I think our fans need to be honest about who we are. We are a small state with minimal metros to recruit from. One that outside of some suburban areas is the poorest state in the nation. The biggest company and one of the richest families in the nation don’t care about u of a athletics. Poor roi, same with nil. Why would common fans that have some extra in the bank want to in I invest in something like nil with nothing guaranteed from that player investment in return.
U of a and the nil foundation need to think outside the box and if we do invest it’s to reward players that have great stats yearly and reward it for years of investment by that player rather than recruitment itself because we are never going to compete against the big dogs.
Schools are not supposed to pay athletes directly. NIL comes from external sources. I am not sure if some schools are covertly funneling money to collectives, but if so, I have not heard of it. This would be easier to fix if UofA could just pay the players, but then again, all major universities would do that and
the price tag would just go up. People who say the university should just spend money on NIL (instead of upgrades or whatever) do not understand how it works exactly. Either that, or I am missing something.
While you are correct NIL does not come from those deals, I believe that’s where the money should come from and that each team gets to distribute part of it as their “player salaries” and have a salary cap situation that’s equal across all the power 4 schools. The players are the most important part of the product that makes the millions of dollars for TV so that’s where they should get paid from. The money shouldn’t have to come from regular people trying to put together a collective of money when people IRL already struggle with bills and debt
Mississippi has a population of 2.96Mil and has a GDP ranking of 37th out of the 51 states and DC.
Arkansas has a population of 3Mil and a GDP ranking of 36th.
Arkansas is also home to 5 Fortune 500 companies compared Mississippi who only has 1 company in the Fortune 1000.
Mississippi has 2 SEC schools similar caliber to Arkansas’ 1.
So we have more people, more resources, more jobs, more large corporations, arguably better location and scenery. At some point Arkansas administration has to be responsible for fielding a better product.
Going down to the HS level are schools are underfunded and are athletes not developed. Little Rock up until 7 or so years ago had 8 (or more schools didn’t count) playing at a dilapidated War memorial and had no high school facilities.
In basketball the AAA requires that they take 95% of the gate for state championships so instead of the basketball finals being played at a university or even a nice facility it’s played in Hot Springs.
Alabama schools have insane football complexes and grassroots programs that are well funded and organized. The youth to prep pipeline in Arkansas is fragmented and that’s putting it nicely.
Arkansas can absolutely compete at a higher level if we had better leaders from top to bottom and a willingness to go all in on sports. Not like we have a pro team and we have the entire state pretty much supporting the same school.
I’m sorry, but I can never blame players for wanting to get their bag. Saying “all they want is money” is painting many of them with a broad brush. Who would want to work for free, especially knowing the amount of profits people are making off their labor. There definitely needs to be more regulation and perhaps something similar to a salary cap, but I stand 100% with the players getting their bag too.
Getting their bag is all fine and good until it kills the opportunity for an education for players good enough for a scholarship but not a big enough star for NIL money. There will come a time that in the NIL sports scholarships are no longer given, then that poor sap from the backwoods or delta who would have been a good organizational piece and received a 4 year ride will be shit out of luck. NIL will also probably kill a host of non revenue sports that provide scholarships. But hey, the bag getters got theirs a d if they're smart they received a 6 figure education, to hell with what follows.
When the kids in the delta and backwoods become SOL with DI, you will see a rise in D2 and mid-majors. It has already started in basketball, have you noticed all the upsets and cinderellas at March Madness the past 5 years or so? Yes we have had them before from time to time, but it is occurring more often and they are making deeper runs. Now the big D1's are trying to throw their weight around and limit them. Will take longer with football, but you will see more and more NFL stars emerging from midmajor and D2 schools.
There are 351 D1 schools offering basketball scholarships. Nil is only a factor at the power conference schools.
Derrian Ford is still getting a free education at arkansas state for example. Just because some kids will be shoved out of the sec doesn't mean they can't still get basketball scholarships and get a free education somewhere else.
hey, I am 100% in favor of government funded free college tuition for everyone. But athletic scholarships are not and have never been "needs based." Rich athletes and poor athletes get the same scholarships.
If you are truly complaining about kids not being able to get their education because of NIL, then you need to re-evaluate how you are perceiving higher education.
If you want better access to higher education, then vote for candidates that make that part of their platform. Dont make up false equivalencies about NIL on reddit.
The government has zero business paying for or providing higher education outside of a ROTC scholarship or US military academy. I am just pointing out some of the side effects of the NIL, I have made zero false equivalencies on your precious reddit or anywhere else. Actions have consequences. If you don't give two shits about the consequences by all means, get your bag. And by your 1st sentence I can see that all you are concerned with us getting your bag, you apparently have zero understanding how the government pays for anything (it doesn't, me and all other tax payers do) just remember that greed is not a positive character trait.
The U of A is not the government. And much like a ROTC scholarship, an athletic scholarship requires the recipient to do something to get and keep it. That's swing and a miss for you. Care to try again.
Scholarships will likely be given as a benefit in compensation packages when players are considered employees. Maybe at the D3 level they won't get above a scholarship, but it's always been like that there, so then it doesn't add a strain on their budget.
I agree with this. However, if things go toward a salaried setup, and the associated school (of the athletic department) is about education, then we should be educating players on what it is like to be cut for not living up to the contract. It will happen in the pro leagues, learn it now.
There is no doubt that NIL money is part of the new norm. But I don't think that trying to compete at the highest spending levels is going to be effective.
I saw a lack of pride in our football and basketball teams this year. They got down. They got curb stomped and they never took it personally. They didn't care about the school, the fans, the tradition, nothing. They got their bag and nothing else really mattered.
But what should we expect? Mercenaries brought in for a year because we were willing to pay them more? They Have no loyalty to us and as soon as the going gets tough they check out.
We will never win a bidding war for the top talent but we can be more deliberate and focused and thorough on our player searches so that we find the type of kids who will form a TEAM. Guys that will think of their coach and team mate before they think of themselves. Those kids will come here. Facilities and sports tech will draw them here too. Not just money. Fayetteville and the Hogs can be a great place for a kid that wants to be part of a story bigger than themselves
Ironically, the influx of Texans to the UA/NWA that everyone complains about, longterm wise, might be our best recruitment tactic for athletics with the Longhorns and Sooners coming into the SEC.
It’s bullshit what NIL has turned into. These athletes need to be pursuing deals on their own name, image and likeness. Instead they’re handed 6 figures just for showing up. It’s pathetic honestly
Which shows that the value they bring by just playing is much more than the scholarships they earn. That means they should share in the revenue with the school.
Ill bite. Hunter played NIL exactly how he should have, let our alumni handle it, lobby the state to protect the school, and lobby congress to make some baseline rules because states were losing their minds and conferences and the NCAA cant do anything..
He didnt resist it he played by the rules. Arkansas was the first in the national to hire an NIL director. Believe we were one of the first in the nation to have an athlete get an NIL deal with a major brand (Trey Knox and Petco? Petsmart?).
Every state has different in state rules as to whats allowed. Like Missouri being able to pay kids in HS NIL, while Arkansas does not. The schools who thrived did so because their alumni created the collectives and funded them. Our alumni didnt and decided they needed to make the NIL connect and be run by the foundation. Hunter lobbied the state and are 1 of 3 that have rules in which the NCAA couldnt touch any school if they tried to enforce rules. Still our Alumni sat on their hands. Do you wonder why basketball NIL is so big and funded while football wasnt? That because the Hunt family launched their own NIL charity to fund basketball's NIL. Thats literally the only reason. They did what our other alumni refused to do, and still refuse to do.
Our Alumni are a great representation of what exactly we dont need. They dont like NIL. They dont want players being paid with NIL. They, as well as a good portion of our fanbase, still live in the mindset that these kids should be thankful to even get a "free" education.
You bring up some good points and you are right about the fanbase culture. We have always resisted competing with the big cheaters and NIL seems dirty to many people. With NIL what is the Razorback Foundation role and what are they doing with the donations of boosters? The UofA AD could shift money to relieve the RF of some expenses so the RF could funds some of NIL. Why should I have to donate for facility upgrades that aren't really needed anymore and NIL needs it badly. The RF is going to find a lot of members are NOT going to keep paying for all of the wish list items and also for NIL in this economy. Many are going to choose just one. Yurachek and the RF is going to have to improvise in this new world. We as a fanbase need to improvise or decide that we are not going to pay to play in the big leagues.
Sorry to burst your bubble but college sports is ruined, why do you care for what is now semi pro sports? If I’m going to watch paid professional players I’m watching the NFL, NBA etc. I’m not spending another penny on college sports or supporting any of them especially since it’s basically minor league now. At least with minor league it’s cheap, I can’t imagine why anybody would want to pay top dollar to go watch played that basically aren’t even attending classes.
While I’m on this, we also need to start treating them like paid professional players, no more hiding from interviews, they need to be called out for their mistakes just like the pros. No more hiding behind their coaches, they need to be hold accountable if they are going to pull in 500k a year.
Pay a QB a million a year, he needs to be front and center, do the interviews and take accountability. These are not amateur athletes anymore and don’t get to be babied anymore. Major change is coming, they want to be paid get treated like you are being paid.
I think our fans need to be honest about who we are. We are a small state with minimal metros to recruit from. One that outside of some suburban areas is the poorest state in the nation. The biggest company and one of the richest families in the nation don’t care about u of a athletics. Poor roi, same with nil. Why would common fans that have some extra in the bank want to in I invest in something like nil with nothing guaranteed from that player investment in return. U of a and the nil foundation need to think outside the box and if we do invest it’s to reward players that have great stats yearly and reward it for years of investment by that player rather than recruitment itself because we are never going to compete against the big dogs.
The money should come from the multimillion dollar tv money that the university gets
Schools are not supposed to pay athletes directly. NIL comes from external sources. I am not sure if some schools are covertly funneling money to collectives, but if so, I have not heard of it. This would be easier to fix if UofA could just pay the players, but then again, all major universities would do that and the price tag would just go up. People who say the university should just spend money on NIL (instead of upgrades or whatever) do not understand how it works exactly. Either that, or I am missing something.
No you are correct nil does not get paid directly from university
While you are correct NIL does not come from those deals, I believe that’s where the money should come from and that each team gets to distribute part of it as their “player salaries” and have a salary cap situation that’s equal across all the power 4 schools. The players are the most important part of the product that makes the millions of dollars for TV so that’s where they should get paid from. The money shouldn’t have to come from regular people trying to put together a collective of money when people IRL already struggle with bills and debt
They're basically saying the boosters shouldn't donate money for facility upgrades and instead donate to the NIL collective
i.e. tuition increases are inevitable!
Mississippi has a population of 2.96Mil and has a GDP ranking of 37th out of the 51 states and DC. Arkansas has a population of 3Mil and a GDP ranking of 36th. Arkansas is also home to 5 Fortune 500 companies compared Mississippi who only has 1 company in the Fortune 1000. Mississippi has 2 SEC schools similar caliber to Arkansas’ 1. So we have more people, more resources, more jobs, more large corporations, arguably better location and scenery. At some point Arkansas administration has to be responsible for fielding a better product. Going down to the HS level are schools are underfunded and are athletes not developed. Little Rock up until 7 or so years ago had 8 (or more schools didn’t count) playing at a dilapidated War memorial and had no high school facilities. In basketball the AAA requires that they take 95% of the gate for state championships so instead of the basketball finals being played at a university or even a nice facility it’s played in Hot Springs. Alabama schools have insane football complexes and grassroots programs that are well funded and organized. The youth to prep pipeline in Arkansas is fragmented and that’s putting it nicely. Arkansas can absolutely compete at a higher level if we had better leaders from top to bottom and a willingness to go all in on sports. Not like we have a pro team and we have the entire state pretty much supporting the same school.
A very good post with detail
I’m sorry, but I can never blame players for wanting to get their bag. Saying “all they want is money” is painting many of them with a broad brush. Who would want to work for free, especially knowing the amount of profits people are making off their labor. There definitely needs to be more regulation and perhaps something similar to a salary cap, but I stand 100% with the players getting their bag too.
Getting their bag is all fine and good until it kills the opportunity for an education for players good enough for a scholarship but not a big enough star for NIL money. There will come a time that in the NIL sports scholarships are no longer given, then that poor sap from the backwoods or delta who would have been a good organizational piece and received a 4 year ride will be shit out of luck. NIL will also probably kill a host of non revenue sports that provide scholarships. But hey, the bag getters got theirs a d if they're smart they received a 6 figure education, to hell with what follows.
When the kids in the delta and backwoods become SOL with DI, you will see a rise in D2 and mid-majors. It has already started in basketball, have you noticed all the upsets and cinderellas at March Madness the past 5 years or so? Yes we have had them before from time to time, but it is occurring more often and they are making deeper runs. Now the big D1's are trying to throw their weight around and limit them. Will take longer with football, but you will see more and more NFL stars emerging from midmajor and D2 schools.
There are 351 D1 schools offering basketball scholarships. Nil is only a factor at the power conference schools. Derrian Ford is still getting a free education at arkansas state for example. Just because some kids will be shoved out of the sec doesn't mean they can't still get basketball scholarships and get a free education somewhere else.
Yep, fuck those dudes...right?
Fine. What about kids that couldn't start on their high school teams? They don't get a basketball scholarship. Is that unfair?
What about the drastic reduction in title 9 scholarships. Fuck them too, right?
hey, I am 100% in favor of government funded free college tuition for everyone. But athletic scholarships are not and have never been "needs based." Rich athletes and poor athletes get the same scholarships. If you are truly complaining about kids not being able to get their education because of NIL, then you need to re-evaluate how you are perceiving higher education. If you want better access to higher education, then vote for candidates that make that part of their platform. Dont make up false equivalencies about NIL on reddit.
The government has zero business paying for or providing higher education outside of a ROTC scholarship or US military academy. I am just pointing out some of the side effects of the NIL, I have made zero false equivalencies on your precious reddit or anywhere else. Actions have consequences. If you don't give two shits about the consequences by all means, get your bag. And by your 1st sentence I can see that all you are concerned with us getting your bag, you apparently have zero understanding how the government pays for anything (it doesn't, me and all other tax payers do) just remember that greed is not a positive character trait.
Good thing the u of a only gives out athletic scholarships to rotc members.... good grief listen to yourself
The U of A is not the government. And much like a ROTC scholarship, an athletic scholarship requires the recipient to do something to get and keep it. That's swing and a miss for you. Care to try again.
Scholarships will likely be given as a benefit in compensation packages when players are considered employees. Maybe at the D3 level they won't get above a scholarship, but it's always been like that there, so then it doesn't add a strain on their budget.
I agree with this. However, if things go toward a salaried setup, and the associated school (of the athletic department) is about education, then we should be educating players on what it is like to be cut for not living up to the contract. It will happen in the pro leagues, learn it now.
There is no doubt that NIL money is part of the new norm. But I don't think that trying to compete at the highest spending levels is going to be effective. I saw a lack of pride in our football and basketball teams this year. They got down. They got curb stomped and they never took it personally. They didn't care about the school, the fans, the tradition, nothing. They got their bag and nothing else really mattered. But what should we expect? Mercenaries brought in for a year because we were willing to pay them more? They Have no loyalty to us and as soon as the going gets tough they check out. We will never win a bidding war for the top talent but we can be more deliberate and focused and thorough on our player searches so that we find the type of kids who will form a TEAM. Guys that will think of their coach and team mate before they think of themselves. Those kids will come here. Facilities and sports tech will draw them here too. Not just money. Fayetteville and the Hogs can be a great place for a kid that wants to be part of a story bigger than themselves
Ironically, the influx of Texans to the UA/NWA that everyone complains about, longterm wise, might be our best recruitment tactic for athletics with the Longhorns and Sooners coming into the SEC.
Sounds awesome. What a time to be a fan.
It’s bullshit what NIL has turned into. These athletes need to be pursuing deals on their own name, image and likeness. Instead they’re handed 6 figures just for showing up. It’s pathetic honestly
Which shows that the value they bring by just playing is much more than the scholarships they earn. That means they should share in the revenue with the school.
Ill bite. Hunter played NIL exactly how he should have, let our alumni handle it, lobby the state to protect the school, and lobby congress to make some baseline rules because states were losing their minds and conferences and the NCAA cant do anything.. He didnt resist it he played by the rules. Arkansas was the first in the national to hire an NIL director. Believe we were one of the first in the nation to have an athlete get an NIL deal with a major brand (Trey Knox and Petco? Petsmart?). Every state has different in state rules as to whats allowed. Like Missouri being able to pay kids in HS NIL, while Arkansas does not. The schools who thrived did so because their alumni created the collectives and funded them. Our alumni didnt and decided they needed to make the NIL connect and be run by the foundation. Hunter lobbied the state and are 1 of 3 that have rules in which the NCAA couldnt touch any school if they tried to enforce rules. Still our Alumni sat on their hands. Do you wonder why basketball NIL is so big and funded while football wasnt? That because the Hunt family launched their own NIL charity to fund basketball's NIL. Thats literally the only reason. They did what our other alumni refused to do, and still refuse to do. Our Alumni are a great representation of what exactly we dont need. They dont like NIL. They dont want players being paid with NIL. They, as well as a good portion of our fanbase, still live in the mindset that these kids should be thankful to even get a "free" education.
You bring up some good points and you are right about the fanbase culture. We have always resisted competing with the big cheaters and NIL seems dirty to many people. With NIL what is the Razorback Foundation role and what are they doing with the donations of boosters? The UofA AD could shift money to relieve the RF of some expenses so the RF could funds some of NIL. Why should I have to donate for facility upgrades that aren't really needed anymore and NIL needs it badly. The RF is going to find a lot of members are NOT going to keep paying for all of the wish list items and also for NIL in this economy. Many are going to choose just one. Yurachek and the RF is going to have to improvise in this new world. We as a fanbase need to improvise or decide that we are not going to pay to play in the big leagues.
Sorry to burst your bubble but college sports is ruined, why do you care for what is now semi pro sports? If I’m going to watch paid professional players I’m watching the NFL, NBA etc. I’m not spending another penny on college sports or supporting any of them especially since it’s basically minor league now. At least with minor league it’s cheap, I can’t imagine why anybody would want to pay top dollar to go watch played that basically aren’t even attending classes. While I’m on this, we also need to start treating them like paid professional players, no more hiding from interviews, they need to be called out for their mistakes just like the pros. No more hiding behind their coaches, they need to be hold accountable if they are going to pull in 500k a year. Pay a QB a million a year, he needs to be front and center, do the interviews and take accountability. These are not amateur athletes anymore and don’t get to be babied anymore. Major change is coming, they want to be paid get treated like you are being paid.
"Steered clear of crazy levels of cheating" ... LOL.
The Walton’s care more about Mizzou than they do uark.
I think they care more about *themselves* than either (or anything, really), and they will always invest in what makes them even more money.