Welcome to ICYMI NIL – our weekly curated newsletter that provides our take on interesting stories in the world of NIL.
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NIL Compensation for Ivy League College Athletes
The Ivy League, whose member schools do not offer athletic scholarships for college athletes, entered the national NIL conversation last week when Harvard men’s basketball player Malik Mackentered his name into the transfer portal.
Harvard does not have a collective for their college athletes – like every other Ivy League school – but encourages NIL activity as part of the entire athlete experience.
“We will continue to be highly competitive…within the Ivy League, said Harvard athletic director Erin McDermott. “And outside the league, we’ve been able to [compete] in the past, and I think it’s about finding ways to continue doing that without compromising who we are.”
Harvard athletic director Erin McDermott understands Ivy League schools may lose out on recruits but believes colleges athletes come to their institutions for other compelling reasons.
“I think there’ll be less of this potentially looking to leave once you get here because…deciding to come, you kind of know what you’re signing up for.”
👉 What do you think of Harvard’s approaching to recruiting college athletes?
NFL Working to Create College Football Super League?
A group called “College Sports Tomorrow” that includes college presidents and leading sports executives (one prominently from the NFL) are working on a plan that would upend major college football as we know it.
Dubbed the “Super League,” in a wink to the European club soccer concept, the new structure would include promotion and relegation, remove the College Playoff format, and have a unionized workforce.
It would effectively end the NCAA’s governance of major college football.
And would be bundled into a super media rights deal valued at…a lot of money.
👉 Do you think this ‘Super League’ idea stands a chance of becoming a reality?
🔗 NFL Works with College Presidents to Form “Super League”
Iowa-LSU Elite Eight Game Set Women’s NCAA Hoops Ratings Record
The Elite Eight matchup between Iowa and LSU, which featured Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, two of the biggest stars in college basketball, was “the most watched women’s basketball game in history.”
An average audience of 12.3 million viewers tuned into ESPN to watch Iowa beat LSU.
“It was also the most watched men’s or women’s college basketball game ever on ESPN.”
The 12.3 million viewers bested the 11.84 million viewers that watched the 1983 NCAA championship game between Louisiana Tech and Southern California.
👉 Do you think a new ratings record will be set if Iowa meets South Carolina in the national championship game?
🔗 Iowa-LSU Sets Women’s NCAA Hoops Ratings Record with 12.3M viewers
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