The Matador Club
If you do not like NIL because you have a fundamental disagreement with college athletes receiving any money, that’s okay, you’re entitled to that opinion. I don’t think it’s a correct opinion -- they should get paid at least something beyond the benefits of a scholarship -- but you’re entitled to have one.
If you want to be mad at someone, blame the Supreme Court and, particularly, blame Brett Kavanaugh. This is what Kavanaugh wrote:
“...schools are conspiring with competitors—agreeing with competitors, let’s say that—to pay no salaries for the workers who are making the school billions of dollars on the theory that consumers want the schools to pay their workers nothing.”
“The NCAA couches its arguments for not paying student athletes in innocuous labels.."
“But the labels cannot disguise the reality: The NCAA’s business model would be flatly illegal in almost any other industry in America. All of the restaurants in a region cannot come together to cut cooks’ wages on the theory that “customers prefer” to eat food from low-paid cooks. Law firms cannot conspire to cabin lawyers’ salaries in the name of providing legal services out of a “love of the law.”
Without those comments, there is no NIL. But because the NCAA (correctly) assessed that our Supreme Court would deem restricted NIL to be illegal… we now have NIL.
But even if you’re the hater of all haters, surely, you can agree that The Matador Club is the purest form of NIL to date? Everyone making the same amount, with charities benefitting along the way. Unlike probably 75% of NIL money paid to date, it’s being offered to current players, not prospective ones. Plus 15 walk-ons get taken care of. Heck, even baseball may eventually get a piece of it. There is no better NIL collective model than what we have.
The Matador Club even took a shot at those sham NIL deals in its email yesterday: “Many other collectives focus on large single payments to individual recruits (often in violation of NCAA regulation and State law), while ignoring the fact that football is a TEAM sport – the star quarterback is no good without an effective offensive line, for example.”
Here's a breakdown of what our peers are saying about The Matador Club.
They know it’s a big deal. Because it is.
Brian Carrington is a Dumb
I’m ashamed to admit how much this guy triggered me yesterday, mostly because what he’s saying makes zero sense. He also mistakenly believes that the $25k yearly to football players is a hard cap on what they can make. He’s a dumb. And I couldn’t help myself on the tweeters last night / this morning.
Random Realignment Stuff
I’d argue the best guy to follow on realignment has been Arizona’s 247 guy, Jason Scheer. He hasn’t made any guarantees but seems to think invites from the Big 12 could be going out soon to at least some of the 4 corner schools.
I’d do it. I hope the Big 12 is bluffing when it says we will only make “additive” moves, nothing “dilutive.” I don’t really care if we get a few million less per year, so will Ok. State, and TCU, and Baylor. I’m selfishly rooting for fan experience. I want to add the mountain region schools so we can destroy the Pac 12 and be in a unique and interesting conference. Who knows... being in a unique conference made up of schools that, for the most part, care about football might lead to good TV numbers, which might lead to higher TV contracts. It's at least possible.
If you do not like NIL because you have a fundamental disagreement with college athletes receiving any money, that’s okay, you’re entitled to that opinion. I don’t think it’s a correct opinion -- they should get paid at least something beyond the benefits of a scholarship -- but you’re entitled to have one.
If you want to be mad at someone, blame the Supreme Court and, particularly, blame Brett Kavanaugh. This is what Kavanaugh wrote:
“...schools are conspiring with competitors—agreeing with competitors, let’s say that—to pay no salaries for the workers who are making the school billions of dollars on the theory that consumers want the schools to pay their workers nothing.”
“The NCAA couches its arguments for not paying student athletes in innocuous labels.."
“But the labels cannot disguise the reality: The NCAA’s business model would be flatly illegal in almost any other industry in America. All of the restaurants in a region cannot come together to cut cooks’ wages on the theory that “customers prefer” to eat food from low-paid cooks. Law firms cannot conspire to cabin lawyers’ salaries in the name of providing legal services out of a “love of the law.”
Without those comments, there is no NIL. But because the NCAA (correctly) assessed that our Supreme Court would deem restricted NIL to be illegal… we now have NIL.
But even if you’re the hater of all haters, surely, you can agree that The Matador Club is the purest form of NIL to date? Everyone making the same amount, with charities benefitting along the way. Unlike probably 75% of NIL money paid to date, it’s being offered to current players, not prospective ones. Plus 15 walk-ons get taken care of. Heck, even baseball may eventually get a piece of it. There is no better NIL collective model than what we have.
The Matador Club even took a shot at those sham NIL deals in its email yesterday: “Many other collectives focus on large single payments to individual recruits (often in violation of NCAA regulation and State law), while ignoring the fact that football is a TEAM sport – the star quarterback is no good without an effective offensive line, for example.”
Here's a breakdown of what our peers are saying about The Matador Club.
They know it’s a big deal. Because it is.
Brian Carrington is a Dumb
I’m ashamed to admit how much this guy triggered me yesterday, mostly because what he’s saying makes zero sense. He also mistakenly believes that the $25k yearly to football players is a hard cap on what they can make. He’s a dumb. And I couldn’t help myself on the tweeters last night / this morning.
Random Realignment Stuff
I’d argue the best guy to follow on realignment has been Arizona’s 247 guy, Jason Scheer. He hasn’t made any guarantees but seems to think invites from the Big 12 could be going out soon to at least some of the 4 corner schools.
I’d do it. I hope the Big 12 is bluffing when it says we will only make “additive” moves, nothing “dilutive.” I don’t really care if we get a few million less per year, so will Ok. State, and TCU, and Baylor. I’m selfishly rooting for fan experience. I want to add the mountain region schools so we can destroy the Pac 12 and be in a unique and interesting conference. Who knows... being in a unique conference made up of schools that, for the most part, care about football might lead to good TV numbers, which might lead to higher TV contracts. It's at least possible.
