its own this time around wasn’t feasible.

“We said from the beginning that we wanted the best deal that we could get for all of our championships,” Baker told The Athletic. “There was a lot of informal conversation that took place with many other potential participants in this negotiation, but the one who constantly engaged and the one I would argue was the most enthusiastic in a significant way throughout the course of this was ESPN. The way they handled the negotiations demonstrated that this was really important to them, that it continued to be part of their portfolio. They will be a terrific partner, I think, going forward here.”

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

The current rights deal that ends this year brought in just $34 million annually. The next deal expires in 2032, the same year the D-I men’s basketball contract with Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery runs out, which pays the NCAA $900 million annually.

“ESPN and the NCAA have enjoyed a strong and collaborative relationship for more than four decades, and we are thrilled that it will continue as part of this new, long-term agreement,” Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN’s chairman, said. “The ESPN networks and platforms will exclusively present a record number of championships, including all rounds of several marquee events that, together with the NCAA, we have grown over time.

“This unprecedented deal also further strengthens The Walt Disney Company’s industry-leading commitment to women’s sports and will help fuel our continued growth, including in the critical streaming space.”

Biggest Women’s March Madness Ever? Volleyball Takeover?

Boardroom’s Shlomo Sprung gives his 10 sports business predictions for 2024, including why it could be a big year for women’s sports.

Read More

ESPN will broadcast all rounds of marquee events like women’s basketball, women’s gymnastics, softball, baseball, volleyball, and FCS football. The deal reportedly guarantees the women’s basketball, women’s gymnastics, and women’s volleyball title games are broadcast on ABC each year. In addition, men’s and women’s team tennis and men’s gymnastics are added to this package for the first time.

There will be more than 800 hours of NCAA championship programming per year now on ESPN linear channels, with the worldwide leader also receiving international rights for all championships.

“The NCAA has worked in earnest over the past year to ensure that this new broadcast agreement provides the best possible outcome for all NCAA championships, and in particular women’s championships,” Charlie Baker, NCAA president, said.

“Over the past several years, ESPN has demonstrated increased investment in NCAA championship coverage, and the Association is pleased to continue to provide a platform for student-athletes to shine. Having one, multi-platform home to showcase our championships provides additional growth potential along with a greater experience for the viewer and our student-athletes.”

Want more sports?

1

0

1023

post

6

OR

Tech Talk April 7, 2024

ChatGPT, Voice Engine, Sam Altman & More Updates from OpenAI

Deals & Investments April 5, 2024

From March Madness to Man United: Brands Make Fan Dreams Come True

Execs & Entrepreneurs April 5, 2024

Everything is On the Table for Maverick Carter, Paul Rivera & The Shop

Sports April 4, 2024

Boardroom Talks: Amar’e Stoudemire Always Understood the Game

Boardroom Investments April 2, 2024

CNBC x Boardroom Game Plan Summit Returning in 2024

Sneakers April 1, 2024

LSU’s Mikaylah Williams is Jordan Brand’s Newest Face of NIL 

The post NCAA, ESPN Reach Massive College Sports Media Rights Deal appeared first on Boardroom.

It was a big weekend for the James men. One day after LeBron James took home the first-ever MVP trophy for the in-season tournament following the Lakers win, he was courtside in LA to catch Bronny’s first bit of action for USC. The younger James came off the bench in the Trojans’ 79-84 overtime loss to the Long Beach State 49ers. His first collegiate minutes came four months after he experienced a cardiac arrest on the court. Nike commemorated his debut across social media with a post declaring “The next step to greatness.”

Shohei Ohtani Secures Record-setting Contract with Dodgers

The biggest story of the MLB offseason has found its ending. Shohei Ohtani inked a record-setting 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The news came after rumors swirled that he was headed to the Blue Jays; however, the Japanese superstar broke the news of his new deal himself, taking to social media. FanDuel has the Dodgers as the odds-on favorites (+600) to take home the World Series title.

Deion Sanders Delivers Massive Economic Impact to City of Boulder

Deion Sanders first season at Colorado was filled with ups and downs. While the Buffs may have ended the season on a six-game losing streak, Sanders led some Ws off the field. According to a report from Visit Boulder, Coach Prime brought $113.2 million to the local economy. Despite the tough season, Sanders expressed his love for Boulder, saying that he plans to retire at the school in an interview over the weekend.

Ariana Grande Finds New Representation with Good World Management

After parting ways with Scooter Braun and SB Projects, Ariana Grande has secured new representation. The entertainer announced that she signed with Brandon Creed’s Good World Management. According to reports, Grande appreciated Creed’s vision for her acting and singing careers. She will appear in 2024’s Wicked, alongside Cynthia Erivo, Bowen Yang, and Michelle Yeoh. Creed launched Good World Management in July and currently works with top talent including Troye Sivan and Mark Ronson

J. Cole’s Dreamville & Overtime Link Up for Apparel Collab

Dreamville, the entertainment and media company founded by J. Cole and home to Dreamville Records, is teaming up with Overtime to drop a limited-edition winter apparel collection just in time for the holidays. The four-piece capsule includes hoodies, t-shirts, and shorts, the latter coming in two different colors (baby blue and burnt orange).  The collection will be available Monday at 1 p.m. ET through both the Dreamville and Overtime shops.

Indiana Fever Land the First Pick in the WNBA Draft

The 2024 WNBA season may be several months away, but for the second year in a row, the Indiana Fever landed the first pick in the WNBA Draft in this year’s lottery. The Fever drafted South Carolina standout Aliyah Boston, who posted a remarkable rookie season. All eyes will be on New York in April, as the Fever are the frontrunners to draft Caitlin Clark, who is projected to be the No. 1 pick. However, due to COVID-19 waivers, Clark has the potential to return to Iowa for the 2024-25 season .

The post Bronny James Makes USC Debut appeared first on Boardroom.

In front of his family, friends, and Don Bosco high school teammates, top high school basketball prospect Dylan Harper committed to Rutgers University on Wednesday at Fanatics‘ office in Manhattan’s West Village. He also announced a NIL deal with Fanatics, the brand’s first with a high school athlete.

Ranked No. 2 in ESPN’s Class of 2024 rankings, the 6-foot-5 point guard joins third-ranked prospect Ace Bailey in forming the greatest recruiting class in Scarlet Knights history. The buzz at Fanatics’ office was palpable even after ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski scooped the announcement, with Overtime livestreaming the moment and Jalen Rose on hand to conduct a Q&A with Harper.

Dylan is the son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper and brother of current Toronto Raptor Ron Jr. It was important not only for Dylan to stay close to his parents and grandparents in New Jersey but to feel wanted and believed in by a Rutgers coaching staff led by Steve Pikiell.

Harper not only called Pikiell the most energetic coach he’d ever talked to, but the coach saw something in young Dylan when others didn’t. That sense of loyalty is important to this down-to-earth teenager seemingly well mature beyond his years. And it’s not just family, hard work, dedication, and humility; Harper is also driven by doing and trying things that haven’t been done before, like going to Rutgers instead of established programs on his final list, like Duke and Indiana.

SIGN UP FOR BOARDROOM’S SNEAKER GAME

A biweekly email from industry authority Nick DePaula packed with exclusive sneaker news and access to the athletes, designers, and executives that move the business.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

“All my life, I’ve been a trailblazer,” Harper told Boardroom. “Most people like me — quote unquote five-star [prospect] — they go to Montverde, La Lumiere, Oak Hill. But for me, just showing the youth that if I could come here as one of the best players in the country and do what I have to do to be successful, why can’t you?”

Following the announcement, Harper FaceTimed Bailey on stage at Fanatics’ offices with shouts of excitement and encouragement, both players calling the other “big dawg” multiple times. When Rutgers offered Bailey a scholarship, Harper said he got a text telling him to link up at the school. At first, Harper didn’t think Bailey was serious, he said. But he’s always admired Bailey’s work ethic, and the two have risen in the recruiting rankings together throughout their high school careers, and that doesn’t even get into his prodigious on-court abilities.

“Our willingness to put the work in and grinding was really special to me,” Harper said of Bailey. “Just knowing that he’s a great kid, he’s going to take criticism, and he’s just a great human being all around.”

@slamhs Best friends. Dylan and Ace were definitely meant to be on the same team #dylanharper #acebailey #micdup #rutgers #slamhs #hshoops ♬ Laugh Now Cry Later – Drake

When Omar Wilkes left Klutch Sports to join Fanatics Collectibles as its head of athlete relations in February, he was tasked with identifying transcendent talent to form partnerships. He said Harper jumped out to him, not just for his athletic abilities, but because of the type of people he and his family are.

The multiyear deal Harper and Fanatics struck with the help of Roc Nation Sports’ Drew Gross will include trading cards, memorabilia, and game-worn items. Fanatics will also feature the high school phenom across social media channels to elevate his profile and get him closer to collectors and fans.

“We’re excited to do a lot more with him,” Wilkes told Boardroom.

That will include mentorship from Fanatics execs like Wilkes and CEO Michael Rubin, who will be there to guide and help Harper through important, formative years in his life.

“This is important for me to be the first to do something,” Harper said, “but the biggest thing for me is that the people at Fanatics know what it takes to get to the top. Obviously, I’m going to get the cards and the money, but also teaching me the game and being role models who will show me what to do and not do.”

In meeting and speaking with Rose throughout the day on Wednesday, the Fab Five legend at Michigan, who knows all about being a heralded recruit, advised Harper to keep the main thing the main thing. Simply put, Rose told Harper not to overthink what’s required to be successful.

“If you continue to hone your craft, improve your game, win, and ball like you’re capable of, everything else is going to happen,” Rose told Boardroom. “Now you get a chance to come in and do something unique, special, and build your own thing at Rutgers.”

Harper acknowledged that he’s a 17-year-old kid with a lot more maturing to do. He’s trying to be a sponge at this stage and soak in all the knowledge on and off the court from his family, coaches, teammates, agent, and advisors. That includes being able to determine great NIL deals he’ll benefit from in the long run from merely good ones.

Like many his age, the prized prospect admits he likes clothes and jewelry. But a deal like the one with Fanatics is made with a long-term lens, as Harper knows he has much to learn about managing his money and long-term finances.

“Just real-world problems that I’m going to face in the next one, two years. Because once I’m out of college, I’m a grown man,” Harper said. “So just being able to learn from such great people who have my back no matter what is amazing. I know they’re never going to steer me the wrong way.”

Signing someone like Harper, someone Wilkes believes kids will soon look up to, is a big way Fanatics becomes an aspirational brand future sports superstars will want to be associated with.

“Right now, the goal is for kids growing up to have Fanatics be in the same conversation as the Nikes of the world,” Wilkes said. “This is how we get there.”

If all goes according to plan, Harper will be among the top five picks in the 2025 NBA Draft in just over 18 months. That’s going to come with a tremendous amount of hype and opportunities off the court, things the hooper would dream of as a kid — his own trading cards and endorsement deals with the biggest brands.

But Harper is grounded enough to realize everything would only be coming his way because of the hard work he’s put in. The late nights at the gym, the 4 a.m. wake-up calls to work out and get shots up. It’s the hard work that gives Harper the staying power mindset that, as a trailblazer, future generations will want to emulate meaning and purpose.

“So, when all the things do come,” Harper added, “they don’t ever go away.”

More College Hoops:

1

0

31

post

6

OR

59

March 23, 2024

Mikaylah Williams Joins Kiki Rice on Jordan Brand NIL Roster

Sports January 4, 2024

NCAA, ESPN Reach Massive College Sports Media Rights Deal

December 11, 2023

Bronny James Makes USC Debut

Sports December 6, 2023

The Numbers Behind Jim Valvano’s Lasting Legacy

Sports November 15, 2023

UNC Trio to Lead First Chapters of Athletes.org

Sports November 11, 2023

Dawn Staley: The Dream Merchant of Women’s Basketball

The post Dylan Harper is Blazing His Own Trail with Rutgers & Fanatics appeared first on Boardroom.

Jim Valvano’s ESPY Speech is right around 11 minutes long. That night in 1993, when his good friend Dick Vitale needed to help him onto the Madison Square Garden stage, Valvano could not have known the impact his words were about to have.

Well, he knew some of it. He knew he was announcing that night that ESPN was helping him launch the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research. He did not realize that his comments that night would become so iconic that ESPN would air them repeatedly for one week every December three decades later.

Laugh, think, cry.

Where you started, where you are, and where you’re going to be.

Family, religion, the Green Bay Packers.

That night, Valvano whipped out speech No. 84, and for a few minutes, you could not tell he had so much as a cold, let alone (as he put it) “tumors all over [his] body.” Valvano died just weeks after that speech, but the V Foundation has carried on his legacy. On Tuesday, the college basketball world celebrated him with the annual men’s Jimmy V Classic at MSG.

It was the 29th iteration of the event, with Illinois outlasting 2023 Final Four Cinderella Florida Atlantic in the first game and defending champion UConn winning a battle of bluebloods in the nightcap over North Carolina. Fans at home and in the arena saw that speech, but what they may not have seen is the numbers behind what that speech launched.

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

The V Foundation’s Impact

As Valvano said that night, the goal was not to save his own life. It was to save someone else’s — to have “some cures and some breakthroughs.” And while the ultimate goal of eradicating cancer remains unmet, the foundation has done plenty of quantifiable good. Take a look at the numbers (via v.org):

• Total Money Raised for Research: $310 million in 1,186 total research grants
  • $66.7 million for pediatric cancer
  • $60.8 million for blood cancers
  • $30.9 million for breast cancer
  • $29.3 million for gastrointestinal cancer
  • $26 million for lung cancer
  • $14.2 million for female reproductive cancers
  • $11.2 million for prostate cancer
• Total raised in 2022: $27 million
  • $6.5 million designated for Dick Vitale Pediatric Cancer Research Fund
  • $1.5 million designated for Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund

And, of course, it won’t stop there. We don’t have total 2023 numbers just yet, but the V Foundation made a big announcement during Tuesday night’s men’s Jimmy V Classic. During a media timeout, the foundation honored members of the Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer ride. The ride, presented as a partnership between the V Foundation and Bristol Myers Squibb, raised over $1 million for cancer research. BMS added an additional $500,000 donation to bring the total raise above $1.5 million.

The Jimmy V Classic: A College Sports Mainstay

The men’s Classic itself has stayed with a consistent format over the years. Four high-profile teams come into Madison Square Garden in early December for a Tuesday night doubleheader. ESPN airs Jimmy V’s speech during the event, and it plays on the MSG video board as well. Here’s how it has evolved over the years:

• 1995: First men’s Jimmy V Classic, held in East Rutherford, NJ. Temple defeated Kansas, and UMass beat Georgia Tech.
• 2002: First women’s Jimmy V Classic, held in Raleigh, NC. Duke defeated Tennessee, and UConn beat NC State.
• 2003: Men’s Jimmy V Classic moves to Madison Square Garden, where it has been annually except for 2021.
• 2023: Women’s Jimmy V Classic moves to a triple-header format at campus sites. Duke, Texas, and Tennessee all post season-highs in attendance (so far).

Unfortunately, Valvano never got to see the impact his foundation and his classic have had. But he knew that would be the case. As he said when he closed his speech, he wanted his legacy to carry on long after his death. The V Foundation is living proof that he succeeded.

Read More:

1

0

68

post

6

OR

59,793

March 23, 2024

Mikaylah Williams Joins Kiki Rice on Jordan Brand NIL Roster

Deals & Investments January 12, 2024

Nick Saban: The Best Business Partner in Sports

January 11, 2024

Nick Saban Retiring After 17 Seasons at Alabama

Sneakers January 8, 2024

The $300 Million Michigan vs. Washington Sneaker War

Sports January 5, 2024

CFP National Championship: Do Sportsbooks Favor Michigan or Washington?

Sports January 4, 2024

NCAA, ESPN Reach Massive College Sports Media Rights Deal

The post The Numbers Behind Jim Valvano’s Lasting Legacy appeared first on Boardroom.

Athletes.org, the organization that Jim Cavale and Brandon Copeland founded to help student-athletes navigate their off-court businesses and responsibilities, has started its first two chapters — ACC men’s basketball and ACC women’s basketball.

The chapters will bring member athletes together to discuss and vote on key issues relevant to them in college athletics and to make decisions regarding group licensing for NIL deals. North Carolina Tar Heels RJ Davis and Armando Bacot founded the men’s chapter, while UNC’s Deja Kelly did the same for the women.

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

Davis, Bacot, and Kelly will serve as the outward faces of their chapters, helping teammates and peers join and encouraging members to vote on key issues.

“I was immediately drawn to the opportunity to help shape the future of college athletics,” Duke guard Jeremy Roach told Boardroom. “I love that they give players free resources to help them navigate the NIL world better and, more importantly, a platform to help provide the athletes’ perspective so college sports can continue to improve for everyone.”

The idea to create chapters, rather than leaving each athlete to use Athletes.org on their own, comes from Cavale’s awareness that not all athletes have the same NCAA experience. He played college baseball at Division II University of Montevallo and knew full well that a football player at the nearby University of Alabama existed in a completely different world. In this case, men’s basketball players in the ACC will be able to discuss issues relevant to them. Women’s players will be able to do the same. Look for more chapters to pop up soon, covering more sports at varying levels.

For now, however, you won’t have to go far to keep up with what AO and the ACC chapters are doing. AO has launched “A Seat at the Table,” a video series hosted by Cavale and Copeland. In the series, they sit down for dinner with chapter co-founders to discuss issues facing student-athletes. The first episode, which will feature Davis, Bacot, Kelly, and Duke Blue Devils Roach and Spencer Hubbard, can be seen below.

In addition, Athletes.org announced that it has added two big names to its board of directors — Hall of Fame basketball coach Jim Boeheim and former Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour. They join the likes of Reggie Love, Amy Huchthausen, Omari Hardwick, and others.

Read More:

1

0

68

post

6

OR

59,793

March 23, 2024

Mikaylah Williams Joins Kiki Rice on Jordan Brand NIL Roster

Deals & Investments January 12, 2024

Nick Saban: The Best Business Partner in Sports

January 11, 2024

Nick Saban Retiring After 17 Seasons at Alabama

Sneakers January 8, 2024

The $300 Million Michigan vs. Washington Sneaker War

Sports January 5, 2024

CFP National Championship: Do Sportsbooks Favor Michigan or Washington?

Sports January 4, 2024

NCAA, ESPN Reach Massive College Sports Media Rights Deal

The post UNC Trio to Lead First Chapters of Athletes.org appeared first on Boardroom.

From the bleachers in Columbia to the streets of Philly, there are many things one could call Dawn Staley.

Coach, champ, and Hall of Famer instantly come to mind. If you ask NBA vet Cuttino Mobley, she’s the best point guard he ever played with. If you ask Forbes, they’ll tell you she’s a multi-millionaire. If you ask Andscape, they’ll tell you she’s a beacon of hope for more than just hoops.

But if you ask Dawn herself on-stage at the 2023 Nike World Basketball Festival, she’ll tell you something else.

“I’m a dream merchant,” Staley told Boardroom’s Eddie Gonzalez.

On brand, the tough and flashy floor general can thread the needle on everything that defines her, realizing how a half-century in hoops has taken her all over the world but, most importantly, into living rooms across the country.

In those settings, that self-appointed title holds even more weight. As the head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks, she’s selling a dream appreciating momentum and monetary value each day.

Sitting across from parents in need of assurance all while operating at the apex of women’s basketball’s big boom, Staley has lived the dream from ABL to NIL. As she starts the 2023-24 season with higher hopes for her industry and less experience on her roster, Dawn’s court awareness is at an all-time high.

“Women’s basketball is bursting through the seams,” said Staley. “This is the best time to be playing our sport.”

In the era of NIL and an awakening in women’s sports, Dawn’s day job is more than just running practice and recruiting visits. Standing in the center of the sport set to tip into more money and more eyeballs, she balances building a powerhouse program while fighting for larger TV deals that will ensure earnings for all involved.

As the lines blur between baller and brand, so does the distinction between college coach and women’s advocate, floor raiser, and fundraiser. It’s a dichotomy that defines the dream merchant.

Luckily, Louis Vuitton Dawn has long excelled at being two things at once.

SIGN UP FOR BOARDROOM’S SNEAKER GAME

A biweekly email from industry authority Nick DePaula packed with exclusive sneaker news and access to the athletes, designers, and executives that move the business.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

Philly’s Most Wanted

Dawn Staley was raised in the Raymond Rosen housing projects in North Philadelphia.

Playing ball with the boys growing up, she traveled five hours down I-95 to the University of Virginia, where she’d lead the school to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances and three Final Fours. When it was all said and done, the 5-6 floor general was named National Player of the Year twice.

After earning her degree, Dawn darted overseas to play professionally in Italy, France, Brazil, and Spain. Running offenses abroad served as a master’s in leadership, eventually bringing her back to the States as the ABL and WNBA launched on the heels of her first Olympic gold medal.

For the latter part of the ’90s, Dawn ascended in the hoops space in America. From a Nike signature shoe to appearances in SLAM Magazine, she was playing on TV and even starring in commercials.

The hard work in hoops was paying off regarding relevance, but it wasn’t making her or her peers rich.

By the year 2000, the average WNBA salary was only $55,000.

That season, she’d start every game at point guard for the Charlotte Sting. Over the summer, she doubled down on her craft by winning her second Olympic gold in Australia.

Weeks later, she’d do something unprecedented for an active athlete her age: She’d start her college coaching career in Philly.

Earlier that year, a chance trip to Temple turned into a recruiting visit for the local legend. Despite having no interest in coaching and fair fear from her peers that taking on two jobs would be impossible, she accepted the challenge to turn around a program that hadn’t appeared in the NCAA Tournament since De La Soul debuted.

From 2001 to 2006, Dawn worked two jobs at once. She dominated her playing profession by being an annual mainstay of the WNBA All-Star Game while also winning another gold medal in Athens.

When she wasn’t killing it on the court, she hustled hard on the sideline. During those dual-employment days, the Temple Owls were winning the Atlantic-10 outright early and often while advancing in the NCAA Tournament because of it.

It was a sleepless stretch for the dream merchant, solidifying her sales pitch the last season she played pro.

In 2006, Staley’s final All-Star campaign coincided with the first year she’d produce one. After traveling to Tampa to recruit a three-sport stud in 2002, Dawn’s worlds collided four years later when Candice Dupree became Temple’s first female player to be drafted to the WNBA.

“When I was in college, she was still playing at the pro level,” Dupree told Boardroom. “So we’d go to New York, Connecticut, Charlotte, and DC to watch her play. I learned what it meant to be a pro just by watching her when I was in college.”

While coaching at Temple and playing in the WNBA, Staley sent both Kamesha Hairston and Dupree to the pro ranks. Each first-round pick found their footing under Staley in Philly, with the Tampa talent playing against her college coach just weeks after hearing her name called.

“To learn from her and compete against her my first year in the league?” said Dupree. “Not a lot of people can say they’ve done that, if anybody at all.”

Lacing up against her college coach after going No. 6 overall, Dupree entered a professional world she shared for one season with her mentor. By the time Dupree’s days in the league were done, she’d have seven All-Star selections, one WNBA Championship, and three Olympic gold medals to her name.

Like her coach, she’d find a fit on the sideline with the San Antonio Spurs. Unlike her coach, she’d finish her playing career earning $170,000 for a single season.

Just as the rate of pay has increased in the WNBA, Staley’s seen her value ascend since leaving Temple for the greener pastures of South Carolina.

Second Home

When Dawn Staley arrived in Columbia, SC, the Lady Gamecocks had never made a Final Four.

In its history, the school had produced an impressive five WNBA Draft picks, many of which Staley had played against

Since taking over in 2008, the Gamecocks have gone to five Final Fours and won two national championships. The 2023 WNBA season opened with eight of her players on rosters and finished with Dawn’s disciples claiming Finals MVP and Rookie of the Year honors.

“My passion has always been young people, just making sure they understand what it takes when they get to the league,” said Staley. “They are the ones that will take the league to higher heights.”

As alluded to, this is true. Staley has sent 14 players from SC to the WNBA and produced MVP talent with shoe deals and public profiles.

The top of the list includes A’ja Wilson, arguably the best player in women’s basketball and the blueprint for Staley’s system of success. Under her acclaimed coach, Wilson won several individual accolades and a national title. This tutelage and excellence led to her going No. 1 overall in the 2017 WNBA Draft, setting up the two-time league MVP for two titles.

As a pro, Wilson is estimated to have already earned $630,600 in WNBA action alone. She left Columbia with an array of records and a college degree. Each time she returns, she sees an 11-foot bronze statue saluting her greatness.

She also sees the coach that sculpted her success.

“I really enjoy helping to mold players and getting them ready for life,” Staley said. “My passion’s at the collegiate level, and I hope it stays that way.”

From a financial standpoint, it likely will.

Wilson’s WNBA coach, two-time champion Becky Hammon, makes $1 million a year — a figure that tops all active players and coaches in the league.

In the college game, Staley stands to make $2.1 million in base salary this season. That number can only go up as added incentives to sweep SEC and NCAA awards total another $600,000.

In the third season of a historic seven-year deal valued at $22.4 million, Staley’s decision to coach college basketball during her pro playing career has set her and others up for bigger bucks than they could ever imagine.

Still, the dream merchant is not just selling student-athletes on what they could achieve at South Carolina. Rather, she’s looking to break open the floodgates on just how big and lucrative the women’s game can get.

“I like it,” said Staley. “It’s a challenge.”

A Dollar & a Dream

In 1992, Dawn Staley’s biggest challenge when it came to basketball was taking on Pat Summit’s Tennessee Volunteers in the prior season’s National Championship Game.

By the time Staley graduated from Virginia, she had a communications degree and the school scoring record to show for it. What she didn’t have was a paying job close to home. All those accolades left her unemployed in America, where basketball was concerned, taking the ACC assist leader to seasonal work abroad.

In 2023, Dawn returned to Europe. Taking her Gamecocks with her, the No. 6 team in America took over Paris through a 100-71 shellacking of No. 10 Notre Dame. While Staley’s squad won the game, both rosters benefitted from a team trip to France.

Additionally, Staley’s muscle played a part in having two African-American coaches tip off the college season not just abroad but broadcast for fans everywhere.

The revolution was televised as Rebecca Lobo, a teammate of Staley in the 1996 Olympics, and Andraya Carter, a player Staley coached against upon arriving at SC, called the game for ESPN.

The setting was special. The stage was familiar. This season alone, Staley’s squad will play on ESPN networks 10 times.

Not only will her young roster need to show and prove on the court, but fans will have to tune in to put pressure on industry execs to invest more money in the women’s game.

“We need more networks to compete for our talents,” said Staley. “Our television deal is up with ESPN. ESPN’s done a great job giving us a platform to grow and take us where we are now.”

Competition is where the game thrives and where Staley finds herself.

Last spring, Staley’s squad lost at the hot hands of Caitlin Clark. While the Final Four exit ended the Gamecock’s quest to repeat, it exploded opportunity for the women’s game as Iowa and Louisana State put on a Natty for the ages — and the record books.

The battle between Clark and Angel Reese captivated the country, drawing in 9.9 million viewers. For comparison, that outing outperformed Game 1 of the 2023 MLB World Series. For reference, Fox is currently under contract with the MLB for $5.1 billion for said broadcast rights.

As women’s college basketball begins its most anticipated season, perhaps ever, Staley sees more than just the ten players on the court but all of the broadcast partners capable of taking the game to a whole new level. Because the current contract with ESPN expires in 2024, the stakes are higher this season for all involved.

“We need other networks to show our worth,” said Staley. “ESPN knows our worth, but if there’s no competition? You’re not going to throw hundreds of millions of dollars at our sport if nobody’s competing for us in that space.”

It’s a fight she finds herself in the middle of despite being financially secure.

It’s a fight taking place in the middle of a season with hoop dreams of the team and individual variety all afloat.

Money, Power, Respect

Throughout her Hall of Famer career, Dawn Staley has ascended titles without shifting shapes.

Still standing only 5’6, she’s a giant in the game that competes at the highest level with coaches, countries, and institutions. The open market opportunities of NIL mixed with the big bucks shelled out to higher profile programs make Dawn’s dream merchant mantra a tougher sell than years past.

When recruiting the country’s top talent, Staley is extremely cognizant of the fact that picking a college to play basketball at is a financial decision that affects not only WNBA dreams but also the immediate earnings for families and the players themselves.

Because of funds, collectives, and NIL markets, a top-tier student-athlete often makes a high-level financial decision at only 18 years of age.

“I get the pull on the money,” said Staley. “If someone’s offering you $200,000, and that’s something you’ve never seen, and your family has to work ten years to get that in your bank account? I get it; I truly understand that part of it. Go for it; I am not mad at all. But I also don’t want to devalue what we bring to the table and the experience that you would have under me and our coaching staff.”

It’s a wild world for players and peers of the Hall of Fame coach. Because Staley’s seen the women’s game grow from playing in empty fieldhouses to selling out football stadiums, the promise of education and exposure still has to compete with promises of cold, hard cash.

“People are probably offering them a lot more money to lure them,” Staley said. “But the lessons that you get [here] are invaluable.”

Always in the weeds and on the grind, Staley is fighting hard to ensure that South Carolina has the same financial resources as the power programs she competes with.

“I look at the NIL space as a challenge,” said Staley. “We may not have the most, but I want to be competitive when it comes to recruiting young people. I don’t want that to be the factor if someone beats us out by $25,000 or $50,000. I don’t want that to be the determining factor.”

When the floodgates first opened on NIL, it was truly the wild, wild west where coaches could chase bags for their players. That all stopped a year ago when the NCAA changed the rules on the fly.

“The NCAA completely stopped us last October,” said Staley. “We had to shut everything down from me going out there and saying, ‘Hey, can you come do an all-team deal at South Carolina?'”

Because the NCAA no longer allows Staley and other coaches to find and facilitate NIL deals, the funding for players is fragmented and often of great variance from athlete to athlete and school to school.

Thus, the equity Dawn’s built over her illustrious legacy across brands does not bear the financial fruit it could for her players. This matters much on campus and in recruiting.

“As coaches, we have access to so many sponsors and relationships with companies,” Staley said.

This proves truer for Staley than most. Because of her resume on the sideline and on the court, she has the gravitas to appear in an Under Armour commercial with Aaliyah Boston and sit on the stage at Nike’s World Basketball Festival. Still, the Hall of Fame point guard has to play the background in earning for her athletes.

Because of this, she has to rely on the resources provided by the university that in SEC country usually go to the gridiron.

“There are things called collectives now, and we have to work through the collectives,” Staley said. “Collectives do a lot of work for football because they’re the main breadwinners, and I get that. But when we’ve had as much success as we’ve had at the University of South Carolina? We should be rolling in it, and we’re not.”

Once again, the 2x National Champion has to rely on her resume. One that adorns almost every accolade as a player and one that’s placed a handful of hopefuls in the WNBA.

“The things that we equip our players with will more than bring in the money that they deserve,” said Staley. “But they just gotta come to South Carolina first to get there.”

Next Up

When Dawn Staley took her tri-state swag to the SEC, few could’ve predicted record-setting coaching contracts and multiple National Championships.

Upending a women’s basketball scene long dominated by the likes of UConn and Tennessee, Staley serves as a disciplinarian and player’s coach all at once, not too different from that of Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa.

The biggest difference for Staley compared to the top tier of recruiters across all college sports is that she played professionally — and exceptionally — earning respect and reverence that few coaches across from her can match.

This type of esteem connects with parents and players alike.

“When you go into people’s living rooms and tell them that they’ll graduate?” said Staley. “They’re working to get to the next level. When you dangle that in front of them? They work a little bit harder.”

When looking for hard work, look no further than MiLaysia Fulwiley. When looking for the perfect place to take her talents, Staley’s program made perfect sense.

“I picked South Carolina because I wanted to be coached by somebody who’d been in my position before,” Fulwiley told Boardroom.

Already a viral sensation one game into her college career, Fulwiley exploded in Paris and across social media. Going coast to coast in France, the revered recruit went around the world and around her back, laying in a jellyroll lay-up that had everyone from Magic Johnson to Jamal Crawford singing her praises.

“It felt unbelievable when I heard that Kevin Durant shared my video,” Fulwiely said. “Seeing NBA stars and people who play basketball giving my move credit? It means a lot.”

While the freshman phenom owes her talent and hard work to the heralded highlight, getting seen on such a stage is a shoutout to Staley.

The program built by Dawn in Columbia, mixed with the pressure she’s put on the NCAA and ESPN, all funnel toward bigger platforms for the girls she coaches like Fulwiley.

In high school, the McDonald’s All-American was courted by coaches nationwide. She chose SC not just because of its proximity to home, but the character and resume only Staley could offer. Since arriving on campus, the flashy point guard has learned from a WNBA legend who played the same position.

Just the same, Fulwiley’s received coaching from Staley’s staff on thriving in the new open market of endorsements.

“She had multiple people come and talk to us about our NIL deals,” said Fulwiley. “We also have NIL companies in our program called Garnett Trust. She tells us to stay focused on basketball, and the NIL will play its part.”

So far, so good. Represented by Excel Sports Management, Fulwiley will continue to thrive off the court thanks to the work she’s putting in on the court.

Leading the No. 2 recruiting class in all of the women’s college basketball, Fulwiley will run the show for Staley, which is green where age is concerned.

“We’ve got a little different team,” said Staley. “We’re super talented but not much on-court experience.”

All the while, Staley will continue to fight the good fight for women’s basketball. Just like her early days at Temple while playing point for the Charlotte Sting, the dream merchant is sacrificing sleep so that these girls can make more money and more noise than anyone ever imagined.

“Every season brings on a different challenge no matter who you have,” said Staley.

Read More:

1

0

1023

post

6

OR

Tech Talk April 7, 2024

ChatGPT, Voice Engine, Sam Altman & More Updates from OpenAI

Deals & Investments April 5, 2024

From March Madness to Man United: Brands Make Fan Dreams Come True

Execs & Entrepreneurs April 5, 2024

Everything is On the Table for Maverick Carter, Paul Rivera & The Shop

Sports April 4, 2024

Boardroom Talks: Amar’e Stoudemire Always Understood the Game

Boardroom Investments April 2, 2024

CNBC x Boardroom Game Plan Summit Returning in 2024

Sneakers April 1, 2024

LSU’s Mikaylah Williams is Jordan Brand’s Newest Face of NIL 

The post Dawn Staley: The Dream Merchant of Women’s Basketball appeared first on Boardroom.

The expectations at Kansas for its men’s basketball team are nothing short of insane. As a blueblood program, the Jayhawks and their fans expect to not only compete for championships but to win them. Often.

Bill Self has done everything the program’s rabid fanbase could hope for and more. In 20-plus seasons in Lawrence, Self has led Kansas to two national championships, three Final Fours, eight Big 12 Tournament championships, and 16 Big 12 regular season crowns. His teams have never finished worse than second in their conference and have never won fewer than 21 games in a season (and that was the weird COVID-shortened 2020-21 year).

So, yes, a lifetime contract for Bill Self is worth the investment from Kansas’s perspective. Now that Self is clear of the dark NCAA cloud that hung over the program for years (whether or not there should have been more serious sanctions is entirely beside the point), KU felt it right to give Self a deal that makes him the highest-paid coach in college basketball.

Boardroom read through the contract and has all the details on what Bill Self and Kansas agreed to.

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

Bill Self Contract and Salary Breakdown at Kansas

Signed: Nov. 3, 2023
Term: This is a lifetime deal on a five-year rolling term, meaning an additional year is added to the deal every March 31.
Salary: $500,000

Bill Self Supplemental Pay by Year:

Like most coaches, Self makes the bulk of his money through supplemental pay. At Kansas, the athletic department breaks it down into two categories: professional services and royalty payments. The professional services portion covers appearances, media obligations, commercials, and more — basically any time Self is in public, representing the university or program. Royalty payments are what Self gets for allowing Kansas to use his name, image, and likeness for commercial purposes. All together, the two payments will net Self the following, each season, in addition to his $500,000 base salary and whatever performance bonuses he might earn:

• 2023-24: $6.7 million
• 2024-25: $6.9 million
• 2025-26: $7.1 million
• 2026-27: $7.5 million
• 2027-28: $7.8 million
• Every season thereafter: $7.8 million

Additional Pay

If that wasn’t enough, Self will also earn a $1 million annual retention bonus and a one-time $5 million retention bonus if he is still head coach on March 31, 2028.

And that’s not all.

Kansas gave Self a $1 million signing bonus and owes him money from his previous contract, adjusted to account for the economic hardships of COVID-19. To cover the $7.2 million he’s owed in prior retention bonuses, Kansas will give him $100,000 a month for the next six years. Also, to cover his retention payment for last year, Kansas will pay an additional $118,919.17 per month for the next 12 months.

All together, that means Bill Self will earn $8,418,919.17 this year, before performance bonuses and not including the initial signing bonus. In the fifth season of this deal, he will be able to earn $9.4 million, plus the $5 million added retention bonus.

What about John Calipari’s lifetime deal?

The Kentucky bench boss has a lifetime contract of his own in Lexington. Here are all the details.

Show Me the Money!

Performance Bonuses

Unless you live under a rock (with no chalk), you know Kansas is about as sure a thing in men’s college basketball as any. That means Self can also clean up in performance bonuses, as long as the Jayhawks perform according to expectations. In total, Self can earn up to $800,000 per year, provided he hits each of the following benchmarks:

• Big 12 regular season championship: $50,000
• Big 12 Tournament championship: $25,000
• Big 12 Coach of the Year: $50,000
• AP Coach of the Year: $100,000
• NCAA Tournament appearance: $50,000
• Sweet 16 appearance: $100,000
• Final Four: $150,000
• National Championship win: $200,000
• Single year academic progression rate of 970 or higher: $75,000

Bill Self Buyout Details

Though it may seem outlandish, Kansas has the option to fire Self without cause — meaning if they just want to move in a different direction with the program — at any time. And while Self’s buyout is certainly nowhere near the gargantuan total Texas A&M will have to cough up for Jimbo Fisher, KU’s head man would get a nice payday to ride off into the sunset. If he is fired without cause, Kansas will owe him $23,100,000 as he exits, plus any accrued pay to that date.

Of course, if he’s fired for cause (think NCAA violations — shoutout to the IARP), Kansas does not have to give him a penny.

There’s also the unlikely event that Self accepts a job elsewhere. If that’s the case, he would owe Kansas $5 million if it happens before March 2026. That drops to $4 million for the next year and $3 million for any time after that.

Additional Perks

In addition to Self’s base pay, fees, and bonuses, Kansas provides him the following benefits:

• Use of 2 courtesy automobiles
• A Wheels Up membership (or a similar service) valued at $20,000 per month
• 10 tickets to all home basketball games and six tickets to all away games
• Use of the Scholarship Suite for Kansas football games
• Membership at two local country clubs

Read More:

1

0

68

post

6

OR

59,793

March 23, 2024

Mikaylah Williams Joins Kiki Rice on Jordan Brand NIL Roster

Deals & Investments January 12, 2024

Nick Saban: The Best Business Partner in Sports

January 11, 2024

Nick Saban Retiring After 17 Seasons at Alabama

Sneakers January 8, 2024

The $300 Million Michigan vs. Washington Sneaker War

Sports January 5, 2024

CFP National Championship: Do Sportsbooks Favor Michigan or Washington?

Sports January 4, 2024

NCAA, ESPN Reach Massive College Sports Media Rights Deal

The post Bill Self Contract and Buyout Breakdown at Kansas appeared first on Boardroom.

For Stanford star Cameron Brink, basketball runs in the family. Sort of.

Brink is the god-sister of Warriors great Stephen Curry, who has made a few trips to Maples Pavilion to sit courtside with his daughter, Riley, and watch Brink play. Below, you’ll see his reaction as Brink secured a Cardinal win with a last-second block last season.

Though they’re not blood-related, it’s not shocking to hear that the godsister of a two-time NBA MVP — a player who quite literally changed the way the game is played — is ALSO good at basketball.

For starters, she’s taller than Curry at 6-4, towering over most of those who attempt to defend her. This gave her an advantage from Day 1, as she played in all 32 games as a freshman — starting the final 20 — in Stanford’s most recent national championship season. From there, Brink has blossomed into one of the best players in women’s college basketball, having racked up All-American honors, a Pac-12 Player of the Year award, and two Defensive Player of the Year awards since. She even has a couple of World Cup gold medals to her name via FIBA 3v3 play.

With the accolades have come multiple deals in the name, image, and likeness (NIL) space. Heading into her senior year, Brink is not only coming off a campaign in which she led Stanford in scoring, rebounding, and blocks on the court, but she’s also on the heels of her biggest NIL deal to date (more on that below).

Boardroom breaks down Brink’s NIL portfolio below.

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

Cameron Brink NIL Market Value

All data via On3.com’s NIL rankings as of Oct. 5, 2023.

Women’s College Basketball NIL rank: 9
Overall NIL 100 rank: N/R
Annual Valuation: $203,000
10-week High: $203,000
10-week Low: $200,000
Total Social Media Followers: 484,000 (319K on IG, 159K on TikTok, 6.4K on X)

The above monetary figures are via On3’s NIL Valuation, a proprietary algorithm that “establishes the overall NIL market and projected 12-month growth rate by measuring two categories, Brand Value Index and Roster Value Index.”

“While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career.”

Notable Cameron Brink NIL Deals

New Balance

Kawhi Leonard. Jamal Murray. Zach LaVine. Cameron Brink.

With her new NIL deal with New Balance, Brink became the first women’s basketball player — professional or not — on the company’s roster. While she may not have any signature silhouettes similar to some of the names above (yet), the Stanford star is expected to appear in multiple company campaigns, “from lifestyle to performance, work with the footwear and apparel design teams to influence future product,” per the official release.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by New Balance (@newbalance)

“I am honored and excited to join forces with New Balance,” Brink said. “Their ability to empower athletes perfectly aligns with my own values, and I look forward to this journey with them. I hope we inspire athletes around the world to fearlessly pursue their dreams.”

Also through the partnership, Brink and New Balance will aim to “actively engage in community-driven initiatives to create positive change in the lives of young, female athletes.”

Buick

Ahead of March Madness last season, Buick made a strong marketing play in the women’s basketball game.

General Motors, Buick’s parent company, has been an NCAA partner for over a decade, so seeing Buick around the NCAA Tournament isn’t all that surprising. But now, with the ability to partner with players following the implementation of NIL, the car company shot its shot.

Joining Brink as the five Buick athletes were former Player of the Year at South Carolina and No. 1 WNBA Draft pick Aliyah Boston, the reigning Player of the Year in Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, UConn sensation Azzi Fudd, and Kiki Rice, the UCLA product who Jordan Brand chose to debut the Air Jordan 38. Not a bad group, to say the least.

All of them were part of the “See Her Greatness” campaign, in which each player was featured in her own respective video. Below is Brink’s.

Other notable deals: Chegg, Icy Hot, Aquaphor, Optimum Nutrition

More NIL:

1

0

77

post

6

OR

356

April 6, 2024

DJ Burns Jr. Shines as NIL Star with Huge NCAA Tournament Run

Sneakers April 1, 2024

LSU’s Mikaylah Williams is Jordan Brand’s Newest Face of NIL 

March 23, 2024

Mikaylah Williams Joins Kiki Rice on Jordan Brand NIL Roster

March 19, 2024

UNC Star Deja Kelly Inks NIL Partnership with Tommy Hilfiger

Exclusive

Sports March 15, 2024

Curry Brand Signing MiLaysia Fulwiley Has Been a Long Time Coming

Sports January 9, 2024

Jordan Brand’s Booming Championship Roster

The post Boardroom NIL Report Card: Stanford’s Cameron Brink appeared first on Boardroom.

We are still a few months out from Bronny James‘ official on-court debut as a USC Trojan. However, Nike is ensuring that fans are on the ready. The Beaverton brand unveiled some official Bronny USC merch for the first time. The Swoosh listed a classic t-shirt in the signature cardinal and gold and featuring the number 6. However, fans rushed the site, leading it to sell out soon after its release. James is only the second college athlete to receive the official Nike scholarly treatment, following in the footsteps of Iowa’s Caitlin Clark. James will step on the court for his freshman year after he experienced a cardiac event while practicing earlier this summer.

Nicki Minaj Tapped to Emcee the MTV VMAs

Nicki Minaj is set to drop Pink Friday 2, her first album since 2010’s Queen, in November. And in advance, she is getting back in the game. MTV revealed that the rapper will take the stage in a dual role at next Tuesday’s Video Music Awards, where she will serve both as the evening’s emcee and a performer. This is the second year in a row that Minaj will assume hosting duties (although MTV’s announcement seemingly avoids the term), having shared them last year with LL Cool J and Jack Harlow.

Deion Sanders, Colorado Football Drawing Huge Betting Numbers Ahead of Week 2

After a shocking Week 1 win against the TCU Horned Frogs, all eyes are on Deion Sanders and the Colorado squad as they take on Nebraska. In advance of Saturday’s kickoff, bettors are locking in on the game. ESPN reports that the matchup has taken in more bets than any NFL game on the league’s opening weekend. A deeper look at the data provided by FanDuel reveals that the Buffs have received 37% of Saturday’s handle. This weekend, the team will sport custom suits from Michael Strahan‘s signature line. The threads, co-designed by Coach Prime, feature the school’s mascot and “IBELIEVE” lining.

CNBC x Boardroom Set to Premiere ‘Game Plan’ Summary Show

This July, some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment gathered in Los Angeles for a gripping day of programming as part of the inaugural CNBC x Boardroom Game Plan event. The day’s lineup included ESPN chairman James Pitaro, NWSL commisioner Jessica Berman, NBA Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero, and many more. This Saturday at 3 PM EST, CNBC will debut a summary special spotlighting some of the day’s brightest moments.

Check out Boardroom’s behind-the-scenes breakdown of the day’s events and set your DVR for 3:00 PM EST on CNBC.

CEO of the Recording Academy Debunks News that AI-Generated Drake & The Weeknd Cut is Grammy Eligible

The CEO of The Recording Academy, Harvey Mason Jr., took to Instagram to debunk the internet rumor that the AI-generated cut assembled in the style of Drake and The Weeknd will receive Grammy Award consideration. Ghostwriter977’s “Heart on My Sleeve” took over social media upon its release. Drake repeatedly spoke out against AI in music, and it appears that The Recording Academy is aligned with his criticism.  “Let me be extra, extra clear,” Mason Jr. said in a short video, “even though it was written by a human creator, the vocals were not legally obtained, the vocals were not cleared by the label or the artists and the song is not commercially available and because of that, it’s not eligible.” He went on to address that AI in music is a tricky subject with which the Recording Academy is currently grappling.

Oregon St. & Washington St. File Complaint Against Pac-12

Oregon State and Washington State, the only two schools committed to the Pac-12 beyond this school year, have filed a legal complaint against the conference in an effort to keep departing members from determining the league’s fate. WSU and OSU argue that conference bylaws state the 10 departing schools should not be allowed seats on the league’s board of directors. That would deny the outgoing schools the right to vote on matters including the potential dissolution of the conference and equal division of assets among the 12 schools. This comes ahead of a Sept. 13 meeting in which the league is scheduled to vote on a “go forward governance approach.” All 12 member schools are invited.

The post Nike Goes Back to School with Bronny James USC Jerseys appeared first on Boardroom.

More than three years after his passing, Kobe Bryant‘s brand is still growing.

Vanessa Bryant formally announced on Tuesday evening that six Nike schools — UConn, USC, Kentucky, Oregon, Duke, and LSU — will partner with the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation and wear Kobe Bryant’s sneakers this season.

Each school is already under contract with Nike and is expected to play in and have access to Nike Kobe Protro product during the 2023-24 college basketball season.

This official announcement comes on the heels of Kentucky coach John Calipari sharing a care package from Vanessa and Natalia Bryant that commemorated Gigi Bryant through the “Mambacita” Nike Kobe 4 Protro and her Mambacita jersey.

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

Prior to that, Vanessa sent the entire LSU women’s basketball team “Grinch” Nike Kobe 6 Protro pairs last spring amid their National Championship run.

Each program that Vanessa listed has a direct tie to Kobe and the Bryant family.

Famously, Kobe would’ve likely attended Duke had he gone to college, later developing a strong bond with former coach Mike Krzyzewski as a member of Team USA. The late Laker legend was also close to UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma, who spoke at Kobe and Gigi’s celebration of life.

Additionally, USC and Oregon have long laced Nike Kobe sneakers due to regional relationships and strong Nike ties.

At the moment, it’s unclear whether the selected programs will don Kobe’s famous Sheath logo on their uniforms or what the additional partner perks will include.

Read More:

1

0

45

post

6

OR

126,639,59

Sneakers March 26, 2024

The Black Women Who Rule Basketball Fashion

March 23, 2024

Mikaylah Williams Joins Kiki Rice on Jordan Brand NIL Roster

Sneakers January 10, 2024

Nick DePaula’s 10 Sneaker Headlines to Look Forward to in 2024

Deals & Investments January 10, 2024

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Continues to Build on Family Legacy with BodyArmor Deal

Sports January 4, 2024

NCAA, ESPN Reach Massive College Sports Media Rights Deal

December 11, 2023

Bronny James Makes USC Debut

The post Vanessa Bryant Announces 6 Nike Kobe Brand Schools appeared first on Boardroom.

On Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024, the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic will make its return to Newark, New Jersey’s Prudential Center for its third consecutive year.

With support from WME Sports, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, Horizon Sports & Experiences, and actor-director-entreprenuer Michael B. Jordan, this year’s edition of the event will feature an HBCU basketball doubleheader to be televised nationally on TNT. This year, free streaming digital platform, HBCU GO — the leading media provider for the nation’s 107 Historically Black Colleges and Universities from Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group — additionally joins the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic as a partner and will re-air both games.

The slate will include the first-ever Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) matchup between Grambling State and Jackson State, as well as the battle for “the real HU” when Hampton University takes on Howard University.

During halftime, the respective schools’ bands will perform in a highly-anticipated showdown of their own.

According to an official press release, the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic “reflects their shared mission of shining a light on and supporting HBCUs and their students.”

Moreover, as has been done in the past with other classics, part of the proceeds from the basketball showcase will support organizations focused on advancing Black educational institutions and the local Newark community.

Tickets for the 2024 Legacy Classic are available now via Ticketmaster.

READ MORE

1

0

15

post

6

OR

166,1585

Sports February 27, 2024

Jerry Rice, Shannon Sharpe & More: The Legacy of HBCUs in the NFL

Boardroom Investments September 19, 2023

Welcome to the Brooklyn Aces’ Fall 2023 Season in Major League Pickleball

Deals & Investments August 5, 2023

Boardroom NIL Report Card: Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders

Exclusive

Boardroom Investments July 20, 2023

Brooklyn Aces Announce Drake, Michael B. Jordan, Steve Stoute Among New Pickleball Team Investors

Deals & Investments June 26, 2023

Ryan Reynolds, Michael B. Jordan Buy Into Alpine F1 Team

May 23, 2023

Tom Brady Joins Las Vegas Raiders as Minority Owner

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

The post Michael B. Jordan, Invesco QQQ & Warner Bros. Discovery Announce 2024 HBCU Legacy Classic appeared first on Boardroom.

When NIL started in college sports, NIL collectives soon followed. The logical next step is now here, as we’ve reached the era of NIL collective associations. Or, as the first one is known, The Collective Association.

The Collective Association, which launched last month with seven power conference school collectives, has added 10 more — all from the Power 5 as well. As On3 reported on Thursday, TCA plans to work directly with its members on NIL-related issues, including lobbying for state legislation, creating an agent registry, and developing a revenue-sharing model.

As of now, the following schools have collectives in TCA:

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

What Does An NIL Collective Do?

In their simplest form, NIL collectives exist as an NCAA-compliant way for boosters to pay student-athletes directly. Because the NCAA still outlaws “pay-for-play,” a wealthy donor cannot simply reach out to an athlete in the transfer portal and promise them a sum of money in exchange for a commitment. They can, however, donate to a collective, which pools its money and licenses players’ NIL rights. Collectives can also help facilitate NIL deals for that school’s athletes.

If it sounds like collectives can easily be used to lure recruits in a workaround to pay-for-play rules, well, that’s because they can be. While it can’t be explicitly done as outlined above, there’s no rule that keeps a coach from saying to a young quarterback, “Well, our starting quarterback last year received X from our collective, which is more than any other school you’re looking at can match. We can’t guarantee anything, but the only way you can earn NIL money from our collective is by coming to our school.”

This has led to obvious concern from NCAA administrators looking to rein in these collectives — though they are technically not affiliated directly with the schools, which makes it difficult. From the collectives’ point of view, they need to continue operating in a way that is both beneficial to their universities and NCAA-compliant.

The Collective Association Goals

The Collective Association will ultimately represent its members’ student-athletes as the NCAA continues to evolve its stance on NIL. A significant part of this, according to On3, is developing a revenue-sharing model. On3 cited Matt Hibbs of Georgia’s Classic City Collective, who proposed that conferences could give some of their TV revenue to league-wide collectives, which would relieve some of the financial burden from boosters.

TCA also wants to work with new NCAA president Charlie Baker on developing an agent registry for student-athletes. Details on what that would look like are still scarce, but the idea would be to develop uniform standards for agents looking to represent college students.

A lack of uniformity from state to state is also an issue that has plagued the NIL world. With no federal law on the books just yet, athletes in 50 states are operating by 50 sets of rules. TCA wants to work with schools that will lobby for better NIL legislation at the state level. Baker also wants Congress to pass an NIL bill and many of his wishes for that bill align with TCA’s interests.

As of now, TCA members only represent the highest-revenue Division I institutions. As the gap between the haves and have-nots in college sports continues to grow, pay attention to who has the loudest voices in the room. Big money in college athletics isn’t going anywhere. How it’s allocated, however, remains fluid.

The post The Collective Association: The First National NIL Group Takes Shape appeared first on Boardroom.

Flau’jae Johnson: The Anomaly

And now? She’s a national champion with 1.4 million Instagram followers, is one of the highest-paid NIL athletes in the country, and has her debut EP “Best Of Both Worlds” expected this summer.

She’s only 19 years old. 

It’s not easy for Johnson to deal with those who might not understand the duality of her careers in music and basketball. Directly, I ask her if being an anomaly makes it harder to be taken seriously. 

“Anomaly,” she whispers back to herself with a smile. “I like that.”

Another integral individual who has long respected Johnson as an anomaly? LSU head coach Kim Mulkey. Brooks says Mulkey has both understood and appreciated Johnson’s gift from the start. 

“Kim brings in 60- and 70-year-olds and lets Flau freestyle to them,” Brooks explains, “and they’re standing up in the room going crazy, screaming and hollering like, ‘Oh my God!” 

Mulkey also understands that rapping can be therapeutic for the freshman, giving Johnson room to go out and create music after tough losses or bad games.  

But bigger than her therapy, being a musician is a defining element of Johnson’s growing business portfolio.

Building Deals

With the integration of name, image, and likeness deals across campuses in this country, new dynamics are bound to emerge. After all, Johnson was entering LSU with a record deal, Puma across her chest, and a seven-figure projection going forward based on her NIL footprint.

So, what does it mean for a freshman to walk into a new locker room with an IMDb page and net worth you can Google? 

Johnson admits her teammates probably did have suspicions about her character. That’s fair — she had been in the spotlight since she was a kid. Once they got to know her, however, she says the money wasn’t an issue. 

“That’s the thing with NIL. They said it would mess up the locker room, but it really just depends on the type of person you are,” Johnson says. “You wouldn’t know if I was making $20 or a hundred thousand like, you know what I’m saying? I’m just still gonna be that same person.” 

“Who I am as a person and how I make people feel, I feel like that’s like something money can’t buy.”

Much of the way Johnson carries herself is a testament to how Brooks has raised her daughter. The two are often in lockstep on potential deals, on the need for balance and rest, and on making sure there’s separation between Kia Brooks the manager and Kia Brooks the mother.

Kia’s Balancing Act 

Brooks’ maternal instinct has never been limited to just her daughter. It’s no secret that NIL pacts aren’t all created equal, and in most cases, female athletes are handed the short end of the stick in regard to opportunity and paydays. 

Because of this, Brooks often feels compelled to extend guidance to Johnson’s teammates, who benefit from her insight. 

“She tries to help everybody,” Johnson says with a laugh. 

Brooks admits to offering insight to players on LSU’s championship team often, sometimes unbeknownst to Johnson herself. 

“Some of their parents aren’t tapped into this world. They just don’t know,” Brooks says. 

After all, Brooks has not only been managing Johnson through adolescence, she also runs social media pages for Johnson’s much younger siblings. With so much room to learn from athletes and parents alike in this new, lucrative world, Brooks just wants to help. 

“Even if it’s a deal I can leverage with Flau and get somebody else a deal,” Brooks says. “I’ve tried that.” 

The Future of Flau’jae Johnson

“She didn’t take Ls, they were lessons, you know what I’m saying?”

— Kia Brooks

The post Flau’jae Johnson Had it All Planned Out appeared first on Boardroom.

Eventually, we will know which conference the San Diego State Aztecs will call home for the 2024-25 season.

Eventually.

If you haven’t followed the drama, SDSU sent a letter to the Mountain West Conference — its current league — last month, notifying the consortium that it intends to leave. The Mountain West took that as the Aztecs’ official notice and said it would begin procedures to ensure a smooth departure.

That that wasn’t SDSU’s intention, however. The school’s position is that it was merely hoping to start that dialogue in the event that an invitation from a Power 5 league, most probably the Pac-12, were to come in the weeks ahead. The university attempted to clarify this, but the Mountain West continues to insist as of this writing that it is owed a $16.5 million exit fee and intends to withhold a $6.6 million revenue distribution to San Diego State in the meantime.

Suffice it to say that things are getting messy.

One thing, however, remains clear: Like every non-Power 5 FBS school out there, the Aztecs just want a seat at the cool kids’ table.

In a recent interview with Boardroom, athletic director JD Wicker was open about the university’s intentions, and despite the recent turmoil, a Power 5 invite seems to be a matter of when, not if. In the interim, Wicker’s job is to invest in his student-athletes, coaches, and facilities to make sure his school is prepared whenever that day comes.

“Showing this investment will hopefully allow us to elevate to a Power 5 conference at some point,” he told Boardroom. “If you look at the success we’ve already had and then the investment we’re making at this point, hopefully that helps us move sooner rather than later.”

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

Don’t read the AD’s words as a shot at the Mountain West; they simply reflect the economic reality. The conference is in the midst of a six-year media rights deal worth only $270 million, or $45 million annually, to be divvied among the conference’s 11 members. In a Power 5 conference, the Aztecs could net more than 10 times that each year in TV revenue alone — and that’s before you factor in bowl game payouts, NCAA Tournament units, and the increase in fan-driven revenue that would come with a conference upgrade.

While on the outside looking in, Group of 5 schools like San Diego State have had to get creative to try and bridge that revenue gap. While there’s no true template to bringing in $40 million a year without a TV deal that does just that, Wicker and his administration have managed to not only stay afloat, but build an athletic department that is growing more attractive to Power 5 suitors.

The Aztec Ascent

San Diego State football has been to 12 bowl games since 2010 after not appearing in one for 12 straight years before that. In men’s basketball, the Aztecs are fresh off a famous appearance in the national championship game and have won three of the last four Mountain West regular season titles. Meanwhile, their softball team just played in a Super Regional for the first time ever and their women’s basketball team just returned to the postseason for the first time since 2013.

Athletic success has meant revenue for San Diego State — not just through NCAA Tournament distributions but also ticket sales and donations. According to Sportico’s College Sports Finances database, San Diego State athletics made more than $5.6 million in ticket sales and raised almost $20 million in donations in 2021-22, the most recent year on record.

Compare that to their most noteworthy conference peers like Boise State ($7.2 million in ticket sales but just $9.1 million in donations) and Colorado State ($4.7 million in ticket sales and $10.9 million in donations) and it’s easy to see why the Aztecs rank near the top of the Group of 5 in operating revenues among public institutions. In fact, SDSU led the nation in operating revenue in 2021-22 out of all public schools that will not play in a power conference in any “revenue sport” next school year.

Without a Power 5 invitation, however, the problem will be sustaining that momentum. With few exceptions, college programs go through ups and downs. One day, Brian Dutcher will no longer be men’s basketball coach and it’s possible that the next hire won’t work out. What happens to ticket sales then?

For Wicker’s part, he’s doing what he can to kick that proverbial can down the road as far as possible.

“We’re gonna provide [Dutcher] all the resources he needs to be successful,” Wicker said, “from a coaching contract to what we have to provide for our assistant coaches and student-athletes.”

From a contract perspective, Dutcher is set to make just over $1.4 million next season — a competitive rate, but still less than, say, Mike Rhoades made at VCU last year. Rhoades took the Penn State coaching job this offseason.

If Brady Hoke continues to move the Aztecs’ football program in a positive direction, Wicker will have to look at his salary as well. Hoke, who left the San Diego State job in 2010 to lead Michigan and found himself returning 10 years later, made a little over $1.2 million in base salary this year. That puts him in the middle of the pack in the Mountain West.

But from elite coaches to student-athlete amenities, everything costs money. Wicker is doing what he can to open more revenue streams to his programs.

What’s the Latest on NCAA Realignment?

Go deeper on college sports with expert analysis from Boardroom.

Take Me There!

The Mission Valley Mission

Snapdragon Stadium, which opened last August, is more than just San Diego State’s football venue; the $310 million, 35,000-seat stadium was built to host events year-round. The NWSL‘s San Diego Wave and Major League Rugby’s San Diego Legion are already tenants, providing SDSU with two extra home schedules to balance each year. Major League Soccer‘s 30th expansion team will also call Snapdragon Stadium home when it begins play in 2025.

In addition, the stadium has a number of concerts on the schedule in its opening year, with Jimmy Buffett and the Red Hot Chili Peppers kicking off the slate in May. Coldplay, Guns N’ Roses, and P!nk are also on the schedule before the end of 2023.

That was always Wicker’s intention for Snapdragon Stadium — to have it active year-round. He learned from experience at Georgia Tech, where he served as senior associate athletic director, just how disappointing the alternative could be.

“We had this great stadium in the middle of midtown Atlanta and we didn’t do anything with it outside of seven football games a year and the occasional concert we hosted,” he said of the 55,000 seat Bobby Dodd Stadium. “It was one of those [moments] like, ‘if I ever get this opportunity, it has to be built for all the other uses so you can keep it busy.'”

And that’s just the stadium itself. Snapdragon Stadium is the centerpiece to SDSU’s Mission Valley district, a development that, when complete, will include retail space, public parks, housing, and hotels. According to a video on the SDSU website, the district will generate $3.1 billion for the local economy and create 17,000 jobs.

“We’ll invite the corporate world to come in and partner with the institution,” Wicker said. “Our faculty, staff, students, researchers can work alongside whatever companies want to come in.”

Given that the overall mission of college athletics is to enhance a university an its community as a whole, it’s worth noting that the school also projects an increase in student enrollment of up to 15,000, before you even factor in the predicted increase in applications that will come from this year’s dream tournament run from the men’s basketball team. Wicker says a consultant told him that the week of the Final Four alone provided $201 million worth of exposure.

Shovels are still in the ground at Mission Valley, so we don’t know exactly how much money it will bring in for San Diego State just yet.

We do know, however, that SDSU averaged 29,225 fans per game in their inaugural football season at Snapdragon — and if the Pac-12 comes calling, plans are already in place to expand the venue to 55,000 seats. At a time in which San Diego no longer has a pro football team, the Aztecs can become the next best thing, making their home stadium a hub for high-level sports and entertainment year-round.

Making Money at Snapdragon Stadium

San Diego State is hardly the only D-I school to share a venue with a professional sports team. Unlike most cases, though, the Aztecs own Snapdragon Stadium and have tailored their relationships with the Wave, Legion, and upcoming MLS team to suit their needs.

Take the MLS club for example. According to documents obtained by Boardroom, San Diego State is set to receive the following, in exchange for hosting the franchise in its stadium:

• $200,000 per home game (use fee) — a number that can drop if the club does not make every seat available for the contest
• $2 from every ticket sold (facility fee)
• 20% of net revenue for each home game

For the uninitiated, MLS teams play 17 home games apiece and average attendance for MLS games this season is around 22,000 fans. Assuming that’s what this new club draws and the season format does not change by 2025, SDSU would stand to make $3.4 million in use fees and $748,000 in ticket sales in year one.

And that’s not to mention gameday revenue or the $2 million per year that SDSU gets from Qualcomm — which owns Snapdragon — for stadium naming rights.

As for the university’s deal with the San Diego Wave, we have less clarity. SDSU did not make available similar documents to show use or facility fees, but did provide an agreement for merch sales. Under that agreement, the Wave will pay San Diego State a 25% commission on merch sales from $0 to $100,000 or 20% if sales top $100,000. That’s with a minimum guarantee of $10,000 per game.

It’d be unfair to crunch all the numbers and boldly declare that San Diego State makes X million dollars in profit from the stadium each year. Remember, the university owns the stadium, so it must pay for staffing and operations for each event, not to mention the initial $310 million cost. Still, these are sustainable revenue streams that not many other G5 programs can boast.

It won’t bridge the gap completely, but it does accomplish two main goals: It keeps SDSU athletics financially afloat and keeps them at the top of the list of most desirable G5 programs.

For now, everything else is a waiting game, maybe with a dash of legal strife with the Mountain West.

More College Sports:

1

0

125

post

6

OR

60,356,293,58,793,59

April 9, 2024

UConn Secures Second Consecutive NCAA Title

April 8, 2024

South Carolina Nets National Title, Dawn Staley Surges into the History Books

April 6, 2024

DJ Burns Jr. Shines as NIL Star with Huge NCAA Tournament Run

Deals & Investments April 5, 2024

From March Madness to Man United: Brands Make Fan Dreams Come True

April 4, 2024

Angel Reese Takes Over Vogue to Declare for WNBA

Sneakers April 1, 2024

LSU’s Mikaylah Williams is Jordan Brand’s Newest Face of NIL 

The post San Diego State Readies to Ride the Conference Realignment Wave appeared first on Boardroom.

Tre Johnson, ESPN’s top-ranked 2024 boys basketball recruit, is the first high schooler to ever sign an NIL deal with Panini America, the company announced Tuesday.

The exclusive multi-year deal will include autographed trading cards and memorabilia for the shooting guard from Dallas, who’s projected as one of the top picks in the 2025 NBA Draft. Johnson joins an illustrious list of current and former pro athletes signed to exclusive Panini deals, including Luka Dončić, Kylian Mbappé, Christian Pulisic, David Beckham, Charles Barkley, and new NBA draftees Amen and Ausar Thompson.

“It’s always been a dream to have my own trading card, and now through my partnership with Panini, it’s happening,” Johnson said. “I’m excited for my first basketball trading cards and can’t wait to keep working together on more fun projects.”

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

In addition to Panini, Johnson will join a new basketball team for his senior season. He’s transferring from Lake Highlands High School to premier national program Link Academy in Branson, Missouri. Johnson has confirmed offers from top college programs including Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, and more.

“This is a milestone for Panini America, and Tre Johnson will be an excellent partner for our brand,” said Jason Howarth, Panini America’s senior vice president of marketing and athlete relations. “Not only is he one of the best basketball players in the country, but he’s an athlete from our backyard and someone we have had our eye on. We are excited to support Tre and help him grow as he continues to progress in his basketball career.”

Off the court, Lift Sports Management represents Johnson. The rising senior is currently 91st in On3’s NIL 100 ranking, but that ranking is now very subject to change.

Read More:

1

0

37

post

6

OR

927,59

March 23, 2024

Mikaylah Williams Joins Kiki Rice on Jordan Brand NIL Roster

Sports January 4, 2024

NCAA, ESPN Reach Massive College Sports Media Rights Deal

December 11, 2023

Bronny James Makes USC Debut

Sports December 8, 2023

Dylan Harper is Blazing His Own Trail with Rutgers & Fanatics

Sports December 6, 2023

The Numbers Behind Jim Valvano’s Lasting Legacy

Sports November 15, 2023

UNC Trio to Lead First Chapters of Athletes.org

The post Top Basketball Prospect Tre Johnson Signs with Panini appeared first on Boardroom.

The University of Cincinnati has signed a new apparel contract with Jordan Brand and Nike. The news was first reported this week by Justin Williams of The Athletic.

Starting in the 2023-24 school year, the men’s and women’s basketball programs will be outfitted in Jumpman jerseys, shoes, and shorts, while the football team will ring in the Scott Satterfield era wearing Nike from head to toe.

Notably, the news marks a return to form of sorts, as the Bearcats basketball team famously inked an agreement with Jordan Brand back in 1997.

“It just made a lot of sense to bring them on,” former Jordan Brand Vice President Gentry Humphrey told Boardroom back in 2021 on the original signing.

Believed by their former coach to have moved more merchandise in New York than the Knicks, the Bearcats’ breakthrough union with Jordan Brand in the late ’90s carried a cachet that shined brightly in Ohio but resonated far beyond the Midwest.

“The edge that they brought and the great color combination [were] iconic to the brand,” Humphrey said. “We had Cal on the West Coast and St. John’s in New York. So, geography-wise, Cincinnati made a lot of sense.”

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

From 1997 to 2006, Bearcat basketball was adorned in the Jumpman while the football team started said era in Reebok before switching to the Swoosh.

Following the departure of coach Bob Huggins, Cincinnati signed an apparel agreement with Adidas that ran from 2006 to 2015. By the fall of 2015, the school was signed to Under Armour, which they’ve worn every season since.

Now, as the 2023-24 college sports season approaches, old friends are officially reunited.

For more on UC’s historic run on the hardwood with Jordan Brand, check out the Oral History of the Bearcat’s Jumpman Era and a deep dive on the iconic ‘Cat Scratch’ basketball shorts.

Read More:

1

0

79

post

6

OR

1420,477,238

Sneakers April 1, 2024

LSU’s Mikaylah Williams is Jordan Brand’s Newest Face of NIL 

Sports March 29, 2024

The Rise and Run of Jess Sims

March 23, 2024

Mikaylah Williams Joins Kiki Rice on Jordan Brand NIL Roster

Deals & Investments March 13, 2024

The Budding Business of Giannis

Sneakers February 28, 2024

The Major Milestones of Black Impact on the Sneaker Industry

Sneakers February 14, 2024

The Return of the Nike KD 4 ‘Galaxy’

The post Cincy and the Swoosh: Cincinnati Bearcats Reunite With Nike & Jordan Brand appeared first on Boardroom.

Ray Allen is royalty in Storrs, Connecticut. His jersey hangs in the rafters at Gampel Pavilion as the only UConn Huskies men’s basketball player to have his number retired. To this day, he holds the school record for three-point percentage (.448), threes made in a season (115), and consecutive games scoring in double figures (67). He’s also, for now, the program’s only men’s player currently in the Naismith Hall of Fame.

So, you’d be forgiven for thinking Allen had accomplished it all at UConn when he left in the mid-90s.

In reality, he had one thing gnawing at him all the way from his NBA transition in 1996 all the way into 2021: He didn’t have his degree, and he hated being reminded of that.

“I served on the board at the University of Connecticut, and every time I went to a board meeting, you’re sitting at this table with all these other board members, and it had my name and I’d see other people’s names, and it had their name and their class year, but I wasn’t official alumni,” Allen told Boardroom. “So, it’s those little things that over time ate away at me.”

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

It’s the Same Brain

Today, Ray Allen is a college graduate. You may have seen him over the weekend finally walking at UConn’s commencement exercises for the Class of 2023 at the age of 47.

He completed his degree in general studies in 2021, taking online classes during the height of the pandemic to get his remaining credits. Though he doesn’t need that college degree for anything — the guy made over $180 million in NBA salary alone — it’s now forever a line on his resume.

Allen never doubted whether he could accomplish this feat. As he put it, elite athletes are wired in a way that helps them succeed in the classroom.

“You don’t use your brain in one form of your existence and then don’t use it anymore,” he said. “It’s the same brain. So you compete in sports, so then you have to compete in academics.”

Only the opponent in the classroom isn’t a team of NBA players. It’s not even the professor, really. It’s the subject matter — the thing he has to break down like game tape — to digest, analyze, and respond to.

Aside from his proficiency from three, Allen is known on the court as a tireless worker. He was never one to half-ass a workout or to decide he was good enough at his craft. Talking to him about his studies, it’s apparent that he takes the same approach in the classroom.

“You understand what it takes to break something down to its finest parts,” he said, “and understand it from top to bottom and be great at it. Dominate it.”

Allen doesn’t believe that mindset has to be unique to him, either. Anyone good enough to reach the NBA is among the best in the world. They all have that same ability for greatness in academics.

“If you show me an intense competitor, I’ll show you somebody who can be good at anything,” he said. “Most people will brand an athlete as somebody who’s blessed to do that very sport or have a skill for that sport. But actually being great at a sport just means that you had the ability to focus and practice on that very thing.”

A Modern Approach

Ray Allen isn’t walking the streets, handing out resumes, and hoping to land some steady work. His road to a degree was his personal journey, all stemming from that sense of unfinished business at UConn and spurred on by his own curiosity.

This time around at the university, he was able to take a class on the 2020 presidential election as it unfolded. The university also offered a class on hip-hop, exploring its origins and how it’s enjoyed groundbreaking success around the world.

Ask Allen’s college coach, and he’ll tell you that range of classes fits his former player perfectly.

“Ray always wanted to know everything about everything and he always thought maybe a little different than a lot of guys,” Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun, who coached the Huskies to three national titles, told Boardroom. “He’s a basketball player who was dedicated — I mean shooting, doing all those things — but his mind was always working and he always wanted to know more.”

Regardless of the subject matter, Allen took the opportunity to learn from his professors and classmates. Most of his peers were of traditional college age, born when he was already an established NBA star in his prime years. Those were the people he discussed coursework with in group texts and on class message boards.

Those are interactions Allen was thankful for, and they were not possible when he was of college age — and that’s not just because it was before the era of online classes and distance learning. UConn, as Allen points out, is far more diverse today than it was in the 90s, with the success of its basketball programs creating a more global profile for the university. Allen enjoyed meeting young peers from all walks of life, bringing a far wider range of life experiences to his discussions than he tended to witness on campus more than a quarter-century ago.

As Calhoun can attest, Allen would not shy away from someone with a different perspective. He tells a story of Allen getting to know his Israeli-born college teammate, Doron Sheffer, and learning about the horrors of the Holocaust. It led Allen to visit the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC, and then eventually to travel to Poland to see Auschwitz firsthand.

“Ray is one of the most inquisitive guys I’ve ever met in my life,” Calhoun said. “He always wanted to know why.”

Allen doesn’t hesitate to share what he learns, either. During the 2022 US midterm elections, he was active on Instagram, voicing support of his chosen candidates. Now, he often shares his Word of the Day or a photo of whatever book he’s reading.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ray Allen (@trayfour)

Setting an Example

Allen ranks fifth in NBA history with 385 made threes, so in the modern Association, it’s easy to see why young players would want to learn from the two-time NBA champion and 10-time All-Star’s game.

Just as importantly, however, he hopes current and future players can follow his example and go back and earn their degrees if they didn’t do so the first time around.

“Whenever you hear the story about somebody getting their degree 30 years after they left college, I think it sets a positive tone throughout the atmosphere where [people] say, ‘oh, man, I can do that too. It’s not too late for me. It’s not too difficult,'” Allen said, “and those are the stories I think we need to share, to talk about more in the public domain, because those are things that inspire people to be their best self.”

JR Smith is a living example. The two were traveling together when Smith caught Allen on the computer working on a paper. It was then that Allen explained he was working toward his degree and suggested Smith, who did not play college basketball, try to get his as well.

Fast-forward to today and not only is Smith enrolled at North Carolina A&T, but he’s a member of their golf team as a 37-year-old student-athlete.

Smith’s path doesn’t have to be unique, either. The NBA’s collective bargaining agreement allows for a $125,000 tuition reimbursement for athletes pursuing a college degree through the league and union’s joint Education Trust. While many will make enough money to pay for credits themselves, the tuition reimbursement is about more than covering costs.

“It’s the idea that your league is so concerned with your education and you furthering your education and focusing on making sure that you have the opportunity to go back and get your degree,” Allen explained. “Retired and current players, we understand that there’s some guys that are well-rounded and multifaceted, and it’s important that people understand [that] we didn’t finish school not because we couldn’t; it was just because the opportunity of a lifetime presented itself. So now, as a league, [the goal is] to make sure that we have all of our players continue to better themselves, continue to grow, and add to their person.”

Allen’s approach to academics isn’t going to be universal, but he does want players to know how simple the process really is — and he believes that once players get a taste of furthering their own education, they’ll be hungry for more.

“It takes just that one opportunity to get your juices flowing,” he said. “Once you take that one class, you’re like, ‘oh, I want more.'”

Read More:

1

0

253

post

6

OR

37,59,1376

April 9, 2024

UConn Secures Second Consecutive NCAA Title

Sports April 4, 2024

Boardroom Talks: Amar’e Stoudemire Always Understood the Game

Sports March 29, 2024

The Rise and Run of Jess Sims

Sneakers March 26, 2024

The Black Women Who Rule Basketball Fashion

March 23, 2024

Mikaylah Williams Joins Kiki Rice on Jordan Brand NIL Roster

March 18, 2024

Thompson Twins, Overtime Elite Immortalize “Dream Board” in Collab with Cash App

The post Meet Ray Allen, the College Graduate appeared first on Boardroom.

Coach Kim Mulkey and her LSU Tigers continued their run through the transfer portal with another major commitment on Friday. DePaul All-American Aneesah Morrow, who averaged over 25 points and 12 rebounds per game last season, announced that she will join Hailey Van Lith, Angel Reese, and Flau’jae Johnson in Baton Rouge as LSU chases a second straight national championship.

Many suspected Morrow would end up in an LSU jersey next season, so what made this commitment interesting wasn’t the decision itself, but how Morrow announced it. She told the world she’d be a Tiger via an NIL partnership with Caktus AI.

This is believed to be the first transfer announcement made via branded content. In Morrow’s social media post, she used Caktus AI technology to help her decide between LSU and finalists South Carolina and USC.

“The partnership with Caktus AI made perfect sense,” Morrow told Boardroom. “It allowed me to take a different approach to displaying which university I would commit to, while using the NIL opportunity as a start to maximizing my value as an athlete.”

The video shows her working out at her high school, Simeon Career Academy in Chicago, and going back and forth asking questions to the app. Morrow’s final inquiry is “I want to win championships and build a dynasty. Where is the best place for me to achieve my goals?”

Caktus AI’s response: “The answer is clear, you belong in Baton Rouge, go be great!”

Beyond this feedback, Morrow looked at all LSU has to offer, and not just on the hardwood.

“I decided to attend LSU due to its outstanding academic programs and successful sports teams,” Morrow said. “LSU is renowned for offering top-notch educational resources and has gained national recognition through their numerous championship wins in various sports. The excellent academic programs, competitive sports events, emphasis on personal branding, and supportive family and community atmosphere for student-athletes were the main factors that led me to easily choose LSU.”

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

The partnership with Caktus AI — coordinated by Morrow’s team at Voltage Management — has the potential to set the bar for how athletes use NIL to make future transfer announcements.

“Working with Aneesah, I wanted to make sure we made a splash and approach the portal process unlike anyone else,” her agent, Kailey Edwards of Voltage, said. “I wanted to make sure we used NIL in her favor for her commitment — we got connected to Caktus AI and knew right away it was a perfect fit. They wanted to be just as innovative and disruptive as us and truly believed in the moment we were trying to create for her. Aneesah is a one of a kind player and I wanted her whole transfer portal process and specifically, her final announcement to be just as big of a headline — something no one has ever done in the new era of the portal.”

Fellow Tigers Reese and gymnast Olivia Dunne are also Caktus AI partners. The brand faced some backlash after Dunne posted about her partnership, with LSU ultimately releasing a statement regarding proper use of artificial intelligence tools in education.

“This is another significant milestone for Generative AI and its role in education,” Harrison Leonard, Co-Founder of Caktus AI told Boardroom. “We are honored to partner with elite female college athletes excelling in sports and academics. LSU and its athletes exemplify innovation. Aneesah will be a fantastic addition to this larger movement.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Aneesah Morrow (@aneesahmorrow24)

The Tigers should start the season as preseason No. 1 and in the most recent FanDuel odds, LSU is the favorite (+280) to repeat as national champions, with UConn (+660) next in line, followed by Indiana, Iowa, Utah and Virginia Tech (all +750).

More NIL Deals:

1

0

77

post

6

OR

356

April 6, 2024

DJ Burns Jr. Shines as NIL Star with Huge NCAA Tournament Run

Sneakers April 1, 2024

LSU’s Mikaylah Williams is Jordan Brand’s Newest Face of NIL 

March 23, 2024

Mikaylah Williams Joins Kiki Rice on Jordan Brand NIL Roster

March 19, 2024

UNC Star Deja Kelly Inks NIL Partnership with Tommy Hilfiger

Exclusive

Sports March 15, 2024

Curry Brand Signing MiLaysia Fulwiley Has Been a Long Time Coming

Sports January 9, 2024

Jordan Brand’s Booming Championship Roster

The post Aneesah Morrow Announces LSU Transfer Via Caktus AI appeared first on Boardroom.

Jared McCain is on the move in every sense of the term.

In January, he became a Burger Boy by being named to the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Team. Weeks later in February, he won this third straight high school hoops championship with Centennial High School in Southern California. March and April were spent shooting promotional content for Crocs, representing his country at the Nike Hoop Summit, and getting his course load set for early enrollment at Duke University.

Despite all that he’s still found time to bust a move on TikTok, amassing over 8.5 million views on the platform since starting out in 2020.

If it all sounds like fun, that’s because it is.

Today, the Blue Devil with the blue check is checking in with Boardroom to discuss his NIL partnership with Champs Sports. Headlining the “Game, All Day Every Day” campaign, Jared’s all smiles when discussing one of his many brand deals.

Maybe it’s because he’s getting gear and building his bank at only 19 years of age. Maybe it’s because he just got back from a day trip to Disneyland.

From the heralded hooper’s thoughts on AI-generated Drake to how he stays positive despite an adult amount of responsibilities, hear what Jared had to tell Boardroom below.

IAN STONEBROOK: Last fall, you inked a major name, image, and likeness deal with Champs Sports. How has that partnership evolved during your senior season?

JARED McCAIN: It’s been crazy and it’s been super exciting working with Champs. When I first got the deal, I remember as a kid, you go into these stores and you see all the athletes on the wall.

When I walked into a store and I saw myself for the first time? It’s awesome. It’s an experience that you never really think you’ll get, but it was amazing to see it, and they’re amazing to work with. They always comply with everything I need, whether it’s the scheduling and stuff like that with all these tournaments. But yeah, it’s been amazing working with them. 

IS: I spent many an afternoon as a high schooler shopping at Champs with my lawn mowing or grocery bagging money. What’s it like entering that store as an athlete ambassador?

JM: It’s funny when I walked in there the first time, no one noticed me — none of the workers or anything. But when one customer noticed, it kind of started spreading throughout the store. Then, the workers came up to me and were like, ‘Is that you?’ And then we started talking. So maybe customer service goes up a little bit when they see you on the wall. 

IS: Do other shoppers ask you to put their sneakers on your tab?

JM: [Laughs] They tried. But I was like, ‘Uh, maybe next time.’

IS: Fair enough. I heard when you signed that the first order of business was getting your mom a pair of Air Max 97s. Did you cross that off your list?

JM: Yeah. For Christmas, I was able to get them all like a bunch of Champs stuff. My whole family was decked out in Champs. I ended up getting her a Tech Fleece suit that she’s rocking.

IS: Your senior year of high school is wrapping up. What’s the last school year been like navigating academics, hoops, and NIL?

JM: It’s pretty wild. I’m in high school and all this stuff is happening. In the beginning, it was a lot of brands coming after me and I didn’t even know how to handle it. Even my parents didn’t know. To have like all these deals come in and you have to manage it, see what’s right for you, what fits your personality, and what I want to be portrayed as online? That’s why Champs was so perfect for me. It was everything I wanted.

So, it’s been difficult in the beginning, but now I think we’ve got it under control and it’s way easier to navigate. 

IS: Managing money as a student is one thing when it’s just chores and allowance. I have to imagine it’s a whole different deal with NIL and brand partnerships.

JM: It’s funny, because I used to take out the trash for $10 a week. When these deals started coming in, I kind of got a little busy and I kind of stopped that a little bit. So, I stopped taking out the trash for $10 a week [laughs].

IS: Have you been able to flip stuff at all where you’re the one paying your parents to do those chores? Are you treating them? 

JM: For sure, we’re gonna go to Hawaii soon. It’s just exciting to be able to do certain stuff, whether it’s buying them a gift they’ve been wanting for a while or giving them any experience they haven’t been able to get.

IS: Tell me about Duke. I understand you’ll be working with Rachel Baker on your upcoming NIL partnerships.

JM: Yessir. That platform at Duke is unmatched. I’m just excited to get out there, compete, and see all the stuff off the court that they can help me out with to help me build my brand off the court. I’m super excited to get out to Duke. I can’t wait. 

IS: When do you arrive in Durham for classes?

JM: I go out to take summer classes. I think it starts July 6, I wanna say, but I go out June 20 for the first part of it for a few weeks. Then, I come back and then I go back out, so I’ll get a taste of it in the summer. 

IS: Coming from California and heading to North Carolina, the weather is a little different. Between the Champs NIL deal and Duke being a Nike school, are you packing a suitcase of clothes for school or just rolling the dice on getting a bunch of free gear?

JM: You know, I don’t know what to take. I feel like I’m gonna end up just taking just a big suitcase with nothing in it. Maybe I’ll take my prize possession, the Sean Wotherspoon Air Max 97/1s. Then, maybe some underwear and socks. But then, other than that? Whatever Champs comes out with and then whatever Duke comes with [laughs].

IS: Have you already found the closest Champs location to your dorm room?

JM: [Laughs] I haven’t looked at it. I gotta find it. It should be close, though. I’m hoping it’s close because I’ll be there a lot, so I’ll get used to the workers and we’ll be on a first-name basis. 

IS: Switching gears, I see you just got back from a trip to Disneyland and I know you’re a self-proclaimed Disney Kid. Tell me about your trip and your attraction to Disney as a whole. 

JM: Ever since I was a kid, it was Disney Channel or Nickelodeon for most kids in my class and I was always on the Disney side. Good Luck Charlie and Dog with a Blog were my favorites. I love that aspect of just still being a kid in Disneyland and they have the best rides for me.

My favorite ride? I’d have to go with Guardians of the Galaxy in California. That one’s crazy. I love Disneyland and Disney as a whole. It’s been something I’ve been a part of since I was a kid, so just being able to go there now, it’s very nice. 

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

IS: Speaking of feeling like a kid, I know your favorite artist is The Boy: Drake. As a Drake fan, tell me your feelings on both AI Drake and the upcoming tour.

JM: Drake’s always at the top tier for me. Anything he does is amazing. I don’t know if he likes the AI, though, because it’s not his real voice, of course, so I don’t know if he likes that. But I think Drake and The Weeknd should hop on the real version of that.

But anything Drake does, I’m with it whether it’s OVO or any music. I’ve never not liked a Drake song [laughs]. I love Drake and one day I gotta meet him. 

IS: Heading to a Nike school, could we see some NOCTA gear working its way into your on-court rotation?

JM: Yeah, I hope so. I just saw him and I think he was wearing a Gonzaga sweatshirt. I was like, ‘Damn, I wish that was Duke’ [laughs].

IS: You may need to start hooking up Drake with some Duke gear.

JM: I’ll get him. Anytime Drake wants some seats, you know, I may have to scoot my family aside for that one. 

IS: Moving to school this summer, are you going to be able to get out to the Drake tour in NC or CA?

JM: You’ll catch me there for sure. I’ll probably go to the one in Inglewood at The Forum. I’ll be there a hundred percent singing every word. 

IS: Speaking of The Forum, what have been your takeaways on the NBA Playoffs thus far?

JM: I was able to go to the Kings game [against Golden State]. The Game 1 environment was insane. Watching that and seeing how that could eventually be me? It’s a blessing to see it in person. Seeing [Stephen] Curry is insane as well. The Western Conference in particular has been pretty wild, especially with the Draymond stuff. It’s been great to watch and I love tuning in whenever the Kings play.

IS: As a Steph Curry fan and a Kings supporter, what are you wearing to that game and who do you find your heart rooting for?

JM: It’s super tough because I went to the Curry Camp and I got to meet him and stuff like that, so I love when Curry does well. But I gotta go with where I’m from. I gotta go with the home team, the Kings. I guess I want Curry to drop, like, 60, but I want De’Aaron [Fox] and Malik [Monk] to go crazy and win. 

IS: Being a point guard growing up in Sacramento, who are your top five Kings guards?

JM: I know [Mike] Bibby is up there. Jason Williams, obviously. I went to the McDonald’s game with Andrej Stojakovic, so Peja is always in that mix for the Kings.

I went to a game when I was younger and Isaiah Thomas hit a bank shot game-winner. Seeing that in person, he’s up there, too, and definitely De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk off the bench. I’m gonna go with De’Aaron right now just for the new era and the playoffs.

IS: During the pandemic, you picked up the TikTok bug. Since then, you’ve become an absolute star of the platform. I’m curious, what’s your phone look like when a video you make goes viral?

JM: It’s wild. I remember when I hit 10,000 followers. Me and my mom were in complete shock. To be where I’m at now with 1.9 million followers and seeing videos do millions of views? I never could have dreamed of it. It was so random that it happened, just dancing before games, and then all of a sudden the videos were blowing up.

It’s very cool to see all these supporters know about my story and tell me they appreciate me and I inspire them. That’s the craziest part that’s come with all this stuff: that I’m able to inspire the younger generation and people older than me. It’s funny that it all came from dancing, just showing off positive energy. 

IS: Has doing TikTok dances improved your footwork on the court?

JM: Most definitely, I was gonna say that. Knowing how to do these moves, it translates to the footwork. I played soccer all my life, so I think that also comes with dancing, footwork, and finding the rhythm of certain things. In basketball, dribbling is also rhythm, so I think it definitely helped. I think it made me become a five-star.

IS: You’re big on positivity. What are some habits you’ve picked up that keep you in a good headspace?

JM: I feel like doing my routine every day is the main thing that’s helped me stay healthy-minded. For about a year and a half consistently, I’ve been doing floating in the sensory deprivation tank. That’s really cool, I think that it’s like an advanced version of meditation. That’s helped me in keeping a great mindset. Then reading has helped me a lot on the mental side. I’m reading Raise Your Game. One of my coaches, Dorrell Wright, gave it to me so I just started this one.

Then, I think just being self-aware. Knowing what’s wrong, knowing what you need to fix. I think social media can be a very toxic place sometimes. I try and get off of it a lot. When I’m at Duke, I think I’m gonna stay off my phone and stuff like that. So I’m definitely finding different ways to keep a healthy mind, because at the end of the day, if you’re not in a healthy mind space, then everything’s gonna seem off. I love keeping up with my mental health. 

IS: In the era of NIL, you have a lot of opportunities and a lot of responsibilities. What have you learned about personal and family finances during this ride?

JM: I’ve had help with my agents and the agency in knowing how much I’m worth in certain areas, but in the beginning, it was hard because NIL was so new. You didn’t know how much to price certain things at or if someone’s taking advantage of you.

Once you finally find how much stuff is worth, it can help dictate how much you wanna charge. That’s probably my biggest thing. Having the agency probably helped the most, though. They handle all that, so I’m just over here. They give me whatever I need to do and it’s all good. I trust them. 

IS: Closing out on the Champs partnership, what’s been your latest pickup through the deal?

JM: My favorite one from the shoot was the “Cool Grey” Jordan 6. Anything Jordan, I’m down for whatever, but my favorite one from the “Game, All Day Every Day” campaign was the Jordan 6. 

IS: This fall in Durham, what should fans expect to see on your feet?

JM: We’re gonna see a little bit of everything. I’m excited though. I’m excited to wear some Nikes. 

Read More:

1

0

1023

post

OR

Tech Talk April 7, 2024

ChatGPT, Voice Engine, Sam Altman & More Updates from OpenAI

Deals & Investments April 5, 2024

From March Madness to Man United: Brands Make Fan Dreams Come True

Execs & Entrepreneurs April 5, 2024

Everything is On the Table for Maverick Carter, Paul Rivera & The Shop

Sports April 4, 2024

Boardroom Talks: Amar’e Stoudemire Always Understood the Game

Boardroom Investments April 2, 2024

CNBC x Boardroom Game Plan Summit Returning in 2024

Sneakers April 1, 2024

LSU’s Mikaylah Williams is Jordan Brand’s Newest Face of NIL 

The post Hoops Phenom Jared McCain on Duke, Drake & Becoming an NIL Champ appeared first on Boardroom.

The Cavinder Twins appear to be taking their talents to WWE. The pair teased a turn to wrestling Thursday on the Today Show, lending support to what many suspected when they announced earlier this week they would forgo their final year of college eligibility.

“We’re very excited about the future with them,” Haley Cavinder said on the show.

Haley and Hanna Cavinder, fresh off leading the Miami Hurricanes to a surprise Elite Eight appearance in March Madness, have one year of eligibility remaining at Coral Cables. While they didn’t say it explicitly, deciding to leave now — after the WNBA Draft and with no hints about the transfer portal — sure seemed to point to their college careers being over.

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

WWE is a natural next step for the Cavinder twins. They were among the first WWE Next In Line class, announced when NIL first came into effect in 2021. The program was designed to “recruit and develop potential future Superstars and further [enhance] the WWE’s talent development process,” according to a release at the time. While there was no formal obligation for the Cavinders — or any other Next in Line member — to join WWE after college, the program gave them the opportunity to explore it as a future pathway.

The Cavinders began their collegiate careers at Fresno State, both earning All-Mountain West honors. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, they turned to TikTok to pass the time. Their massive following then catapulted them into the NIL picture in the summer of 2021. After another season with the Bulldogs, the pair transferred up, joining Miami amid some controversy and what was surely a hefty bag from John Ruiz and Life Wallet. This season, Haley Cavinder led the Hurricanes in scoring (12.2 ppg) while shooting 40% from 3 and 88% from the line. Hanna Cavinder played in 34 games off the bench, averaging 3.8 points over just under 17 minutes per game.

On the WWE side, the company could replace one set of twins with another, just a month after the Bella Twins (now known as Brie and Nikki Garcia) ended their 16-year WWE careers. We don’t know if the Cavinders will stick around quite that long, but they’ll have plenty of professional opportunities regardless.

More WWE:

1

0

9

post

6

OR

562

April 10, 2024

WrestleMania 40 Breaks WWE Records in Philadelphia

January 24, 2024

Netflix, WWE Agree to Exclusive ‘Raw’ Streaming Deal; TKO Adds ‘The Rock’ to Board

Deals & Investments January 23, 2024

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Continues to Solidify Investment Foundation

September 27, 2023

OVO Partners with Texas, Kentucky, Memphis, UNC, & Alabama for College Collab

September 22, 2023

WWE ‘Smackdown’ Makes $1.4B Return to USA Network

Sports September 21, 2023

UFC Revenue Spikes Following WWE Merger

The post Cavinder Twins Tease WWE Career appeared first on Boardroom.

Take a gander at all the Way Too Early 2023-24 preseason men’s and women’s basketball rankings and you’ll notice something that could only be described as consistent inconsistency. Different media outlets assume different players will declare for the NBA and WNBA drafts, use their bonus COVID year of eligibility, or simply move on from college. The biggest question mark right now, however, lies in the NCAA transfer portal.

Since college basketball’s regular season ended, the portal roster has steadily grown, and now that March Madness is in the rearview mirror, too, coaches will send their recruiting efforts into overdrive — and in the NIL era, there’s really no predicting which way anyone is leaning. A transfer could have a great visit at one school, but then again, John Ruiz might swoop in with more Life Wallet money. Before you know it, Miami has another Final Four team.

As of this writing, there are a few huge names already in the portal. On the men’s side, 2021 NCAA Tournament darling and 2,500-point scorer Max Abmas from Oral Roberts leads the way along with former Michigan big Hunter Dickinson. For the women, it’s DePaul’s Aneesah Morrow, one of the best offensive players in the country this year.

Having trouble tracking who, exactly, your team should be looking at? Fear not, here is the 2023 Boardroom NCAA Basketball Transfer Portal Tracker.

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

Notable Men’s College Basketball Transfer Portal Players

Reflects Boardroom’s curated list of transfer portal players as of June 13, 2023.

Max Abmas: Oral Roberts –> Texas
Amaree Abram: Ole Miss –> Georgia Tech
Dylan Addae-Wusu: St. John’s –> Seton Hall
Fardaws Aimaq: Texas Tech –> California
Posh Alexander: St. John’s –> Butler
Avery Anderson: Oklahoma State –> TCU
Steven Ashworth: Utah State –> Creighton
Zack Austin: High Point –> Pitt
Dawson Baker: UC Irvine –> BYU
Will Baker: Nevada –> LSU
Ace Baldwin: VCU –> Penn State
TJ Bamba: Washington State –> Villanova
Jamison Battle: Minnesota –> Ohio State
Khalif Battle: Temple –> Arkansas
RaeQuan Battle: Montana State –> West Virginia
Tyler Burton: Richmond –> Villanova
Jared Bynum: Providence –> Stanford
Devan Cambridge: Arizona State –> Oregon
Moussa Cissé: Oklahoma State –> Ole Miss
Jack Clark: NC State –> Clemson
Skyy Clark: Illinois –> Louisville
Walter Clayton Jr.: Iona –> Florida
Matthew Cleveland: Florida State –> Miami
Jalen Cone: Northern Arizona –> California
Jalen Cook: Tulane –> LSU
Supreme Cook: Fairfield –> Georgetown
LJ Cryer: Baylor –> Houston
Andre Curbelo: St. John’s –> Southern Miss
DJ Davis: UC Irvine –> Butler
Hunter Dickinson: Michigan –> Kansas
Jordan Dingle: Penn –> St. John’s
Marcus Domask: Southern Illinois –> Illinois
Damian Dunn: Temple –> Houston
Jesse Edwards: Syracuse –> West Virginia
El Ellis: Louisville –> Arkansas
Jayden Epps: Illinois –> Georgetown
Aaron Estrada: Hofstra –> Alabama
Noah Fernandes: UMass –> Rutgers
Quincy Gerrier: Oregon –> Illinois
Joe Girard: Syracuse –> Clemson
Ques Glover: Samford –> BYU
Hakim Hart: Maryland –> Villanova
John Hugley IV: Pitt –> Oklahoma
Graham Ike: Wyoming –> Gonzaga
Harrison Ingram: Stanford –> North Carolina
Curtis Jones: Buffalo –> Iowa State
David Jones: St. John’s –> Memphis
Denver Jones: FIU –> Auburn
Lance Jones: Southern Illinois –> Purdue
Nelly Junior Joseph: Iona –> New Mexico
Arthur Kaluma: Creighton –> Kansas State
Keonte Kennedy: Memphis –> California
Kerr Kriisa: Arizona –> West Virginia
Ben Krikke: Valparaiso –> Iowa
Eddie Lampkin Jr.: TCU –> Colorado
Chris Ledlum: Harvard –> Tennessee
Caleb Love: North Carolina –> Arizona
RJ Luis: UMass –> St. John’s
Dušan Mahorčič: NC State –> Duquesne
Tramon Mark: Houston –> Arkansas
Dayvion McKnight: Western Kentucky –> Cincinnati
Zane Meeks: San Francisco –> Arizona State
Adam Miller: LSU –> Arizona State
Caleb Mills: Florida State –> Memphis
Jordan Minor: Merrimack –> Virginia
RayQuawndis Mitchell: Kansas City –> Penn State
Essam Mostafa: Coastal Carolina –> TCU
Paul Mulcahy: Rutgers
Brandon Murray: Georgetown –> Ole Miss
Olivier Nkamhoua: Tennessee –> Michigan
Grant Nelson: North Dakota State –> Alabama
Jameer Nelson Jr.: Delaware –> TCU
Ryan Nembhard: Creighton –> Gonzaga
Femi Odukale: Seton Hall –> New Mexico State
Josh Oduro: George Mason –> Providence
Quincy Olivari: Rice –> Xavier
Kario Oquendo: Georgia –> Oregon
Abou Ousmane: North Texas –> Xavier
Tylor Perry: North Texas –> Kansas State
Julian Phillips: Tennessee
Zyon Pullin: UC Riverside –> Florida
DJ Rodman: Washington State –> USC
Cormac Ryan: Notre Dame –> North Carolina
Hunter Sallis: Gonzaga –> Wake Forest
Tyrese Samuel: Seton Hall –> Florida
Kadin Shedrick: Virginia –> Texas
Javon Small: East Carolina –> Oklahoma State
Payton Sparks: Ball State –> Indiana
Primo Spears: Georgetown –> Florida State
Cam Spencer: Rutgers –> UConn
JJ Starling: Notre Dame –> Syracuse
Lazar Stefanovic: Utah –> UCLA
Carlos Stewart: Santa Clara –> LSU
Glenn Taylor Jr.: Oregon State –> St. John’s
Trevian Tennyson: Texas A&M CC –> TCU
Nicolas Timberlake: Towson –> Kansas
Jaylon Tyson: Texas Tech –> California
Connor Vanover: Oral Roberts –> Missouri
Steele Venters: Eastern Washington –> Gonzaga
Qudus Wahab: Georgetown –> Penn State
Kel’el Ware: Oregon –> Indiana
Warren Washington: Arizona State –> Texas Tech
Sahvir Wheeler: Kentucky –> Washington
Jae’Lyn Withers: Louisville –> North Carolina
Paxson Wojcik: Brown –> North Carolina
Trey Woodbury: Utah Valley
Jordan Wright: Vanderbilt –> LSU
Latrell Wrightsell Jr.: CS Fullerton –> Alabama

Notable Women’s College Basketball Transfer Portal Players

Erynn Barnum: Arkansas –> Mississippi State
Madison Bartley: Belmont –> Baylor
Beyonce Bea: Idaho –> Washington State
Lauren Betts: Stanford –> UCLA
Jakia Brown-Turner: NC State –> Maryland
Aicha Coulibaly: Auburn –> Texas A&M
Jayda Curry: California –> Louisville
A’jah Davis: Northern Illinois –> Seton Hall
Lexi Donarski: Iowa State –> North Carolina
Matilda Ekh: Michigan State –> Virginia Tech
Yaya Felder: Ohio –> Baylor
McKenzie Forbes: Harvard –> USC
Denae Fritz: Iowa State –> Baylor
Sydney Harris: Central Michigan –> TCU
Camille Hobby: NC State –> Illinois
Kiki Jefferson: James Madison –> Louisville
Alyssa Jimenez: Nevada –> FGCU
Diamond Johnson: NC State –> Norfolk State
Una Jovanovic: CS Fullerton –> TCU
Rachel Kent: IUPUI –> Butler
Lexy Keys: Oklahoma State –> Oklahoma
Mackenzie Kramer: Lehigh –> Clemson
Ila Lane: UCSB –> California
Jordyn Merritt: Florida –> Texas Tech
Alanna Micheaux: Minnesota –> Virginia Tech
Aneesah Morrow: DePaul –> LSU
Tirzah Moore: Oral Roberts –> West Virginia
Quincy Noble: North Texas –> Oklahoma State
Maddie Nolan: Michigan –> Colorado
Ashley Owusu: Maryland –> Penn State
Te-Hina Paopao: Oregon –> South Carolina
Lauren Park-Lane: Seton Hall –> Mississippi State
Sedona Prince: Oregon –> TCU
Nina Rickards: Florida –> Louisville
Darrione Rogers: DePaul –> Mississippi State
Endyia Rogers: Oregon –> Texas A&M
Lauren Ross: Western Michigan –> Michigan State
Alasia Smith: Gardner-Webb –> Memphis
Jewel Spear: Wake Forest –> Tennessee
Celeste Taylor: Duke –> Ohio State
Sydney Taylor: UMass –> Louisville
Ajulu Thatha: SIUE –> FGCU
Kennedy Todd-Williams: North Carolina –> Ole Miss
Hailey Van Lith: Louisville –> LSU
Jada Walker: Kentucky –> Baylor
Destinee Wells: Belmont –> Tennessee
Darian White: Montana State –> Nebraska
Maty Wilke: Wisconsin –> Utah
Del’Janae Williams: Indiana State –> Alabama

More College Hoops:

1

0

39

post

6

OR

59,293,551

April 9, 2024

UConn Secures Second Consecutive NCAA Title

April 6, 2024

DJ Burns Jr. Shines as NIL Star with Huge NCAA Tournament Run

Sneakers April 1, 2024

LSU’s Mikaylah Williams is Jordan Brand’s Newest Face of NIL 

March 23, 2024

Mikaylah Williams Joins Kiki Rice on Jordan Brand NIL Roster

Sports January 4, 2024

NCAA, ESPN Reach Massive College Sports Media Rights Deal

Sports January 1, 2024

10 Sports Business Predictions for 2024

The post 2023 College Basketball Transfer Portal Tracker appeared first on Boardroom.

As the two-time Oregon High School Boys Basketball Player of the Year and prized recruit of the Pac-12’s Ducks, Jackson Shelstad is Oregon through and through. With his home state becoming one of the more recent ones to pass legislation allowing amateur athletes to monetize their name, image, and likeness, the 4-star West Linn High School point guard is now building a brand portfolio with deep ties to Portland, which sits just 12 miles up the road.

After signing Oregon’s first-ever high school NIL deal in October with apparel company Portland Gear, Shelstad is now collaborating with Settlemier’s Jackets, a Portland-based, family-run premium letterman jacket brand that has worked with the likes of LeBron James (Nike x Tiffany & Co.), Serena Williams (Gatorade), and Pharrell Williams and Nigo (Billionaire Boys Club) among other global icons.

Shelstad’s connection to the James family in particular runs deep, as Oregon’s top recruit is already Klutch Sports Group client — the Rich Paul-founded firm brokered the deal with Settlemier’s — and after leading West Linn to an upset win over Bronny James’ Sierra Canyon High School earlier this season, the duo will now share the court this weekend for the USA team at the 2023 Men’s Nike Hoop Summit.

“When my family and I sat down to discuss NIL and what kind of partners I wanted to look at, I decided it was most important to look for partners that align with the same values that I do,” Shelstad told Boardroom. “I want to be authentic in this process and start to build longer-lasting relationships that work with me as I look to grow my brand and identity in this new space. I want to help tell impactful stories that connect to my community and be a local athlete that kids look up to and fans respect.”

As the brand’s first NIL athlete, Shelstad linked with Settlemier’s to create two exclusive jackets that celebrate his on-court accolades, including a custom chenille patch of Shelstad’s “JS” logo made with his creative director, Alex Hartman, and featuring patches highlighting the local, regional and national honors he’s tallied to date.

“The black jacket was really inspired by my high school journey at West Linn,” Shelstad said. “So many amazing memories with my teammates and accomplishing a lot of the goals I set for myself. As for the designs, I wanted my jacket to be different. I wanted it to be a premium, black-on-black jacket with larger patches. I also wanted to add details to the jacket that were unique to me beyond the classic state achievements, so we added and introduced my JS logo on the chest, which I’m excited about revealing.”

As he continued, “We added a Gatorade Player of the Year and Les Schwab Invitational MVP trophy, both achievements I wrote down as a kid that I wanted to accomplish. Finally, we added a hidden message, ‘The Separation is in the Preparation,’ which is a nod to my work ethic and time I spent in the gym. The jacket really came out as a piece of art and something special to remind me of my time and journey at West Linn High School.”

In addition to the major hardware earned this season, Shelstad averaged 28.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game on the season, leading West Linn Lions to a 32-2 record and a playoff run that ended in Oregon’s Class 6A state championship game.

Even though he’s due to make a 100-mile trip down to Eugene for his college career, it’s still about being true to the neighborhood.

“Partnering with local businesses is big for me also,” added Shelstad. “It’s about building the foundation through authentic partners in my community. I’m looking at partners who align with the person I am and the brand that I’m building. I’m looking for partners that want to think differently about NIL… I like the idea of being grassroots in nature but first-class in products and content. I want to lead by example and have fun doing it.”

Per company owner Aaron Settlemier — the third generation of his family to run the business — this is just the start of their partnership with Shelstad, who will star in a back-to-school advertising campaign with potential out-of-home placements around the Portland and Eugene areas. Additionally, future jacket design collaborations will coincide with moments in Shelstad’s life and career at the University of Oregon.

Unlike typical transactional NIL deals, this collaboration will evolve every year.

“We wanted this partnership to be as local of a story as possible,” Settlemier told Boardroom. “Part of our business ethos is amplifying where we come from. We always want to tell that story and shine a great light on this city, this state, and the people within it.

Every Settlemier’s jacket is cut, sewn, and assembled at their factory in the same Portland neighborhood in which Aaron grew up. It was only natural that their first NIL partnership would be with a local legend like Shelstad, who will now represent the United States in the Nike Hoop Summit, this weekend at the Moda Center in Portland.

Acting as an unofficial host of the Hoop Summit as the only participating player from Nike’s own home of Oregon, Shelstad will be joined on-court by top recruits like Isaiah Collier (USC), Justin Edwards (Kentucky), and DJ Wagner (Kentucky). This global stage is the perfect platform to debut his Settlemier’s jacket, a la LeBron showcasing his Nike x Tiffany & Co. letterman look during a Madison Square Garden visit earlier this year.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Settlemier’s Jackets (@settlemiers.jackets)

“I have vivid memories of my mother, Gloria, sewing names and numbers on team jerseys and cheerleading uniforms in the basement of our house night after night when I was growing up. Eventually, she was able to build the business to her goal of a complete varsity jacket factory,” Settlemier said. “When we see student-athletes like Jackson work so hard for his school, his craft, and his dreams, it reminds me of the work my mom put into making this company. He has a saying that made it onto the black-on-black letterman jacket, ‘The Separation is in the Preparation,’ and that says a lot about why he’s a good fit for us.”

More NIL Deals:

1

0

77

post

6

OR

356

April 6, 2024

DJ Burns Jr. Shines as NIL Star with Huge NCAA Tournament Run

Sneakers April 1, 2024

LSU’s Mikaylah Williams is Jordan Brand’s Newest Face of NIL 

March 23, 2024

Mikaylah Williams Joins Kiki Rice on Jordan Brand NIL Roster

March 19, 2024

UNC Star Deja Kelly Inks NIL Partnership with Tommy Hilfiger

Exclusive

Sports March 15, 2024

Curry Brand Signing MiLaysia Fulwiley Has Been a Long Time Coming

Sports January 9, 2024

Jordan Brand’s Booming Championship Roster

The post Oregon Hoops Commit Jackson Shelstad Achieves NIL Letterman Status appeared first on Boardroom.

Take a bow, Angel Reese. The LSU Tigers hoops star deserves as much after putting up yet another double-double with 15 points and 10 boards in her team’s 102-85 victory over Iowa in the finale of the Women’s NCAA Tournament en route to Most Outstanding Player honors.

In most cases in sports, the days following such a championship accomplishment are filled with praise and congratulations. Instead, a large part of the national discourse has been focused on players’ celebrations rather than celebrating the women themselves that put on literally record-breaking performances on both sides.

In the final moments of the game, cameras caught Reese doing the same “you can’t see me” celebration that Iowa star Caitlin Clark did in the Elite Eight against Louisville in the direction of her opponent. She added her own twist on the gesture popularized by G-Unit rapper Tony Yayo and wrestler/actor John Cena by pointing to her ring finger, alluding to the jewelry she just locked up by winning a natty.

My first thought? What a badass, the same thought I had when Clark did the same thing in the Elite Eight against Louisville. Both of these players have been phenomenal all season long and have helped elevate women’s basketball forward in very real ways.

But thanks to social media, the conversation surrounding this brief celebration turned vile.

As anyone who works in sports knows, keyboard warriors are nothing new, so perhaps we shouldn’t be all that surprised. When you have grown men with high-profile presences in media throwing out profanities at a young woman who isn’t even of legal drinking age as if she committed a crime on the court for their millions of Twitter followers to see, however, that’s where we have a problem:

It’s exhausting. It’s unnecessary.

Luckily, being the badass that she is, “Bayou Barbie” doesn’t care what the retrograde haters think. She also couldn’t care less what this author — or any other writer that feels the need to chime in on the matter — thinks of her, and rightfully so.

“I don’t fit the narrative. I don’t fit the box that y’all want me to be in. ‘I’m too hood. I’m too ghetto.’ Y’all told me that all year. When other people do it, y’all don’t say nothing. This was for the people that look like me,” Reese said to members of the media after the game.

She doubled down with the sentiment on ESPN the next day with host Malika Andrews.

Talk that talk, Angel.

Honestly, it’s refreshing to see. She has every right to feel the way she feels and say what she wants to say, and if anyone has a problem with it, well, that problem may lie within. Do you know who hasn’t had a problem with it? Caitlin Clark, who got the ESPN treatment with a specific segment discussing her trash-talking ahead of the title game — and that’s because she’s a competitor who understands that if you dish it out, you gotta be able to take it back in return.

“I don’t think Angel should be criticized at all. No matter what way it goes, she should never be criticized for what she did. I compete, she competed,” Clark said to the Worldwide Leader. “It was a super, super fun game. I think that’s what’s going to bring more people to our game.”

This is sports. It doesn’t need a clarifier ahead of it. Men or women, this is supposed to happen when the best of the best put it all on the line on the biggest stage.

Plenty of rabble-rousers out there are trying to turn this into an individual battle between Reese and Clark rather than encouraging healthy competition. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure some of it was personal; perhaps Reese’s postgame comment of “I don’t take disrespect lightly” was meant to refer directly to Clark’s waving-off of South Carolina’s Raven Johnson in the Final Four.

But even so, I refuse to give in to that notion and pit these two women against each other when they’re likely on the same page about it. Again, competitors compete, and I’m here for it.

So, all that said, let’s get into it.

I could talk about how there were clear-as-day racial biases here, with pundits and fans alike choosing sides instead of enjoying the two of the best players the sport of basketball has to offer at peak performance. Not to harp too much on two individual professional Twitter instigators, but simply take the words used to describe Angel’s actions above — “classless piece of shit” and “fucking idiot” — and compare them to those used for Clark while doing damn near the same celebration: “Queen of Clapbacks.”

Some observers have comparied the length of each respective celebration to bolster one’s “argument,” but talk about nitpicky. The sentiment is the same, but Reese’s was done amid much higher stakes.

Excuse her extending the championship moment for just a bit, putting one more personal stamp on it.

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

This isn’t the first time words during this tournament have carried racial implications, either. When South Carolina, undefeated all season long and the top seed heading into the tournament, fell to the hands of Clark and Iowa in the Final Four, head coach Dawn Staley used her postgame remarks to defend her team.

“We’re not bar fighters. We’re not thugs. We’re not monkeys. We’re not street fighters,” she said. “This team exemplifies how you need to approach basketball on the court and off the court. And I do think that that’s sometimes brought into the game, and it hurts.”

The “bar fighters” reference may have been in response to Iowa’s coach Lisa Bluder likened offensive rebounding against the Gamecocks to a bar fight, but in reality, Staley may have simply been fed up with the narrative surrounding her team all season long.

I also could address the hypocritical takes out there — and there have been plenty — expecting female hoopers (or female athletes in general) to fall in line and behave like “ladies.” In the wide world of celebrations and taunts, this whole episode should have just been considered just another day on a basketball court; Reese’s clip would get played once on SportsCenter, dudes at the local bar would note how cool it was, and the world would move on. This doesn’t even come close to some of the worst or most egregious trash-talking during a basketball game when compared to male counterparts.

So, why all the hate toward Angel?

Take one of the most disrespectful taunts in basketball for example — the “too short”/”too small” gesture. It’s been done so often in the game that it has become accepted, especially by the men. The same can be said for a staredown after posterizing someone on a dunk, another taunt that occurs regularly. These things happen all the time in the men’s game without any of us batting an eye.

So circling back to my original point: Why are we even talking about this?

Instead of harping on the subject further, I’ll choose to speak on Angel Reese’s and her team’s accomplishments en route to winning a national championship. I choose to focus on the fact that she shows up to the court every single night as her true self, unapologetically so. Or how about we celebrate her breaking a single-season record for double-doubles with 34 on her way to unanimous First Team All-American honors?

Then, there’s Caitlin Clark, who was the best player in the country all season long, landing consensus National Player of the Year honors for her troubles. In case you forgot in all this hoopla, she broke an NCAA Tournament record with 193 total points while putting up Stephen Curry-like daggers on the regular.

Perhaps most importantly, though, Sunday’s championship game was a huge win for women’s college basketball, as LSU and Iowa made TV history by attracting 9.9 million viewers, peaking at 12.6 million. It was the most-watched college event — men’s or women’s — on the ESPN+ streaming platform on top of being the most-viewed women’s college basketball game ever. Oh, and the viewership was up 103% year over year.

For reference, this game boasted higher US viewership than the following events:

• Any MLS game ever
• Any Stanley Cup Finals game since 1973
• The 2023 Orange Bowl and 2023 Sugar Bowl
• Any 2021 NBA Finals game
• The season finale of HBO’s The Last of Us
• The most recent All-Star Games for the MLB, NBA, & NHL.

(Now, imagine if networks started to invest in women’s sports much sooner! But that’s a topic for another day.)

Here are a few more records that fell during Sunday’s title game:

• LSU’s Jasmine Carson scored 16 second-quarter points, breaking the single-period scoring record in a women’s Final Four game. 
• Clark broke the NCAA title game record for 3-pointers with eight.
• The Tigers’ 102 points are the largest point total in any semifinal or national title in tournament history dating back to 1982. Throwing in Iowa’s 85 points, the 187 combined points were the highest-ever total for a national championship game. 
• Iowa’s 14 3-pointers set a record for most team triples in a title game.

To be clear, that list is not exhaustive of all the records that were broken in this game, but it’s a fine place to start given the extent to which all this unhealthy discourse in recent days has distracted from the matter.

So, no more celebration talk from me, thanks — I’m handing out flowers.

Congratulations to Angel Reese and the LSU Tigers, who went through the gauntlet on their way to bringing home a national title to Baton Rouge. And congratulations to Caitlin Clark and Iowa, too, for making a run to the championship that included an upset victory over one of the best teams in recent memory in the previously undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks. While we’re at it, congratulations to Dawn Staley and Co. as well for also doing their part in pushing things forward with a 42-game winning streak that sure inspired challengers nationwide to go harder and do more.

With authentic personalities in Reese, Clark, and Staley leading the way, women’s basketball is in good hands and trending in the right direction.

Those who prefer to ignore even the most impressive sporting achievements in favor of harmful discourse, on the other hand, I’m not so sure about. Maybe it’s time for a different hobby.

More Women’s Sports:

1

0

19

post

6

OR

355

Sports March 20, 2024

Lindsey Horan Accelerates the Future of Women’s Soccer

Sports February 26, 2024

The Business of Women’s Sports is Exploding

Sports January 1, 2024

10 Sports Business Predictions for 2024

Sports November 25, 2023

Sophia Smith Trusts the Process

Sports November 6, 2023

Richfresh Leaves Mark on Historic NCAA Moment in Paris With South Carolina & Notre Dame Tracksuits

October 6, 2023

WNBA Expansion Hits the Bay Area; New Team to Begin Play in 2025

The post For Women’s Hoops, Angel Reese & Caitlin Clark’s Trash-talking Was Never the Problem appeared first on Boardroom.

As Iowa took the court against LSU on Sunday, it was the first active Big Ten team to play in the Division I women’s basketball championship game since 2005.

It comes amid a year of unprecedented success for the conference — on the court, on TV, and in the stands. Not coincidentally, it also comes just two years after now-former commissioner Kevin Warren created the first senior-level position in conference history dedicated to the growth of women’s basketball.

That position, Vice President of Women’s Basketball, belongs to Megan Kahn, formerly of WeCOACH, a 501c(3) non-profit that focuses on education and professional development of women’s basketball coaches. When Kahn took her new post, Warren tasked her with strengthening and enhancing women’s basketball in the Big Ten.

This was in the aftermath of the disastrous 2021 NCAA women’s tournament that brought gender inequity in college athletics to the forefront of the national conversation. With a new light on the sport, Warren, a massive basketball fan himself, wanted to do right by his schools and enable them to compete at the highest level.

“He walks the walk when it comes to women’s athletics and elevating Big Ten women’s basketball,” Kahn told Boardroom. “He wanted to make sure that we were giving our coaches, our student-athletes and our teams every opportunity to be successful.”

It’s a tad disingenuous to leave it at “the Big Ten hired a VP of women’s basketball and now the conference has a team in the title game.” Kahn has been on the job for less time than Caitlin Clark has been on campus, and Kahn didn’t make a shot for the Hawkeyes this year.

But if you’re talking about the overall success of the conference this year? That has Kahn’s fingerprints all over it.

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

The Big Ten Tournament Resume

It was never a question that the Big Ten was the best conference in women’s college basketball this year. Indiana, the conference’s regular season champion, was a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Its conference tournament champion, Iowa, just knocked off the mighty South Carolina Gamecocks. Maryland and Ohio State both reached the Elite Eight. Michigan won a tournament game for the fifth consecutive year. And further down the bracket, Illinois made it for the first time in 20 years and Purdue snapped a four-tournament drought to return to the Big Dance.

“There’s no doubt this was the best year for Big Ten women’s basketball in a long, long time,” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said in the team’s pre-Final Four press conference. “We felt all year long that playing in the Big Ten has prepared us in this journey so far and whatever team that we play, if they try something different, well, one of the great coaches we have in the Big Ten has probably tried it against us already. Some of the unbelievable athletes that we have in the Big Ten has probably already done that to us.”

That helped Iowa stun the Gamecocks and a sold-out crowd in Dallas, 77-73, behind 41 points from Clark. And she did that in what may have been the most talked-about game in women’s basketball history.

Ray Katz, chief operating officer of Collegiate Sports Management Group and an adjunct professor at Columbia University, told Boardroom that he estimated around 4 million viewers would tune in for the game, which would break the previous record for a semifinal, set in 2013. The actual broadcast brought in 5.5 million viewers, making it the most viewed women’s hoops matchup since the 2004 battle between the University of Connecticut and Tennessee. To make that even more impressive, Katz notes, 25% fewer households have cable subscriptions compared to a decade ago.

Those are the numbers that Kahn wants to see as she continues to craft the most competitive league in the country.

Keys to the Megan Kahn Kingdom

Kahn took over her role in 2021, while the COVID-19 pandemic was still wreaking havoc on college basketball. She was unable to travel for the first few months of her tenure, but once she was able to get on the road, she could start seeing games in person, meeting players, and earning the trust of her league’s head coaches.

That last part proved imperative. In order to maximize exposure, the conference has had to be innovative. This could be as simple as adjusting the playing schedule so that high-profile teams played high-profile games in exactly the right time slots. Or, it could be unorthodox, like launching a fashion collab with the league’s best players. It also could mean hosting a biweekly podcast with Sirius XM, dedicated to women’s basketball, which Kahn does.

No matter what she tries, though, it requires some buy-in from the coaches and trust from the league office.

“[Warren] gave me the keys to the kingdom. There was no blueprint or playbook that said, go execute these things,” Kahn said. “And so it allowed me to utilize my strengths to be innovative and to think outside the box and to think about, ‘okay, we have this unbelievable product on the floor. What can I do to help build it off the court?'”

The hope is that what Kahn does in the Big Ten today will inspire other conferences to try similar practices on their own. Together, it’ll raise the profile of the sport and eventually improve the overall product.

It’s similar to what Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark has tried to do with men’s basketball, positioning his conference as a leader in the sport by expanding its presence in New York, turning its conference tournament into a cultural event, and making culinary waves along the way.

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

There’s another side to this, though — one that doesn’t appear in the men’s game. Remember: Kahn took her position coming out of the debacle in the 2021 NCAA Tournament bubble. One of her main focuses, along with elevating the women’s basketball brand in the Big Ten, had to include highlighting and correcting the litany of inequities that existed before she arrived.

“There was somebody in a similar position to me on the men’s side,” Kahn said. “We didn’t even really have a budget. Nobody had served in this position so there wasn’t even a budget that existed.”

One concrete change that’s happened in the last few years: Basketball media days now feature the conference’s men’s and women’s teams, rather than holding separate events for each. It ensures that every media member who shows up to cover the men has the opportunity to do the same for the women. As a result, both sets of student-athletes have the same platform to tell their stories.

Tapping into the Potential

From media day in October to the NCAA Tournament in March, this has been a season of tangible successes for Kahn and the Big Ten. The conference has been, arguably, the most visible college basketball conference in the country.

Most notably, that’s meant putting two women’s basketball games on FOX this year, while the network is not contractually obligated to air any at all.

“They said ‘we want Caitlin Clark,'” Kahn said. “So we were able to plug and play some matchups for them that we thought would make great TV ratings.”

The excitement exists in-arena, too. It seemed like a week didn’t pass this conference season without a Big Ten team announcing record-breaking attendance numbers for a women’s basketball game. That includes Indiana selling out Assembly Hall for a women’s basketball game for the first time ever, and later, a record crowd watching Iowa defeat Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game in Minneapolis.

The potential for that sort of buzz always existed, according to ESPN analyst and former Purdue head coach Carolyn Peck. It was just a matter of tapping into it.

She used the example of going back to West Lafayette earlier this year and seeing billboards with Purdue women’s basketball players on them.

“You gotta remind them,” she said. “You’re not going to win every game, but to keep the fan loyalty and to give it the treatment that you have given the men for so many years. Now it’s not either/or; it’s both.”

Peck also said that it’s important for the conference — with Kahn at the helm — to delve deeper into what they could do to maximize revenue in the women’s game.

“You’ve gotten about as much out of football as you’re going to. Men’s basketball, you’ve gotten as much out of them as you’re going to,” she said. “Your next revenue stream is women’s basketball because they’re playing in the big arenas, so you sell those tickets, you have captivated audiences that you can advertise in, you have a strong audience that attracts TV to come into your place. It used to be a situation where they had to give away tickets to get people there. Tickets in Dallas this weekend are more expensive than Taylor Swift concert tickets. It is a valued product.”

Sustaining Momentum

The next, natural question is how the Big Ten sustains its momentum beyond Final Four weekend.

If you ask the experts, it won’t be hard — at least in the near-term. Clark will likely be back at Iowa, along with a slew of budding stars around the league.

“Jaycee [Sheldon]’s coming back, Cotie McMahon is going to be a star,” ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo said. “Iowa’s going to be really good again. Maryland — and who knows what happens with the portal — but just the way those teams play is really, really fun.”

“Really, really fun” seems to be how Big Ten programs have defined themselves, sticking with a high-scoring, fast-paced style. Lobo added that Indiana and Iowa were the top two teams in the nation in field goal percentage this year. She perhaps stated the obvious, saying, “it’s fun to watch teams make shots.”

Basketball fans seem to agree. Iowa’s Elite Eight win over Louisville had higher ratings than any NBA game shown on ESPN all season, as Clark and Cardinal star Hailey Van Lith went at it. Though the 97-83 Hawkeye win wasn’t the nail-biter many may have wanted, the teams obliterated the over. They combined for 180 total points, while Clark and Van Lith combined for 68. And Clark? She had the first 40-point triple-double in tournament history (41 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds).

Eventually, however, Clark won’t be in college anymore and it’ll be up to the next generation of stars to keep it going. In addition to Sheldon and McMahon at Ohio State, the Big Ten is adding UCLA and USC in two years, meaning Juju Watkins will suit up routinely on Big Ten Network.

As for Kahn, that means a few additional headaches in trying to put a league schedule together to accommodate teams on both coasts, while looking out for the student-athletes’ well-being. But it’s a good problem to have.

“When I see the Big Ten brands somewhere in the women’s basketball space, I want it to be big and bold and innovative,” she said.

With a Big Ten team battling for the championship, it appears the league has bought in.

Want More March Madness?

1

0

15

post

6

OR

293

April 9, 2024

UConn Secures Second Consecutive NCAA Title

April 6, 2024

DJ Burns Jr. Shines as NIL Star with Huge NCAA Tournament Run

Sneakers April 1, 2024

LSU’s Mikaylah Williams is Jordan Brand’s Newest Face of NIL 

Sports January 4, 2024

NCAA, ESPN Reach Massive College Sports Media Rights Deal

Sports January 1, 2024

10 Sports Business Predictions for 2024

Execs & Entrepreneurs April 5, 2023

Leveling the March Madness Financial Playing Field

The post The Big Ten Women’s Basketball Revival Is Complete appeared first on Boardroom.

Two teams enter, one team leaves! Get set for the 2023 NCAA men’s national championship with a big SDSU vs. UConn prediction and the latest odds and insights from FanDuel Sportsbook.

The 2023 NCAA Tournament comes to a close on Monday with a national championship matchup between the No. 4 UConn Huskies and No. 5 San Diego State Aztecs. Dan Hurley’s UConn is in search of its title in men’s basketball, while Brian Dutcher’s SDSU aims to hoist the trophy for the first time in program history.

Connecticut took care of business in a 72-59 win over Miami on Saturday behind Adama Sanogo’s great performance (21 points & 10 rebounds). Meanwhile, San Diego State outlasted Florida Atlantic in a 72-71 thriller as Lamont Butler drained a game-winning shot at the buzzer.

So, which team will win it all? Let’s make a UConn vs. San Diego State prediction and roll through the latest odds and betting insights at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Connecticut vs. SDSU Game Info

2022-23 NCAA Tournament National Championship

• Connecticut Huskies (30-8) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (32-6)
• Date: Monday, April 3, 2023
• Time: 9:20 p.m. ET
• Venue: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
• US TV Coverage: CBS

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

UConn vs. San Diego State Odds & Spread

All college basketball betting lines, odds, and prop bets are via FanDuel Sportsbook.

• Moneyline: UConn: (-320) | SDSU: (+255)
• Spread: UConn: -7.5 (-104) | SDSU: +7.5 (-118)
• Total: 131.5 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

UConn enters this contest as a clear favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook’s odds. This championship clash also features an over/under of 131.5 points, with both sides available at -110 odds.

SDSU vs. Connecticut State Betting Trends

• UConn is 14-1 straight up in its last 15 games as a favorite.
• The total has hit the under in seven of UConn’s last nine games.
• SDSU is 6-1 against the spread (ATS) in its last seven games.
• The total has hit the under in each of San Diego State’s last eight games as an underdog.

UConn vs. San Diego State Prediction & Pick

UConn has been the most dominant team in this year’s tourney as it has won each of its five games by a double-digit margin. The Huskies showcased their versatility on a night where they finally shot poorly from long range by pounding Miami inside with big forwards Sanogo and Alex Karaban.

San Diego State is a clear underdog for a reason, yet the Aztecs keep proving that they should not be underestimated. They trailed for a majority of Saturday’s national semifinal game against FAU before getting a defensive stop with only seconds left. Head coach Brian Dutcher did not call a timeout and Butler sank the jumper.

Almost every game that has involved SDSU this season is a low-scoring showdown. Connecticut proved it can win those types of battle as it held both Gonzaga and Miami to under 60 points each. The Huskies also enter this one ranked eighth in opponent effective field goal percentage (44.6%).

Look for the Huskies to match the Aztec’s defensive intensity and pull away in the second half.

SDSU vs. UCONN FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: UConn 72, San Diego State 62

San Diego State vs. Connecticut Best Bet

This game features the largest spread of any March Madness title game since the 2009 season, when UNC defeated Michigan 89-72 as a 7.5-point favorite. While I think a 17-point win is unlikely here, I do like UConn’s chances of notching one more double-digit win. The Huskies’ balance is too impressive.

It’s been mentioned above how UConn can San Diego State’s strengths on defense. Keep in mind the Huskies outrank the Aztecs in nearly every offensive statistic as well and rank eighth in offensive efficiency. Trust head coach Dan Hurley’s team to finish the season on a 6-0 against the spread run.

CONNECTICUT VS. SDSU BEST BET: UConn Huskies -7.5 (-110)

— Larry Rupp

More Madness:

1

0

39

post

6

OR

293,59,551

65276,65351

April 9, 2024

UConn Secures Second Consecutive NCAA Title

April 6, 2024

DJ Burns Jr. Shines as NIL Star with Huge NCAA Tournament Run

Sneakers April 1, 2024

LSU’s Mikaylah Williams is Jordan Brand’s Newest Face of NIL 

March 23, 2024

Mikaylah Williams Joins Kiki Rice on Jordan Brand NIL Roster

Sports January 4, 2024

NCAA, ESPN Reach Massive College Sports Media Rights Deal

Sports January 1, 2024

10 Sports Business Predictions for 2024

The post UConn vs. San Diego State: Are Bettors Backing a National Championship Upset? appeared first on Boardroom.

It wasn’t supposed to happen, but such is the Madness of March! Check out our big SDSU vs. FAU prediction and best bet, plus the latest odds from FanDuel Sportsbook.

The 2023 NCAA Tournament’s men’s Final Four is set. The next round of March Madness features The San Diego State Aztecs going one-on-one with the Florida Atlantic Owls on Saturday, April 1.

In what was a tight matchup, SDSU managed to make it out of the Elite Eight with a 57-56 victory over Creighton. Meanwhile, FAU’s shocking run continued with a 79-76 win against Kansas State, highlighted by Vladislav Goldin’s 14-point, 13-rebound double-double.

So, which side will go home while the other competes for a national title? Get set for Saturday’s game with our best SDSU vs. FAU prediction and the latest odds and insights from FanDuel Sportsbook.

Click here to read Boardroom’s full 2023 NCAA Men’s Final Four futures betting overview.

San Diego State vs. Florida Atlantic Game Info

2022-23 NCAA Tournament Final Four
No. 18 San Diego State Aztecs (31-6)
vs.
No. 25 Florida Atlantic Owls (35-3)
Date: Saturday, April 1, 2023
Time: 6:09 p.m. ET
Venue: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
US TV Coverage: CBS

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

SDSU vs. FAU Odds & Spread: Final Four 2023

All college basketball betting lines, odds, and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.

• Moneyline: SDSU: (-134) | FAU: (+112)
• Spread: SDSU: -1.5 (-120) | FAU: +1.5 (-105)
• Total: 131.5 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

San Diego State enters this contest as a slim favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook’s odds. This 6:09 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 131.5 points with both sides available at -110 odds.

San Diego State vs. FAU Betting Trends

• San Diego State is 20-16-0 against the spread this year.
• The Aztecs have a record of 17-14 against the spread as 1.5-point favorites or greater.
• Out of 36 SDSU games so far this season, 14 have gone over the total.
• Against the spread, FAU is 25-11-0 this season.
• As 1.5-point underdogs or greater, the Owls are 6-2 against the spread.
• Florida Atlantic has seen 19 of its 36 games go over the point total.

SDSU vs FAU Prediction & Pick: 2023 Final Four

All heartwarming stories must come to an end, and that’ll be the case for FAU this weekend. San Diego State’s defense can shut down most offenses, surrendering just 63.1 PPG (No. 23) on 40.5% shooting (No. 25).

A big reason why Florida Atlantic got by Creighton was by shooting 39.1% from the three-point line. Now, the Owls face the Aztecs, who’ve only given up an average of 3.7 three-pointers on 15.7% shooting over the last three games. They’ve also been averaging 42.0 rebounds and 11.0 takeaways over that stretch, indicating that FAU will be under pressure all night long.

FAU has shocked a lot of people thus far and I won’t be surprised if this is another close game. However, SDSU’s defense is as elite as it gets and won’t break. Look for the Aztecs to keep winning and advance to the National Championship.

FAU vs. SDSU FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: San Diego State 65, Florida Atlantic 63

San Diego State vs. Florida Atlantic Best Bet

San Diego State’s stellar defense means that its games tend to feature fewer points than projected. The under has struck in each of the Aztecs’ last 10 games as well as their nine previous outings as favorites. While not as frequent, Florida Atlantic has also experienced the under in five of its last seven games.

Considering how the under is a combined 13-5 in both teams’ games at neutral sites this season, it’s safe to say that a low-scoring affair is on the way.

SDSU vs. FAU BEST BET: Under 131.5 Points (-110)

— Devon Platana

More March Madness:

1

0

17

post

6

OR

551,293

April 9, 2024

UConn Secures Second Consecutive NCAA Title

April 6, 2024

DJ Burns Jr. Shines as NIL Star with Huge NCAA Tournament Run

Sneakers April 1, 2024

LSU’s Mikaylah Williams is Jordan Brand’s Newest Face of NIL 

Sports January 4, 2024

NCAA, ESPN Reach Massive College Sports Media Rights Deal

Sports January 1, 2024

10 Sports Business Predictions for 2024

Deals & Investments December 12, 2023

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark is Cashing In

The post San Diego State vs. FAU: Who Are Sportsbooks Backing to Play for the National Title? appeared first on Boardroom.

The Madness rolls on! Check out our big Miami vs. UConn prediction and best bet, plus the latest odds from FanDuel Sportsbook.

The 2023 NCAA Tournament continues Saturday with a great Final Four matchup between the No. 5 Miami Hurricanes and No. 4 UConn Huskies. Miami men’s basketball is aiming to earn its first-ever NCAA championship game appearance, while a win gets UConn back to their first such matchup since 2014.

Miami pulled off an 88-81 upset win over Texas on Sunday behind Jordan Miller’s standout outing (27 points on 7-7 shooting). Meanwhile, Dan Hurley’s Connecticut squad crushed Gonzaga by a score of 82-54 on Saturday as Jordan Hawkins scored a team-high 20 points.

So, which team will advance with an unforgettable win? Check out our best UConn vs. Miami prediction below, as well as the latest odds and betting insights from

Click here to read Boardroom’s full 2023 NCAA Men’s Final Four futures betting overview.

Connecticut vs. Miami Game Info

2022-23 NCAA Tournament Final Four

No. 10 Connecticut Huskies (29-8)
vs.
No. 16 Miami (FL) Hurricanes (29-7)
Date: Saturday, April 1, 2023
Time: 8:49 p.m. ET
Venue: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
US TV Coverage: CBS

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

UConn vs. Miami Odds & Spread

All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.

• Moneyline: UCONN: (-240) | MIAMI: (+195)
• Spread: UCONN: -5.5 (-114) | MIAMI: +5.5 (-106)
• Total: 149.5 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

UConn enters this contest as a moderate favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook’s odds. This Final Four clash also features an over/under of 149.5 points, with both sides available at -110 odds.

Miami vs. Connecticut Betting Trends

• UConn has 25 wins in 37 games against the spread this season.
• As 5.5-point favorites or more, the Huskies are 16-9 against the spread.
• Out of 37 Connecticut’s games so far this season, 20 have hit the over.
• Miami has covered the spread 22 times in 36 games.
• The Hurricanes have an ATS record of 3-0 as 5.5-point underdogs or greater.
• Miami has seen 17 of its 36 games hit the over.

UConn vs. Miami Prediction & Pick

It’s safe to say that both Miami and UConn deserve to battle it out for a spot in the championship. The Hurricanes have beaten three top-four seeds and have not been favored in a game since the first round. Meanwhile, the Huskies have taken down each of their four opponents by an average of 22.5 points.

What stands out for Miami is its ability to adjust. The Hurricanes took down a sizeable Indiana team by outrebounding the Hoosiers by 17. They then beat a defensively gifted Houston team by draining 11 three-pointers and slowed down a fast Texas team with 32 trips to the free-throw line.

UConn has few weaknesses to exploit, though. The Huskies allow an opponent three-point percentage of 29.7% (No. 13 in NCAA) and control the boards by averaging 39.3 rebounds per game (No. 10 in NCAA). They also shoot a reliable 76.0% from the free throw line (No. 37 in NCAA).

This one is going to be close, but I don’t expect UConn’s dominance to end on Saturday night.

MIAMI vs. UCONN FINAL SCORE Prediction: UConn 76, Miami 72

Miami vs. UConn Best Bet

UConn enters this one with the edge in a few statistical categories, but those advantages are not enough to warrant a 5.5-point spread. This is a Miami team that has been winning outright as an underdog all season long and knows how to both play with a considerable lead or fight back from a large deficit.

Miami is 4-1 against the spread (ATS) in its last five games overall, 5-1 ATS in its last six Saturday games away from home and 10-3 ATS in its last 13 games against UConn. Not only that, but five of the last 10 Final Four games have also been decided by fewer than six points. Don’t expect a blowout here.

MIAMI vs. CONNECTICUT BEST BET: Miami Hurricanes +5.5 (-106)

— Larry Rupp

More March Madness:

1

0

17

post

6

OR

551,293

April 9, 2024

UConn Secures Second Consecutive NCAA Title

April 6, 2024

DJ Burns Jr. Shines as NIL Star with Huge NCAA Tournament Run

Sneakers April 1, 2024

LSU’s Mikaylah Williams is Jordan Brand’s Newest Face of NIL 

Sports January 4, 2024

NCAA, ESPN Reach Massive College Sports Media Rights Deal

Sports January 1, 2024

10 Sports Business Predictions for 2024

Deals & Investments December 12, 2023

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark is Cashing In

The post UConn vs. Miami: Are Oddsmakers Backing Another Upset? appeared first on Boardroom.

UPDATE: After this story was published, Matt Norlander of CBS reported that May will sign a long-term deal with Florida Atlantic. The terms have not yet been disclosed.

A few weeks ago, Florida Atlantic head coach Dusty May was a great candidate for several high-profile jobs in men’s college basketball. As an Indiana native, he would have made sense at Notre Dame, for example.

The only problem is his Owls kept winning, and as they advanced in the men’s NCAA Tournament, the top jobs began to fill. Now, if May is hoping to move on, he may have to wait a year. That gives the FAU administration some time to give the guy a well-deserved raise after he led the Owls to their first-ever NCAA Tournament win and now their first-ever appearance in the Final Four.

In comparison to the multi-million-dollar deals most high-major head coaches sign, May is making peanuts to lead the CUSA champs. Boardroom breaks down the current Dusty May contract before he inevitably leaves or the deal is restructured.

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

Dusty May Contract & Salary Breakdown at FAU

Signed: March 20, 2021
Term: Through 2025-26 season
Base Salary: Started at $409,500 with a 5% annual increase, beginning in May 2021. That makes his current salary $451,473.75.

Unlike his power conference counterparts, May does not have a supplemental compensation clause that will pay him millions. His base salary, however, is relatively on par with his peers.

Dusty May Contract Bonuses

May has a series of bonuses built into his contract broken into four categories: postseason participation, coach of the year awards, postseason success, and academic success. The categories are not cumulative, meaning May will only earn the highest individual bonus that he achieves for each.

Postseason Participation

• NIT invitation: $10,000
• Conference regular season championship: $15,000
• NCAA Tournament bid: $25,000

Coach of the Year:

• Conference Coach of the Year: $10,000
• National Coach of the Year: $25,000

Postseason Success:

• NCAA Tournament game win: $30,000
• Sweet 16 Appearance: $50,000
• Elite Eight Appearance: $75,000
• Final Four Appearance: $100,000
• Championship Game Appearance: $150,000
• National Championship: $250,000

Academic Success:

• Single-season team APR equal to or greater than 950: $5,000
• Single-season team APR equal to or greater than 960: $7,500
• Top 10% NCAA APR recognition: $10,000

We don’t know what FAU’s team APR will be, but we know that May has earned a minimum of $135,000 in bonuses this year. That comes from the Owls making the NCAA Tournament, May winning CUSA Coach of the Year, and the team reaching the Final Four.

Dusty May Buyout Details

This is the part that is going to matter if another school tries to poach May. If he leaves for a bigger job, May (or his new employer) will have to pay the FAU administration the following:

• $600,000 if the contract is terminated this season
• $400,000 for next season
• $200,000 the season after
• $100,000 the season after that

Or, maybe this year is an aberration (very unlikely). If FAU fires May without cause, it will owe him a lump sum equalling the lesser of two values: whatever remains on his contract OR 20 weeks severance.

Additional Perks

In addition to his salary and bonus structure, May is entitled to the following, per his contract:

• One university-provided automobile
• 20 tickets to each FAU home men’s basketball game
• FAU athletic apparel, as outlined in the university’s apparel agreement
• Reimbursement for cell phone or a work-provided phone
• Travel accommodations for coach’s spouse to attend conference and NCAA Tournament games

The post Dusty May Contract & Salary Details at Florida Atlantic appeared first on Boardroom.

All eyes were on Caitlin Clark.

The Iowa net-burner locked in Sunday night at March Madness, putting up a 42-point triple-double (!) against Louisville to put Iowa into the Final Four. The intense action set the tone for an exciting Elite Eight that boosted its fair share of storylines into the national spotlight.

If you want to judge all this through NCAA women’s basketball ratings, viewers ultimately tuned in to watch the matchup on ESPN in greater numbers than any NBA game the network has aired throughout the 2022-23 season to date.

2.7 million at its peak, to be exact.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Boardroom (@boardroom)

The figure reflects a 43% bump over last year’s Elite Eight viewership and continues the steady rise in fanfare that the women’s NCAA Tournament has experienced on the Worldwide Leader in recent years.

While women’s sports still represent only 5% of all sports media coverage overall according to a 2021 study from the University of Southern California, its popular ascension is difficult to ignore.

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

This year’s Women’s NCAA Tournament has already set new viewership markers as we head into its final weekend. Overall, the 56 games in the books brought in an average of 660,000 viewers, 42% more than last year’s event. As the action gets deeper, fans are locked in. ESPN reports that the Sweet Sixteen netted an average of 1.2 million viewers and over 3.5 billion minutes, a 73% year-over-year boost. UConn-Ohio State set the standard in that round, yielding 2.4 million viewers.

Women’s basketball attendance is experiencing a similar uptick. The four regional finals of the tournament brought in a total of 82,275 fans, eclipsing the 20-year-old record of 73,954 from 2003.

And, reflecting a basic principle of economics — remember those??? — as the demand increases, so too does the price. Tickets heading into this weekend’s women’s Final Four matchups are running three times higher ($323) than those for the men’s games ($99), according to Ticketmaster.

Major companies are keen to cash in on the profit potential of the priority product, too. ESPN announced in the weeks leading into the Final Four that it had fully sold out its television ad inventory. Earlier this year, brands like Ally Bank unveiled a multi-year, multi-million-dollar pledge to boost equal opportunity within women’s sports and its position as the first-ever title sponsor for the ACC women’s tournament, and Under Armour invested in the opportunity to take up its own space and capitalize on the popularity of the women’s tournament.

The growth of the women’s game is not isolated to traditional media, either. Stars like Miami’s Haley and Hanna Cavinder and LSU’s Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson boast some of the biggest social media followings (and the NIL earning potential that comes with it) across all of college athletics regardless of sport.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by LSU Women’s Basketball (@lsuwbkb)

As we head into the final weekend of the competition, all eyes are on South Carolina, Iowa, LSU, and Virginia Tech.

Will Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks be able to sustain their perfect season? Will the Hokies convert their first shot at the title?

Off the court, still-more questions percolate, including when top beauty brands give the players who serve as their best unofficial spokeswomen their proper due, or when the women’s tournament’s TV rights will finally be spun out as a standalone product rather than lumped in with several other NCAA championships.

The former will take longer to answer than the latter, but I’ll be among the millions locked in to find out.

Want More Women’s Sports?

1

0

19

post

6

OR

355,4789

Sports March 20, 2024

Lindsey Horan Accelerates the Future of Women’s Soccer

Sports February 26, 2024

The Business of Women’s Sports is Exploding

Sports January 1, 2024

10 Sports Business Predictions for 2024

Sports November 25, 2023

Sophia Smith Trusts the Process

Sports November 6, 2023

Richfresh Leaves Mark on Historic NCAA Moment in Paris With South Carolina & Notre Dame Tracksuits

October 6, 2023

WNBA Expansion Hits the Bay Area; New Team to Begin Play in 2025

The post Women’s Hoops TV Ratings, Attendance Hit March Madness Milestones appeared first on Boardroom.

The NCAA technically isn’t a business — under the law, it’s a non-profit — but for not-a-business, there are certainly a lot of business-y elements. The association’s massive media rights contract with CBS/Turner to televise its Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament is about as business-y as it gets.

And the NCAA makes over a billion dollars a year off of it — easily its biggest annual money-maker.

With that in mind, it’s reasonable to overreact to TV ratings (even preemptively) for one round in one year of one tournament. That’s why it’s not surprising to witness the #narrative that’s circulating this week about the 2023 men’s Final Four featuring UConn, Miami, San Diego State, and Florida Atlantic.

With only one traditional men’s basketball powerhouse out of the four — plus two teams from outside the major conferences — skeptics seem to expect a ratings disaster this weekend. After all, casual fans would rather watch Kansas or Duke or Kentucky than the Aztecs and Owls.

Maybe they’re right. Saturday night’s semifinal numbers may reflect only the true diehards, fans of the four teams, and a handful of gambling sickos, leading to much lower ratings than the NCAA has come to expect in the Final Four.

My only question is: Other than a handful of CBS PR folks, who cares?

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

It is so painfully obvious that this year’s Final Four is an aberration compared to the usual semifinal field that no one in their right mind would think low ratings this weekend is indicative of anything to come. We are only a year removed from a Final Four that featured Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, and Villanova. UCLA, Gonzaga, and Baylor were in the Final Four the year before that. Some combination of those seven schools will likely be in the Final Four next year or the year after, no matter what happens this weekend.

The NCAA’s media deal with CBS and Turner is up in 2032, so this isn’t a so-called “contract year” or close to it. There’s no need for the NCAA to fear losing out on a few bucks when it gets back to the negotiating table because of potentially lower numbers this weekend. This also probably won’t affect how much Turner makes next year in ad revenue — or at least, not much.

All told, there are plenty of bigger factors to consider as Turner tries to go for three straight years of over a billion dollars made via advertising. To name a few:

• The state of the economy at the time: Do ad partners have money to shell out?
• The current crop of top teams: Are the most likely 2024 Final Four teams from programs that will draw eyeballs? The answer is almost always yes; 2023 is more likely to be the exception that proves the rule.
• The talent in the sport: Are there individual players fans will want to tune in to watch regardless of which program they’re with? In this NIL era of ours that spurs more players to return to college, it’s likely. Throw in the possibility that a Bronny James might play in March Madness next year and the draw becomes that much stronger.

March Madness will be fine — it always has been and always will be, at least under its current structure. Zoom out a bit and, down the road, the 2023 Final Four may have ended up being a net positive for the sport.

Last year, it was the bluebloods. This year, it’s the mid-majors and the unexpecteds. It all adds to the unpredictability of the greatest postseason tournament in the world. There are so many more Final Four possibilities than even 15 years ago when a 2006 George Mason — led by current Miami coach Jim Larrañaga, no less — was seen as a historic oddity. There’s no 11-seed in this year’s Final Four, but we do have a 9, 6, and 5: three seed lines that have never won the whole thing.

Next year? Maybe it’ll be all bluebloods again. Maybe we’ll get a quartet of upstart surprises. More likely, we’ll see a combination of the two with plenty of intrigue to go around. The ratings will be there, too, even if this year ends up being an anomaly.

More March Madness:

1

0

39

post

6

OR

293,551,59

April 9, 2024

UConn Secures Second Consecutive NCAA Title

April 6, 2024

DJ Burns Jr. Shines as NIL Star with Huge NCAA Tournament Run

Sneakers April 1, 2024

LSU’s Mikaylah Williams is Jordan Brand’s Newest Face of NIL 

March 23, 2024

Mikaylah Williams Joins Kiki Rice on Jordan Brand NIL Roster

Sports January 4, 2024

NCAA, ESPN Reach Massive College Sports Media Rights Deal

Sports January 1, 2024

10 Sports Business Predictions for 2024

The post 2023 Men’s Final Four TV Ratings May Be Lower Than Usual — Don’t Worry, and Here’s Why appeared first on Boardroom.

This isn’t your typical women’s Final Four, but if you want to see the best of the best, you’ll want to tune in.

Undefeated, defending national champion South Carolina is back in the Final Four and the runaway favorite to repeat. But to get to the final, the Gamecocks will have to get through Iowa, the team with likely national player of the year Caitlin Clark. The Hawkeyes have the offensive firepower to win, but South Carolina defends as well as any team we’ve ever seen.

But don’t pencil in the winner of that game as the automatic national champion. Virginia Tech and LSU will go at it in the other national semifinal, and you shouldn’t take either lightly.

For starters, Angel Reese of LSU is one of the best players in college basketball. How good is she? She went just 3-15 from the field in the Tigers’ Elite Eight win over Miami…and still ended up with 13 points and 18 rebounds, notching her 400th double-double this season (estimated). In the Second Round against Michigan, SHE HAD 25 POINTS, 24 REBOUNDS, AND SIX BLOCKS. That does not happen. But it did.

Somehow, 1 seed Virginia Tech almost feels overlooked in this Final Four. Elizabeth Kitley might have something to say about that. Fresh off a 25-and-12 performance against Ohio State in the Elite Eight, Kitley has been the Hokies’ big star. But she wasn’t even the Most Outstanding Player in Virginia Tech’s region. That honor goes to Georgia Amoore, who is closing in on the all-time NCAA Tournament three-point record — she has 20 so far, two shy of the all-time best.

So there’s plenty to be excited about this week in Dallas. But who’s going to win the whole thing? We’ll leave it to our friends at FanDuel Sportsbook to fill you in on the odds.

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

Final Four Odds 2023: Women’s NCAA Tournament

All betting odds via FanDuel Sportsbook as of Tuesday, March 28, 2023.

National Semifinals:

• LSU -1.5 (-108)
• Virginia Tech +1.5 (+112)
• Iowa +11.5 (-110)
• South Carolina -11.5 (-110)

To Win National Championship:

• South Carolina: -310
• LSU: +600
• Iowa: +900
• Virginia Tech: +1000

South Carolina vs. The Field:

• South Carolina: -310
• The Field: +230

More March Madness:

1

0

15

post

6

OR

293

April 9, 2024

UConn Secures Second Consecutive NCAA Title

April 6, 2024

DJ Burns Jr. Shines as NIL Star with Huge NCAA Tournament Run

Sneakers April 1, 2024

LSU’s Mikaylah Williams is Jordan Brand’s Newest Face of NIL 

Sports January 4, 2024

NCAA, ESPN Reach Massive College Sports Media Rights Deal

Sports January 1, 2024

10 Sports Business Predictions for 2024

Execs & Entrepreneurs April 5, 2023

Leveling the March Madness Financial Playing Field

The post Women’s Final Four Odds: South Carolina Eyes a Repeat appeared first on Boardroom.

As the Texas Longhorns‘ run through the 2023 men’s NCAA Tournament continued, it felt inevitable. Eventually, Texas had to offer Rodney Terry the full-time head coaching job.

It became official on Monday, the day after Miami knocked the Longhorns out of the tournament in an epic Elite Eight showdown. After reports surfaced late Sunday night, athletic director Chris Del Conte formally offered Terry the job, after he stepped in as interim head coach earlier this year.

Celebrate Texas Basketball With a Jersey Up to 65% Off

Shop The Collection

The deal is for five years and worth $15.3 million, a source told Boardroom.

Terry took over the program on Dec. 12, hours after then-head coach Chris Beard was arrested on a third-degree felony assault charge. That night, Rice took Texas to overtime, before the Longhorns prevailed, continuing a streak that grew to nine wins in 10 games.

The Big 12 schedule was less forgiving, though that’s to be expected from the highest-rated conference in the country. Still, Texas finished 12-6 in the conference regular season, punctuated by a double-digit win over Kansas on Senior Day. The Longhorns kept that momentum into the Big 12 Tournament, beating Oklahoma State and TCU before blowing out the Jayhawks in the conference title game and earning a 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

Though Texas came up short of its ultimate goal of a Final Four, its tournament run included a dominating win over 3-seed Xavier and a gutsy performance against an under-seeded Penn State team.

Now, Terry must move Texas into the future. The Longhorns had six seniors on the roster who contributed serious minutes, and though the COVID year rule may mean some can return, there will be new faces leading the charge in 2023-24. Texas will enroll two top-40 recruits next year, including ESPN’s No. 5 overall, Ron Holland. Terry has also proven a master of the transfer portal and will look to reload from there as well.

It all means Terry heads into the offseason with job security and roster uncertainty. In 2023, that’s about the most a head coach could ask for.

More College Hoops:

1

0

31

post

6

OR

59

March 23, 2024

Mikaylah Williams Joins Kiki Rice on Jordan Brand NIL Roster

Sports January 4, 2024

NCAA, ESPN Reach Massive College Sports Media Rights Deal

December 11, 2023

Bronny James Makes USC Debut

Sports December 8, 2023

Dylan Harper is Blazing His Own Trail with Rutgers & Fanatics

Sports December 6, 2023

The Numbers Behind Jim Valvano’s Lasting Legacy

Sports November 15, 2023

UNC Trio to Lead First Chapters of Athletes.org

The post Texas, Rodney Terry Agree to 5-year, $15.3 Million Contract appeared first on Boardroom.

In many ways, Mackenzie Mgbako is a typical teenager. The 18-year-old spends his downtime gaming and hanging out with friends and family. His pregame playlist includes Lil Durk, Lil Baby, and Real Boston Richey.

He’s also a projected first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. 

Mgbako’s senior season at Roselle Catholic was the type of year many only dream of. Playing alongside his brother, he finally secured a state championship, sending him off to college with a ring. Next, he’s headed to Durham, NC where he will join the Duke Blue Devils under head coach John Scheyer.

Ahead of a busy few weeks that will include the McDonald’s All-American Game and Nike camp, the hooper sat down with Boardroom to discuss his growing NIL portfolio, his new partnership with the energy drink company G FUEL, and much more.

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

When you have dozens of offers from a wide range of powerhouse programs, it can be difficult to identify the right fit — both for your game and personality. Mgbako found himself in that precise position. As he considered opportunities at places like UConn and UCLA, in the end, Duke rose above all the rest.

“[I considered] all the stars that come from that program. Now I’m thinking ahead. I’m thinking about where I want to go to and how, how they can help me in the future,” he told Boardroom. “They made players better after coming to their school. I felt like it was the right choice for me. And then when I went on the campus, the campus was just amazing. It was so surreal when I went there … So I just knew from on out I wanted to go there.”

Although Scheyer was Mgbako’s lead recruiter at Duke, there was a familiar face who made time for a meeting during his recruiting visit.

“I got to see Coach K,” Mgbako said. “He had his conference room with all his accolades in there. Then, there was another room where he had all the trophies.”

Mgbako spoke with the pros as well, connecting with Grant Hill, Kyrie Irving, and Jayson Tatum throughout the process. Each gave him advice and some unfiltered feedback about what his time could be like with the program.

During his time on campus, he also met with a relatively new team member — one who will help him navigate the sometimes murky world of NIL. Rachel Baker joined the men’s basketball program last year as general manager and helps players like Mgbako identify NIL opportunities. In their very first meeting, Baker passed on some essential lessons.

“She portrayed how following is a big part of [getting deals] and how if I boost my following, it would be able to grant me more deals and whatnot,” he said.

Additionally, she offered some advice on what life could be like when he gets to campus and the local businesses that would help ease the transition.

Although Mgbako hasn’t even had his first official practice, he has jumped in feet first to the opportunities NIL presents. He’s assembled a number of sponsorships that includes a wide range of deals that keep him dialed in almost every facet of his life. From fashion (Levi’s, PSD, Ksubi, and Stone Island) to collectibles (Topps), he even connected with local philanthropic events to use his rising stardom for good (Covenant House Giveback with Roselle Seafood). While he’s assembled a deep portfolio, he’s sure to pick companies that align with his actual interests.

“[I choose] based off of my personality and what I see myself actually consuming in a regular day-to-day basis,” he said. “Like, something I actually enjoy, something I want to use regularly. So it’s not something I’m not true to, you know?”

Most recently, Mgbako linked up with energy drink company G FUEL. Founded in 2012, G FUEL touts itself as the ultimate energy drink for gamers amidst a crowded market.

“They’ve been sending me some drinks for a while now and I just really, really enjoyed it,” he said. “G FUEL with the hydration formula, just like keep me ready to play at any time and for the early morning workouts.”

As he rolled onto the set for their upcoming campaign for the rollout of the company’s new collab with Grungy Gentleman, he made sure that it was a family affair. His brother Ethan, who was a freshman on his championship-winning high school team, joined him for the shoot.

“I up my game with G FUEL from the classroom to the court,” he said. “G FUEL motivates me on the court, because I know it’s giving me the hydration boost I need.”

Also, if you look closely in a nationally syndicated Google Pixel commercial, you’ll spot the 6’8″ sensation, thanks to some help from his team at CAA.

“I said I wanted to get into the acting scene,” he said. “[I asked] ‘how can we do acting and basketball?’ Google was the first thing that popped up.”

On set, he hooped alongside his future colleagues, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum.

Mgbako sees more star-powered shoots in his future. When asked about his ultimate dream partners, he paused to think about what would be possible if his career takes off the way that analysts think that it will.

“I don’t know … If I could combine with Ruffles or Virgil Abloh’s Off White,” he rattled off. “Maybe I will have my own sneaker. That would be crazy.”

Although he’s just shy of his high school graduation, Mgbako has the all the makings of a pro, both on and off the court. When asked what his favorite things to do off the court are, he laughed and quickly responded, “Drinking G FUEL.”

Way to stay on-message.

The post Mackenzie Mgbako: Fueling the Future appeared first on Boardroom.

Be honest: How many men’s Final Four teams did you get right when you filled out your 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket on Selection Sunday?

I’ll buy that you had one. UConn was a trendy pick, Miami won the ACC, and San Diego State won a really good Mountain West Conference. You could have gotten one of them. But did you have more than one of those teams? No. No, you did not.

Yet, here we stand. On Saturday night, the Owls of Florida Atlantic (!) will play SDSU and UConn will face the Canes in the national semifinals in Houston. Between them, the four teams have a combined six Final Four appearances — all from Connecticut. Miami’s Jim Larrañaga is the only head coach left standing with Final Four experience, though he did so with unsung George Mason back in 2006.

So how does one possibly go about deciding odds in this wacky, wild Final Four? You don’t, of course. Instead, you turn to our friends at FanDuel Sportsbook — check out all the latest numbers below.

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

Final Four Odds 2023: Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament

All betting odds via FanDuel Sportsbook as of Monday, March 27, 2023.

National Semifinals

• FAU +1.5 (-102)
• San Diego State -1.5 (-120)

• Miami +5.5 (-106)
• UConn -5.5 (114)

To Win Championship:

• UConn: -125
• San Diego State: +360
• Miami: +490
• FAU: +600

@boardroom_ 90 TEAMS in the NCAA Tournament?!? #marchmadness #ncaabasketball #collegebasketball #collegesports #finalfour ♬ original sound – Boardroom

National Championship Exacta

• UConn over San Diego State: +220
• UConn over FAU: +260
• San Diego State over UConn: +550
• FAU over UConn: +750
• Miami over San Diego State: +950
• Miami over FAU: +1000
• San Diego State over Miami: +1100
• FAU over Miami: +1600

Final Four Most Outstanding Player Futures Betting Odds

• Adama Sanogo (UConn): +270
• Jordan Hawkins (UConn): +330
• Isaiah Wong (Miami): +1200
• Darrion Trammell (San Diego State):+1200
• Johnell Davis (FAU): +1400
• Matt Bradley (San Diego State): +1500
• Andre Jackson Jr. (UConn): +1500
• Lamont Butler (San Diego State): +1500
• Jordan Miller (Miami): +1900
• Alijah Martin (FAU): +2100
• Nijel Pack (Miami): +2400
• Vladislav Goldin (FAU): +2600
• Jaedon LeDee (San Diego State): +3400
• Nathan Mensah (San Diego State): +3400
• Norchad Omier (Miami): +4200

More March Madness:

1

0

39

post

6

OR

293,551,59

April 9, 2024

UConn Secures Second Consecutive NCAA Title

April 6, 2024

DJ Burns Jr. Shines as NIL Star with Huge NCAA Tournament Run

Sneakers April 1, 2024

LSU’s Mikaylah Williams is Jordan Brand’s Newest Face of NIL 

March 23, 2024

Mikaylah Williams Joins Kiki Rice on Jordan Brand NIL Roster

Sports January 4, 2024

NCAA, ESPN Reach Massive College Sports Media Rights Deal

Sports January 1, 2024

10 Sports Business Predictions for 2024

The post Men’s Final Four Odds: Is it UConn vs. the Field to Cut Down the Nets? appeared first on Boardroom.

Tarte, Bare Minerals, FENTY, M·A·C Cosmetics®, all household names in the beauty industry. If you’re anything like myself or you identify as a Generation Z-er with close ties to BeautyTok — home of the beauty influencers on TikTok — you have at least one or two products from brands like these in your beauty bag.

But what happens when macro-level beauty influencers keep racking up products for free and handing them extra publicity and prestige, causing price hikes for formerly accessible mainstays and minimizing access for Black women and girls?

While young women like 22-year-old Alix Earle are earning upwards of $1.2 million per year, using their influence and notoriety to increase demand for Mielle Organics’ Rosemary Mint Scalp and Hair Strengthening Oil, girls of the same age minus the privilege, opportunities, and platforms are left to research, scour for, and purchase products they swear by without a monetary incentive behind it. And while BeautyTok girlies like Alexandra Pohl and Meredith Duxbury are flown out to Dubai on behalf of beauty brands, the girls who are doing the same work pro bono are rarely even offered an affiliate link for their support of such products in and out of their professional lives.

Are these enthusiasts not influencers all the same? According to Sheena Butler-Young, Senior Correspondent at The Business of Fashion (BoF), the definition of what it means to be an influencer, especially in the beauty, style, and fashion industry, has evolved over the course of several years from the aspiration of perfection and society’s standards of beauty to a more approachable, relatable aesthetic in an effort to connect with the brand’s audiences.

In doing so, larger beauty and fashion brands have opted to go the way of partnering with “microinfluencers” — rising stars with fewer than 100,000 followers — and favor social media personalities with a more realistic, wellness-driven, accessible appeal.

With the key pillars for a beauty influencer evolving into some combination of relatability, approachable personality, and an authentic appreciation for the products outside of monetary gain, who among us truly are the apex beauty influencers of today?

“As beauty brands look to grow their revenues and impact in this environment, it makes sense to partner with college students — the bulk of whom are part of the Gen Z cohort — and collegiate-level athletes, who in many ways epitomize the idea of health and wellness,” Butler-Young told Boardroom. “Let’s not forget that pro athletes have been doing beauty ads and sponsorships for some time now, [with] Sue Bird [and] Lexie Brown [as] examples, and even launching their own lines — remember A-Rod’s ‘Blur Stick’? So, this really feels like a natural extension.”

More specifically, the ideal influencer would be someone who tests their product better than any model, highly-paid celebrity endorser, or socialite could. Instead of someone who can test out an acne serum under a full face of makeup at a movie premiere, how about someone who already has a natural, youthful glow putting it to the test while sweating day in and day out across their daily lives? Rather than depicting a moisturizer as a primer for a red carpet debut, what if we turned our heads to someone who uses the same product as a lynchpin for achieving a camera-ready look when sprinting and flying in front of millions on ESPN?

Bottom line? Women’s college basketball players fit the bill.

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

According to Gen Z-centric skincare brand Bubble’s CEO and founder Shai Eisenman, it would behoove beauty brands to partner with athletes, especially at the collegiate level, and include them in conversations about influencer marketing and product placement. “Athletes especially always have to put their best face forward, and we want to empower them to feel confident in their own skin – even off the field,” she told Boardroom.

In addition to brand ambassadors such as All American star Samantha Logan and Netflix’s On My Block actor Diego Tinoco, Bubble has previously partnered with track and field star Sam Hurley and Minnesota Vikings All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson, demonstrating that you don’t need to be considered a traditionally viral beauty influencer to appreciate self-care and hygiene.

“Athletes and fitness enthusiasts are another important consumer for Bubble. They are interested in products that can help them maintain the best skin. Our work clearly reflects how skincare is essential in everyone’s routine, no matter your profession,” Eisenman added. “We love working with talent that has a natural connection with skincare, but aren’t the typical influencer.”

In the midst of the highly-anticipated March Madness marker, it was time that we had the opportunity to get some one-on-one with some of the top college hoopers on the court about just how much their own routines match up with this evolving industry’s definition of being an influencer.

Boardroom spoke to UNC’s Deja Kelly, LSU’s Angel Reese, and South Carolina’s Breanna Beal about their personal relationships with their beauty routines, how they glow from the inside and out onto the court, and how we can continue to hold the beauty industry accountable as we look to the future of influencer marketing.

More Than a Game

For North Carolina Tar Heels hooper Deja Kelly, who prides herself in looking her best during every game, from laid edges to her nail colors poppin’ on the court, embracing femininity and showcasing a full face of glam on the hardwood is about more than just looking pretty — it serves as a boost of confidence while playing in front of thousands of people in arenas across the country and millions more on national television.

“I don’t really think you can go wrong with wearing makeup for games if it makes you feel good. If you think it makes you look good, which it does, then wear it,” Kelly said powerfully to Boardroom as she prepped her face with CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser and First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads. For her, the “look good, feel good” mantra when it comes to on-court makeup is as true as ever.

Styling her hair back into a sleek ponytail with full natural curls cascading from the back — to which she refers on-camera as a “D1 do” — Kelly noted how her signature hairstyle helps her to level up mentally while she’s playing. “I think that’s something that I really take pride in. When your hair looks good, you look like you play D1 basketball and you feel like it; you feel good. Your hair looks good. That’s what my mom used to call it when I was younger, so I stick with that,” she said.

Humbly but observantly, she also noted that she pays close attention to which of her games are nationally televised in an effort to optimize around her hair, skincare, nails, and beauty routine to the fullest.

“Collegiate-level athletes work hard, play harder, and capture it all via TikTok and Instagram, making them the perfect influencers,” Mielle Senior Brand Director Nicole Ray Robinson told Boardroom. “Beauty brands have a responsibility to be inclusive and reflective of all beauty standards, and can do so by incorporating athletes in beauty messaging.”

Much like Kelly, Reese, and Beal, Robinson suggested that athletes opt for protective styles such as braids, wigs, and weaves to allow for proper hair growth between juggling academics and games. Who better to test out top-tier Mielle Organics products, such as the brand’s Braid & Scalp Moisturizer, than these ladies?

As a player herself, Kelly enjoys seeing other women’s basketball players get glammed up for a game because it makes her feel not only seen, but proud that women in a male-dominated industry can demonstrate that they can be feminine and beautiful while also showing that this isn’t just a boys’ playground. Furthermore, Kelly is fully aware that opportunities like brand partnerships and NIL endorsements can arise from looking your best and standing out from the crowd chasing around a basketball surrounded by a sea of delirious fans.

“You never know what brands are watching to where I could possibly get a partnership just from that game, just from them seeing how I carry myself on the court,” Kelly said. “That’s where I think a lot of these beauty brands are dropping the ball, because there’s so many female hoopers [and] female athletes that really take pride in their appearance on the court. I feel like so many of these beauty brands can really take advantage of that and partner with these ladies, because why wouldn’t you wanna have them show you already see that they’re showcasing their beauty on the court? Why not have them represent your brand?”

As Boardroom staff writer Randall Williams added, “When college athletes wear beauty brand products, they’re serving as walking billboards — it’s that simple. They are proving whether or not the products are of value, because in a lot of cases, they are sprinting, jumping, swinging, sweating, dancing, and so much more. If a beauty product can stay consistent while they are competing and exerting tremendous energy into their craft, it will for sure be okay for a fun night out or a party.”

While Kelly deems one of her favorite beauty influencers, Monet McMichael, as a top personality to follow on TikTok thanks to her fun, bubbly personality as a college student who’s studying nursing, she’s saddened by the fact that of all the influencers that she does follow on the social media platform, none of them are athletes like her. “I’m really hoping that these beauty brands kind of flip the script on partnering with us collegiate athletes, because it would mean the world,” she said.

While there’s no specific brand that she would have in mind to boost her personal path to influencership, she is open to collaborating with companies that would be willing to give her a chance to “up my image” as a beauty enthusiast.

“I am an influencer in a way, just as a college athlete, ’cause people are watching. People are watching your games, people are watching what you wear, what you do on and off the court,” Kelly said.

“I would say I’m an influencer in that way, as well as a lot of other college hoopers across the board. I think it’s pretty cool to see people wanting to kind of mirror what you wear, what you do on the court. It’s super important to include college athletes [and] college basketball players in the conversations of influencer marketing strategies because you can physically see the impact we have. If you want to grow your brand, grow your followers, grow your business, including college basketball players or college athletes in that manner is definitely beneficial because people love to watch college athletics.”

I’m A [Bayou] Barbie Girl in a Basketball World

LSU Tigers basketball star Angel Reese prides herself on her beauty routine, and it shows. From her eyes fluttering with Fat Lashes to the moisture locked into her skin with Neutrogena Hydro Boost, Reese knows that her regimen has to be as top-performing as her game on the court — and she never falls short of stellar. Sporting bundles from WNBA superstar Te’a Cooper’s Hollywood Luxury Hair with edges laid by Loc N’s edge styling gel, Reese gave Boardroom the real on her personal relationship with beauty as a hooper.

“They call me the Bayou Barbie,” Reese said playfully during her GRWM-style (“Get Ready With Me”) interview with Boardroom. “The Barbie part comes from just being able to be cute and still get buckets. I feel like it’s just so slept-on that many brands don’t work with college athletes, and even just athletes in general.”

While Reese has partnered with some of the aforementioned brands in her beauty routine before, she aspires one day to be featured in a major campaign as a brand ambassador or a model.

“If they can spend thousands of dollars for extravagant trips, they can also spend just as much on events and trips for college students and athletes. They may not be able to travel far because they’re in school, but local getaways are very much a thing, too,” R29 Unbothered’s Style & Culture Specialist Venesa Coger explained to Boardroom, alluding to Tarte’s viral Dubai trip. When reflecting on the trip’s impact on influencer marketing, Coger noted that its only real outcome was shining a light on the lack of diversity in the influencer space and pushing the narrative that you have to have millions of followers to be invited into rooms you would only see on your “Explore” page.

So, how do these brands diversify? According to Coger, it means reaching back to those who are on the ground and listening to the ones who are actually buying, testing, and authentically championing beauty products without monetary incentive.

“I think this starts with the brands’ influencer marketing team doing a better job at having a mix of events that can cater to all types of influencers,” she said. “It’s important to include college students and collegiate-level athletes in the conversation of influencer marketing because they have a community closer to their fingertips by being on campus. It’s surprising that brands don’t come up with bigger initiatives to tap into working with more college students, especially when on-campus clubs and organizations could use the extra funds and even sponsorships to build their events out and garner more student participation and school spirit.”

While Reese’s routine doesn’t necessarily differ from when she’s off-camera versus when a game is televised, she does make sure to pack on the lashes whenever she can to bring more attention to her eyes. Before the COVID-19 pandemic first rocked the world to its core in 2020, Reese was spending nearly $100 per lash appointment, but she quickly realized that she could adopt the trade herself.

She has not looked back since.

Hello, can anyone say “lash ambassadorship pending?“

“My routine doesn’t really change when I’m going on TV because I just know every time it seems like the game is televised, lashes always seem to fly off,” Reese joked. Her teammates and coaches, she said, would always tease about her lashes falling out during games because of how hard she plays, which inspired her always to keep an extra set of falsies in her locker room. “[During] one of my games actually in SEC tournament, my lashes came off and I got hit so hard and [there] was a leak in the ceiling or whatever. That 30 minutes that we had down because we were waiting for everything to get fixed in the ceiling, I went to go fix those lashes.”

Unapologetically encouraging viewers to be themselves and be their own biggest fans at all times while chasing that bag, Reese also noted how brands are missing bag-securing potential themselves from a consumer base perspective by passing up young athletes such as herself for paid partnerships. “I just feel like the beauty brands, even the hair brands, they’re missing out on these opportunities, because I feel like we’re the girls that are wearing, the edge controls, the eyelashes — I would love for them to actually sponsor or work with us for NIL deals,” she said.

“It would be great, amazing on both ends. Like, on my side, of course since I always use the product so it’ll be authentic, but growing their brand as well.”

Shoot Your Shot, BeautyTok

Starting her skincare routine with La Roche-Posay’s Toleriane Purifying Foaming Facial Cleanser, South Carolina guard Brea Beal’s natural glow shines through as her braids are pulled into a messy bun at the crown of her head and her lashes are holding steady in place. As a basketball player, Beal swears by a good moisturizer to lock into her pores while she’s sweating throughout an intense game on the court, especially if it features a solid sunscreen.

“I think it’s cool that they’re able to play and wear makeup and really showcase who they are. For me personally, I like to go for [a] more natural look. I’ve tried, like, the concealer or a little makeup here and there, but when you’re at home and you’re wearing white jerseys and stuff, it gets everywhere for me so I haven’t really figured that out yet but I really am inspired by those who do wear makeup,” she said of athletes who achieve a full beat before a game. “I’m not really sure if people think I wear makeup or not, but they may be surprised if they find out that I don’t, ’cause when I don’t know how to put it on as good as other women who play basketball, they might be surprised that I don’t wear it.”

While she sings the praises of women like WNBA legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Tina Thompson for rocking her signature ruby red MAC Diva lipstick, Beal opts for a more natural look when she’s playing. In addition to wanting to look more glammed-down on the court, she admits that she doesn’t much know how to do her own makeup — as opposed to her natural skincare routine that she has locked and loaded with tons of products that she trusts and swears by.

The products that she would prefer to lean into more, especially the waterproof kind, tend to be on the more expensive end of the spectrum, which decreases her ability to indulge in them as a full-time college student and athlete.

Beauty and Style Expert Sha Ravine Spencer praises beauty brands for steering away from the standard of glass, porcelain skin types and inching more towards real folks with real skin issues like acne, hyperpigmentation, and other conditions — much like college students today.

“Many other beauty brands such as Topicals are showcasing influencers and models with stretchmarks, textured skin, etc. Interestingly enough, the campaign isn’t about how their product will change or fix the skin care ‘issue’ but instead it’s about loving your skin and wanting to nurture it instead of trying to ‘fix’ it, so including real skin in their campaigns via models and influencers who are not projecting or portraying conventional beauty standards,” she told Boardroom.

As it pertains to the relationship between these companies and female athletes, Beal believes that beauty brands are dropping the ball (no pun intended). Women’s college basketball players, as well as those superstars already in the WNBA or hooping overseas, would serve as ideal campaign fixtures and brand ambassadors, according to Beal, because they can show the true potential and results of beauty products while engaged in uncommonly demanding action.

“What better [way] than showing that your makeup can last on somebody who is playing 40 minutes a game or winning championships or the MVP of a tournament or stuff like that? I definitely think companies should take more of an advantage on it because I feel like it’ll showcase, their makeup, their products, whatever. It may be a lot better than just partnering with somebody who is just like a makeup [influencer] in a sense,” she said while preparing her face for an on-camera hit.

For Beal, ideal partnerships would include BareMinerals and La Roche-Posay because of their natural ingredients and glowy results that fit in perfectly with her skin goals and type. However, she notes that even though she is not on an official privileged mailing list or receiving PR packages to unbox in front of millions of followers, she still considers herself an influencer based on the leverage of social media alone.

“Nowadays, social media is so powerful that whether you feel like you’re not posting a lot or anything of that sort, you’re still like an influencer,” she said. “Whether you’re posting once every month, once every two months, people are still watching. So, I definitely consider myself an influencer even if I’m not targeting anything specifically.”

As a beauty influencer of the self-appointed variety, Beal notes that she prioritizes embracing her femininity and even sensuality as a basketball player and a woman, and encourages young women and girls who are looking at her to do the same as appropriate for their age — no matter how society wrestles with precisely defining influence in the social media era.

“I feel like my brand is embracing beauty as far as the lashes, when I have my nails done, [or] any type of hairstyles it may be. I feel like that is my brand — just to be able to let women, younger girls, teens, whatever it may be, know that it’s okay to go out there and feel pretty and play good. You feel good, you play good,” Beal said, echoing Angel Reese’s own sentiments.

“That’s really my motto. I think that is probably the point where I influence the most when it comes to my social media platform. I think [with] athletes, whether it’s basketball or whatever the case may be, I think it is pretty important to include them when it comes to the marketing strategies to boost a company’s reputation or their sales. Whether they have a big following or not, I feel like they can definitely influence a brand or change the culture of a brand more than, like, people think. Brands should connect with these collegiate athletes more and expand their palette in a sense, and just be open to new ideas. I think it definitely can help both parties,” she said.

Now, how can we hold these brands accountable and advocate for the next cohort of beauty influencers?

For Sha Ravine Spencer, it’s as simple as outreach.

“As much as diversifying the boardrooms of these companies would diversify their campaigns, partnerships, and overall marketing it also starts with brands taking the initiative to actually reach out to the unconventional influencer,” Spencer noted in referring to athletes like Kelly, Reese, and Beal.

“Brands need to lean into taking more risks and thinking outside of the box with their marketing campaigns because working with athletes would open them up to another consumer base. One product placement mentioned by an athlete during the game or pre- or post-game interviews can instantly turn into sales. Consumers can call for their favorite brands to partner with their favorite athletes and use social media to directly engage with these brands and voice their desires,” she said.

“Simply put, brands need to build relationships and research how these relationships with athletes can be mutually beneficial.”

MORE WOMEN EMPOWERMENT STORIES

1

0

24

post

6

OR

3552

4605,4664,4678,355,2028

Big Tech March 22, 2024

How Google’s Adrienne Lofton Connects Marketing and Culture

Sports March 20, 2024

Lindsey Horan Accelerates the Future of Women’s Soccer

Sports March 8, 2024

Spotlighting The Women of the Boardroom

Sports February 26, 2024

The Business of Women’s Sports is Exploding

Sports January 1, 2024

10 Sports Business Predictions for 2024

Sports November 25, 2023

Sophia Smith Trusts the Process

The post College Hoops Stars Are the Real Beauty Influencers appeared first on Boardroom.

Markquis Nowell is so New York that he went to college halfway across the country and still couldn’t escape Manhattan.

In 2022-23, the 5-foot-8 short king took the Little Apple by storm, averaging 17.2 points and 8.1 assists per game for Kansas State. The transfer from Arkansas-Little Rock, whose Twitter handle is @MrNewYorkCityy, came to Manhattan, Kansas, to play for a different head coach. But he stuck with new leader Jerome Tang as he pieced a roster together to little fanfare.

It’s a good thing he did. At the end of his second season with the Wildcats, Nowell has his team in the Elite Eight, a game from the Final Four thanks to one of the greatest single-game performances in the history of the NCAA Tournament. At Madison Square Garden, no less — just a few miles from where he grew up in Harlem.

Sign up for our newsletter

Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.

Email *

Checkboxes *

• HeadlineToGo
• Tech Talk
• Inside the Boardroom
• Sneaker Game

Subscribe

“Being in this environment, you have to be tough,” Nowell said, reflecting on his early playing days on New York’s playgrounds. “You have to be tough as nails in order to get on the court. A lot of people doubt you coming out of New York City. They say New York City point guard can’t shoot or they have that stigma of not listening or stuff like that. I feel like me, Kemba [Walker], guys who made it to the NBA out of New York, we’re switching that and we’re showing the world that New York City point guards are really good.”

From the moment Nowell stepped onto the court in the Sweet 16 against Michigan State, you could tell he was at home. His 10 first-half assists spoke for themselves, but a New York City Point God doesn’t leave it at that.

His raw numbers in Kansas State’s 98-93 overtime win — 20 points, five steals, and a tournament record 19 assists — were staggering. His lob to Keyontae Johnson in the final minute of the extra session, however, may have been the most New York thing that MSG has seen in ages.

Dribbling between the circles, Nowell appeared to turn to Tang and begin yelling at him. At some point in the exchange, he caught Johnson’s eye, and that’s all it took. Johnson cut toward the basket and Nowell effortlessly threw the ball his way for Johnson to finish the alley-oop.

“It was eye contact,” Johnson said. “I raise my eyebrows sometimes or something like that. So he just threw it. I knew I was going to get there, just had to finish it.”

It was the perfect cap to a perfect night.

“This one was special,” Nowell said after the game. “In front of my hometown, in front of the city that loves me. I can’t even put into words how blessed and grateful I am.”

As one would expect after a historic performance, texts from friends, family, and other players came pouring in for Nowell. Actually, they had been for a while. Even before the Sweet 16 — before the literally hundreds of texts flooded his phone — Kemba Walker, who knows a thing or two about March runs through MSG, reached out to Nowell.

“He just told me to keep my foot on the gas,” Nowell said. “Keep applying pressure and don’t let up. So that gave me some added motivation because I looked up to him when he made that tournament run.”

Next up, Nowell and Kansas State will face upstart Florida Atlantic on Saturday evening in the Elite Eight. The winner heads to Houston and the Final Four.

Nowell told reporters that he never got butterflies the first time he stepped onto New York’s historic playgrounds — Dyckman, Rucker, West 4th, you name it — and he clearly was undaunted by the bright lights of MSG.

If the Wildcats win on Saturday, it’s hard to imagine the Final Four would be any different.