D1.ticker Top Ten - The most clicked stories of the past week |
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#10: JohnWallStreet outlines Project Northstar, a donor-led alternative to private equity financing proposed by Emergetic Sports Managing Director Mark Lieberman, designed to help schools close financial gaps without ceding significant control or returns. The model proposes creating specific "NewCos" for revenue-generating sports (e.g., football, men’s basketball, etc.) where donors purchase minority equity stakes, avoiding the high structured returns (12-15% internal rate of return) demanded by private equity. Lieberman argues this approach allows schools to unlock asset value—potentially raising $150M-$200M—while limiting athlete employee classification to specific sports (providing W-2s and 401ks) and using the licensed revenue to fund non-revenue programs. The strategy aims to position conferences to collectively negotiate media rights in the 2030s, potentially driving Power 4 rights revenue from $3.4B to over $10B. Lieberman: “The unlocked value could be used to build stadiums, dormitories, hire more professors, or invest the academic institution in other ways. … We think this is the Goldilocks approach. Schools get the capital they need while maintaining oversight, athletes are paid properly, and donors/investors own a piece of their beloved teams.” (link)
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#9: Oregon State has hired Louisville Director of Compliance Christina Peasley as Associate AD for Compliance. (link)
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#8: LSU AD Verge Ausberry discusses his first 60 days on the job, a period he describes as feeling "like two years" due to industry’s current tumult. Addressing facility needs, Ausberry confirmed that a new multi-use basketball arena is "very important" and a committee is currently evaluating how to "get it off the ground" in a way that fits the university's mission and budget. On the financial front, Ausberry noted the stark reality of inflation: “When we came here 10 years ago the money was probably $140M, $150M budget. Now it's a $200M+ budget. So, we're trying to figure out when and where this thing is going to end. But really, we can't tell that until we decide how this thing is going to look and what we’re going to do. Will you be competitive at every sport and want to win at all sports like [former Baseball HC/AD] Skip Bertman had planned? He wanted to win at everything. ... Is that still realistic today?" More from Ausberry. (link)
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#7: Adidas wasted no time taking advantage of the momentum created by its brand-sponsored schools Indiana and Miami (FL) advancing to the upcoming College Football Playoff National Championship by creating an overnight website launch highlighting new product offerings while working up plans for a pop-up merchandise activation on South Beach as well celebrations with both schools, per JohnCanzano.com’s eponymous publisher. Adidas VP of Sports Marketing Chris McGuire: “It’s amazing. It helps build on the momentum the brand has in the US. The opportunity to celebrate a national championship with one of our partners will be surreal.” Canzano: “Whenever Adidas and Nike are matched up in a high-profile sporting event, it’s a high-stakes proposition. Employees in Portland buzzed about Friday’s game during meetings. McGuire pointed out that several large newspapers wrote stories in the run-up to the semifinals about the surging football schools at Adidas. … Be sure, it’s a storyline this week. … Indiana vs. Miami marks the first time that two Adidas-sponsored teams will play for all the marbles. … Bjørn Gulden, the CEO of Adidas, is going to travel from Germany to Miami for the Indiana-Miami game. Why not? It’s a big deal for the American arm of his company’s business. I’m interested in how Adidas will capitalize on the momentum.” More. (link)
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#6: Notre Dame has promoted Director of Football Communications Claire Cunningham to Assoc. AD for Team Communications and External Strategy. (link)
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#5: Bradley Softball HC Sarah Willis has stepped down after three seasons. (link) |
#4: Michigan has reportedly selected Syracuse Chancellor Kent Syverud to serve as its next president. (link)
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#3: NCAA President Charlie Baker sat down with College.town’s Daniel Gillman at the NCAA Convention to discuss a number of topics, ranging from the transfer portal to expanding March Madness. Here are the biggest takeaways…
➤ On the James Nnaji/Baylor eligibility situation: "He never sat on a bench. He never played in a game. He never signed a contract. I mean, I get the fact that on paper he was part of something, but in terms of his actual eligibility, he's completely consistent with the rules that have been there for a long time. ... I do think it was a change in incentives more than anything that had to do with the change in the way we work. And I think a lot of people, I think there was some real mythology out there about him."
➤ On the "draft and stash" rumors with the NBA: "I have no idea what draft and stash is and I can promise you that those three words never came up in my conversation with Adam Silver. So I was shocked by the reports that came out. I went to see him about sports betting and that's what we spent most of our time talking about was prop bets and prediction markets."
➤ On the decline in transfer portal entries: "I do think that one of the reasons we actually saw a very significant drop in the number of FBS and FCS players, football players who went into the portal in January relative to last year. It's down like 20%. was because schools finally had a chance to actually talk to kids directly. And I think a bunch of kids are probably staying where they were because their school was in a position to talk to them about why staying was a good thing for them and a good thing for the school."
➤ On the harassment stemming from prop betting: "We made a deal with Venmo to be able to get people who are, you know, just being incredibly abusive to our student athletes because somebody didn't deliver on a prop in whatever way they were supposed to. And the the person who lost the money is now demanding through Venmo that some student athlete who they don't know and have never heard of um they want him to pay him. It's crazy."
➤ On the timeline for expanding the NCAA Tournament: "I think we need to get it done sometime this spring but it'll take a year. It took a year to set it up. ... One of the big things we all have to figure out is the travel because if we expand the tournament, the travel gets even more interesting."
➤ Check out the full interview on Collegiate Sports Connect. (link) |
#2: Miami (FL) has a new baseball locker room. Check it out. (link) |
#1: Harvard announces that all attendees to Saturday’s women’s basketball match-up against Columbia will receive a free “Nerds” jersey. We’re betting this is Lewis Skolnick and Gilbert Lowe-approved! Check it out. (link)
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