Tonight in Unpacks: NIL, the transfer portal and funding were on the minds of college administrators in Las Vegas during Day 2 of SBJ's Intercollegiate Athletics Forum, presented by Learfield.
Other headlines:
- Olympic sports need to learn from football, basketball to grow revenue
- ICYMI: Highlights from SBJ's college-focused conference
- IndyCar confirms new docu-series amid broad uptick in marketing efforts
- NBA activating around Christmas games with new TV spot
- Op-ed: The role of golf and charity, beyond the headlines
In today's Morning Buzzcast, SBJ's David Albright covers Mark Emmert making his final IAF appearance, the sale of the Suns moving to a second round of vetting and IndyCar's plan for a marketing push.
NIL, transfer portal present problems and opportunities for Group of Five
The Group of Five -- the AAC, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West and Sun Belt -- are major beneficiaries of new College Football Playoff format. And while these schools are excited about a playoff format that opens an easier path to the playoff, they do see some important issues left to address, such NIL and the transfer portal. At least that’s how outgoing MWC Commissioner Craig Thompson sees it, writes SBJ's Jason Wilson.
“NIL, the collectives and what they’re doing/not doing for athletes -- the money is unbelievable,” he said on a panel moderated by The Athletic’s Andy Staples today at the SBJ Intercollegiate Athletics Forum, presented by Learfield. “We should’ve been addressing these quicker and sooner. ... This is about the student athlete. We haven’t been paying enough attention to them for years. Now, we’re addressing it.”
C-USA Commissioner Judy MacLeod notes how her member schools are adjusting to the transfer portal, noting the past success Western Kentucky had with Bailey Zappe, who got drafted and played during his rookie season for the Patriots. But she worries about athletes who enter the portal to see what’s out there but “don’t find a home.” AAC Commissioner Mike Aresco said coaches and ADs may not always know what’s going on with NIL collectives, and they may lose students they wouldn’t have lost in earlier years. He said it's up to schools to “create cultures” that lead athletes to stay.
But NIL and transfer portal have created opportunities, as have other moves, like the Sun Belt expanding in such a way to play up regional rivalries, which can lead to better attendance. “That regional rivalry piece has been important to us,” Commissioner Keith Gill said, noting how this year, the Sun Belt has more bowl-eligible teams (nine) than any time in its history.
A similar tactic is working for C-USA, which is adding schools from FCS to its membership. “We went about finding right fits for us,” said MacLeod. She noted how schools like Sam Houston State and Kennesaw State have experience with FCS playoffs.
For MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher, he’s seen an opportunity outside both NIL and the transfer portal: data rights, especially when it comes gambling partnerships. “You start to see significant value in data rights, your statistics,” he said, noting how schools need to examine how betting fits their values. “Someone’s taking them, and we’re not being paid. So we built inventory and have control over it.”
Commissioner Keith Gill says tapping into regional rivalries has been successful for the Sun Belt
Olympic sports need to learn from football, basketball to grow revenue
College football and men’s basketball haven’t always been the multibillion-dollar beasts, Sandy Barbour reminded the audience at the SBJ Intercollegiate Athletics Forum. The former AD at schools like Cal and Penn State pointed out how important it is for leadership to recognize what those sports have learned and to bring those insights to women’s basketball, volleyball and other Olympic sports, writes SBJ's Jason Wilson.
“They all produce some kind of revenue, whether it's from a fundraising standpoint, or maybe there's some commercial revenue in ticket sales or sponsorship," Barbour noted during a panel moderated by Women Leaders in College Sports CEO Patti Phillips. “We're all delighted to see some of the steps that, whether it's sports programs or it's more broadly men and women in our Olympic sports, that there are opportunities to produce some revenue. But we have to invest in it.”
Florida AD Scott Stricklin noted unlike every other nation, the U.S. is the only country that has "combined higher education and athletics.” Germany, he noted, invests $300 million into its Olympic program, and yet, the U.S. leads medal counts because D-I colleges "spend over $5 billion a year on Olympic sports.”
Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman sees basketball as the “connective tissue” among schools and conferences, and notes how this is also a growth opportunity on the women’s side, which is in “the best position of women's team sports." Ackerman: "If you look at what's happening at the youth level, the high school level, the collegiate level, the pro level and the national team level, it's women's basketball that really has sort of done it across the board. And I believe there's still growth potential there. ... Other women's team sports are starting to make noise.”
Atlantic 10 Commissioner Bernadette McGlade said basketball is “critically important” to the NCAA, especially when it comes to funding other sports. She noted how schools and conferences are putting together their own media rights packages that help fund Olympic sports as well. But the landscape is challenging. "There's a squeeze right now from a financial standpoint depending on how things play out in the future, but there's not a discussion right now of eliminating sports or cutting opportunities or diminishing opportunities across the board," McGlade said.
Sandy Barbour reminded the crowd that football and basketball weren't always billion-dollar behemoths.
ICYMI: Highlights from SBJ's college-focused conference
Some of the other highlights from recent SBJ coverage of the Intercollegiate Athletics Forum, which wrapped up today in Las Vegas:
IndyCar confirms new docu-series amid broad uptick in marketing efforts
IndyCar plans to significantly increase its marketing budget for next year, writes SBJ's Adam Stern, as Roger Penske’s racing series responds to calls from its industry to be more aggressive in the face of rising competition.
While not revealing specifics, Penske Corp. EVP Jonathan Gibson and Penske Entertainment President & CEO Mark Miles confirmed to SBJ that they’re drawing up plans to ramp up marketing next year, with Gibson -- one of Penske’s right-hand men -- saying that it will be a “significant investment in our marketing plans.”
Among those plans: IndyCar finally has its docu-series project confirmed, and it will partner with Vice, The CW and Nexstar Media Group on "100 Days to Indy," which will debut in the spring. The six-part series will focus on the buildup to the Indianapolis 500, and its episodes will first air on CW channels around the country before airing on Vice's platforms. The series will be produced by Vice World News with Patrick Dimon directing and Bryan Terry as executive producer.
NBA activating around Christmas games with new TV spot
The NBA today released its Christmas spot titled “A Nonstop NBA Christmas,” notes SBJ's Eric Prisbell.
The spot makes its TV premiere during Saturday's Celtics-Warriors game, which marks the opening night of the ABC primetime schedule. The ad creative offers a new take on “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” NBA superfan Non-Stop (actor Keyon Bowman), who was introduced during the league’s tipoff campaign, previews the five Christmas Day matchups.
Non-Stop is joined by legends Julius Erving and Ray Allen, Suns guard Devin Booker and influencers/celebrities Action Bronson and Brittney Elena. The spot ends with a look at the Mavericks-Lakers game, previewing LeBron James playing in his 17th Christmas Day game. The spot was created in conjunction with independent creative agency Translation and directed by TRAKTOR. It will be translated in 13 additional languages to reach fans globally.
Click on image to watch the spot, which takes inspiration from holiday school plays
Op-ed: The role of golf and charity, beyond the headlines
Tonight's op-ed comes from Katz Strategy founder and CEO Rich Katz:
"Golf contributes more than $4 billion annually to charities, by some reports eclipsing America’s four major professional sports leagues combined. Group outings and tournaments are standard fundraising fare in corporate and community circles, often keeping courses and clubs on the right side of the ledger.
Countless causes benefit financially from golf activities. Among the most involved are military-oriented nonprofits, all performing Herculean work so service men and women, and their families, better their lives. ... Corporate America continues to step up, too, with a 'Who’s Who' of plenty of familiar names."
Read the full submission here.
ICYMI: Bush's Best wants Peyton Manning to 're-frame' beans
In this week's SBJ Marketing newsletter, Terry Lefton looks at:
- Bush’s Best adds Peyton Manning to beloved Duke ads
- Manning builds on Bush's Southern strategy
- Sportfive will help Boston Marathon run down new primary sponsor
Speed reads
- For the first time, the Big 12 is offering 200+ premium courtside seating options for its Phillips 66 Men’s Basketball Championship, March 8-11 at T-Mobile Center in K.C., writes SBJ's Bret McCormick. The conference is introducing the same premium amenities for the Women’s Basketball Championship in 2024 when it moves to the same venue.
- Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen has decided to continue its deal with Richard Childress Racing and sponsor Kyle Busch in 2023, reports SBJ's Adam Stern. This is the newest sponsor to come on board as the former NASCAR Cup Series champion switches over from Joe Gibbs Racing.
- NXT, the developmental series of WWE, plans to hit the road again with live events in 2023 for the first time since the start of the pandemic, notes SBJ's David Bourne. The first event, NXT Vengeance Day, will take place Feb. 4 from Spectrum Center in Charlotte, streaming live on Peacock.
- AEG on Tuesday night presented its annual Service Awards for employees to mark anniversaries in five-year increments. Pictured below (l-r) are four of the five execs with the longest tenure since AEG’s founding were present: Kings Senior Director of Communications & Heritage Jeff Moeller;AEG Vice Chair and Chief Legal & Development Officer Ted Fikre; AEG President & CEO Dan Beckerman; and AEG VP/Communications Michael Roth. Not pictured is Crypto.com Arena President Lee Zeidman.
AEG annually honors execs for their time with the company in five-year increments