Let the NIL Begin: Wisconsin QB Graham Mertz Unveils Trademarked Logo ... that looks like someone else's logo ... a lot ....

[short ornery norwegian]

As I understand this - schools cannot be involved with any of this.

Players have the right to market their Name, Image and Likeness. But it is on the players to make their own deals.

So, if the U of M sells a Ibrahim jersey, that money goes to the U of MN. But, Mo Ibrahim can hire someone to help him create his own branded Mo Ibrahim jersey or poster and sell that, and the money goes to Mo. Or Mo can endorse products, or do the social media tie-ins. So, in that sense, you could have players competing with their own schools for jersey sales.

But a school cannot promise a player that "if you come here, Company X will hire you to promote their widgets." The player and his representative have to make their own deal with Company X - apart from the school.

Now, having said that, there is already some fast-food chain in Nebraska that has announced that they will hire Nebraska athletes to promote their restaurants. So the word will get out that school Z has more lucrative endorsement prospects.

 

[fmlizard]

I think a case could be made that Johnny Manziel doing that thing with his fingers where he rubbed them together about making money, that could have taken off with high school players wearing that underneath their jerseys.

Haha if we're going there then Tebowing made it so big the Pope does it

 

[PMWinSTP]

As I understand this - schools cannot be involved with any of this.

Players have the right to market their Name, Image and Likeness. But it is on the players to make their own deals.

So, if the U of M sells a Ibrahim jersey, that money goes to the U of MN. But, Mo Ibrahim can hire someone to help him create his own branded Mo Ibrahim jersey or poster and sell that, and the money goes to Mo. Or Mo can endorse products, or do the social media tie-ins. So, in that sense, you could have players competing with their own schools for jersey sales.

But a school cannot promise a player that "if you come here, Company X will hire you to promote their widgets." The player and his representative have to make their own deal with Company X - apart from the school.

Now, having said that, there is already some fast-food chain in Nebraska that has announced that they will hire Nebraska athletes to promote their restaurants. So the word will get out that school Z has more lucrative endorsement prospects.

Are you sure about that? Likeness would extend to any merchandising of their names I have to think.

 

[PMWinSTP]

Of course it's above board. It'll ruin the competiveness of college football and bring the sport downwards and make lots of fans lose interest, but it'll be permitted.

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

 

[Word]

Of course it's above board. It'll ruin the competiveness of college football and bring the sport downwards and make lots of fans lose interest, but it'll be permitted.

Are you replying to your own posts now?

 

[MplsGopher]

Are you sure about that? Likeness would extend to any merchandising of their names I have to think.

It's a very interesting argument.

The other side of the coin is: what if Mo argues that his "football likeness" (for lack of better legal term) is inseparable from what gives his NIL value, and therefore he is allowed to sell his NIL including images/likeness of him in Gophers uniform/helmet.

 

[MplsGopher_fan]

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

???

 

[MplsGopher]

I agree, it is confusing.

 

[upnorthkid]

As I understand this - schools cannot be involved with any of this.

Players have the right to market their Name, Image and Likeness. But it is on the players to make their own deals.

So, if the U of M sells a Ibrahim jersey, that money goes to the U of MN. But, Mo Ibrahim can hire someone to help him create his own branded Mo Ibrahim jersey or poster and sell that, and the money goes to Mo. Or Mo can endorse products, or do the social media tie-ins. So, in that sense, you could have players competing with their own schools for jersey sales.

But a school cannot promise a player that "if you come here, Company X will hire you to promote their widgets." The player and his representative have to make their own deal with Company X - apart from the school.

Now, having said that, there is already some fast-food chain in Nebraska that has announced that they will hire Nebraska athletes to promote their restaurants. So the word will get out that school Z has more lucrative endorsement prospects.

now this will be fascinating. to what degree are places allowed to say "hey we're going to pay players extra?" and to what degree of specificity can they say these things. This absolutely will be the death of college athletics with the way it's starting to shape up

 

[MplsGopher]

This absolutely will be the death of college athletics with the way it's starting to shape up

Well, how do you define death?

Rest assured, at a bare minimum you're going to see the top X schools (25? 32? 65?) continue to play football at a high dollar level and be defacto NFL minor leagues/development system.

Other things, don't know to what extent they'll survive as currently are.

 

[Some guy]

Yep, some people have their heads buried pretty far in the sand. Also not sure why people have such an issue with players getting compensated for their talent in a free market manner.

This was coming at some point. Everyone saw it coming. That doesn’t mean any of those “state laws” did anything.

The headline may as well have been.
“The Texas state legislature has made legal something that was already legal that is still against NcAA rules”


yesterday’s ncaa change actually means something and merits being talked about

 

[MplsGopher]

That doesn’t mean any of those “state laws” did anything.

Just take the L. You were dead wrong. Be a man and admit it.

 

[upnorthkid]

Well, how do you define death?

Rest assured, at a bare minimum you're going to see the top X schools (25? 32? 65?) continue to play football at a high dollar level and be defacto NFL minor leagues/development system.

Other things, don't know to what extent they'll survive as currently are.

as in, the landscape of college football will rapidly change with many teams folding and a vast number of schools who don't fold, deciding to massively reduce the amount of money they put into it (see schools like MN, NW, etc.) because they realize there's no hope of them winning in a pay for play model with how their University views college sports as it compares to everything else a University is supposed to stand for

 

[upnorthkid]

For those who didn't see


sports bar in Louisiana with multiple locations

 

[FredCoxRocks]

It's a very interesting argument.

The other side of the coin is: what if Mo argues that his "football likeness" (for lack of better legal term) is inseparable from what gives his NIL value, and therefore he is allowed to sell his NIL including images/likeness of him in Gophers uniform/helmet.

That's my question, and I admit I have not read up on all of this yet so it may have already been covered here.
If the universities need to stay out of the players' deals, then I would think they would have some say, and obvious concerns, about how their institution's logos/trademarks are being used by the players, if they can be used at all.

Will it look like pro football cards from the 70's*?



*Photo-retouching has come a long way in the last 50 years.

 

[BleedGopher]

Go Gophers!!

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

Go Gophers!!

So is that like ... NOT porn?

 

[BleedGopher]

Go Gophers!!

 

[MplsGopher_fan]

So is that like ... NOT porn?

I actually just saw a lawn sign for these guys, seems like a plain ol' moving company.

 

[FredCoxRocks]

Go Gophers!!

A college football player endorses this. I feel the desire to go get a puppy now. Before NIL I had no idea I needed one.
Advertising is weird.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

A college football player endorses this. I feel the desire to go get a puppy now. Before NIL I had no idea I needed one.
Advertising is weird.

Be sure to blame the player when the dog eats your shoes!

 

[FredCoxRocks]

So is that like ... NOT porn?

Do a search for COLLEGE HUNKS JUNK and maybe see what comes up.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

Do a search for COLLEGE HUNKS JUNK and maybe see what comes up.

 

[Sparlimb]

What will be interesting to see is what happens with the first big copyright infringement lawsuit. What does a player do when they get sued by Sony for infringing on their logo? I assume that's all on the players and the school will take no part. You now have kids who are going to be influenced by people telling them they can make a ton of money and bad things will start to happen.

 

[2nd Degree Gopher]

What will be interesting to see is what happens with the first big copyright infringement lawsuit. What does a player do when they get sued by Sony for infringing on their logo? I assume that's all on the players and the school will take no part. You now have kids who are going to be influenced by people telling them they can make a ton of money and bad things will start to happen.

Yeah, I am afraid that will happen. I expect that someday I will tune in to watch a game and the announcer will say "Oklahoma will be without starting quarterback Billy Ray Watkins today. The 6'5" southpaw from Sugar Pie, Texas, has been arrested on felony tax fraud charges."

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

What will be interesting to see is what happens with the first big copyright infringement lawsuit. What does a player do when they get sued by Sony for infringing on their logo? I assume that's all on the players and the school will take no part. You now have kids who are going to be influenced by people telling them they can make a ton of money and bad things will start to happen.

I suspect for most it ends up with a threatening letter and they just drop it and everyone moves on.

I don't expect any drawn out legal issues.

But even that isn't great for the player.

 

[Ski U Mah Gopher]

I was listening to Cowherd today, and he had this great scam for NIL

Boosters buy Cameo greetings for about 1k each.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

I can not think of any college football player that I was such a fan of that I would purchase anything with that player name.

I can only see maybe that players school population maybe buy some stuff, if they are all american or heisman candidates will help, but outside of your own zip code....I don't know if enough ppl will really care to make it worthwhile to invest in your own brand in college...for football.

For basketball it could possibly be a different story. We'll see.

I would buy one thing with college football players names on it:

 

[GophersInIowa]

 

[PMWinSTP]

That's my question, and I admit I have not read up on all of this yet so it may have already been covered here.
If the universities need to stay out of the players' deals, then I would think they would have some say, and obvious concerns, about how their institution's logos/trademarks are being used by the players, if they can be used at all.

Will it look like pro football cards from the 70's*?

View attachment 13235View attachment 13233View attachment 13232

*Photo-retouching has come a long way in the last 50 years.

That helmet looks painted on in the headshot card. Fred had quite the melon.