Oregon football has 'unlimited' NIL backing from Nike

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Per Dyer:

Oregon football and Nike founder Phil Knight are in it to win it. And that means, according to a recent report, that the Big Ten program is set to spend in pursuit of a national championship.

That’s the buzz about the Oregon football program following a recent report from Sirius XM that Nike CEO Phil Knight is all-in on funding his program’s Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) campaign. Knight, the report said, desperately wants a national championship for his alma mater and is committed to providing the financial resources necessary to get there.

During his show on SiriusXM last week, former Washington and UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel said that Knight is willing to find whatever it takes to get Oregon a national championship. Knight is the Nike founder is 86 years old.

usatodayhss.com

Oregon football has 'unlimited' NIL backing from Nike

Phil Knight is ready to spend for Oregon football.
usatodayhss.com usatodayhss.com

Go Gophers!!
 

Wow, how is this even remotely fair? I guess you would have to think that they will get all the top people and everyone else gets the scraps, then hope they don’t pan out.
 

NotAFanOfBecky said:
Wow, how is this even remotely fair? I guess you would have to think that they will get all the top people and everyone else gets the scraps, then hope they don’t pan out.
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I think it is completely fair, it's his money, and they actually have products to push. Could be a big win win.
 


It's the free market. Having the biggest pile of money gives you the biggest advantage.

Remember the Golden Rule: He who has the gold makes the rules.
 


I've seen this a number of places. First, it came from SlickRick, the guy fired from Washington (Oregon rival) for betting on NCAA games and the same Ricky that after he left Colorado the NCAA found 51 violations that occurred during his time as coach there. In my opinion the guy has no credibility. Now I'm not saying Uncle Phil isn't pumping money into the U of O, he is, it's just that Ricky is going for "clicks" and getting them.

This is just Sleaze Neuheisel being Neuheisel. FYI: his son is a coach a position coach at UCLA now.
 

I stand by my calls from 2-3 years back that we're going to see a NCAA football team with a $100M+ payroll in this decade. I think that estimate might have been conservative.

It is entirely possible that a college football team might have a higher payroll than any NFL team at some point, given the lack of any salary cap.

And when that happens, all the "colleges" have to do is flip the switch and end 4 year eligibility limits...and the NFL has an existential threat and would be forced to draft players right out of HS.
 

HitMeAgainIAmStillMoving said:
I think it is completely fair, it's his money, and they actually have products to push. Could be a big win win.
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Let the product pushes begin, along with the marriage of college programs and corporate sponsors/owners.

I think that by 2026 a FBS team will sell naming rights. Like the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, we could see the Minnesota Huntington Bank Gophers vs. USC Trojan Condoms. It will probably start small at the G5 level.

I also expect to see schools start selling ads on jerseys, like the NBA and MLB have dipped their toes in. Nike actually gets diluted here because their logo is already on many uniforms.

a0005a70-00d0-11ef-bfeb-4e1e53e939c8.jpeg
 

my question continues to be - how does this change when schools can pay players directly?

Or - does this change when schools can pay players directly?

my gut feeling/best guess is that NIL will still be a thing for "star" players - top QB's, RB's, WR's etc.
but for the rank-and-file players, they will be happy with the direct payments.

but the issue remains enforcement. if the NCAA, or the top football conferences, tried to impose some type of limit or restrictions on NIL, who enforces it? who investigates alleged violations? and would any restrictions stand up in court?
 





GoDucks349 said:
I've seen this a number of places. First, it came from SlickRick, the guy fired from Washington (Oregon rival) for betting on NCAA games and the same Ricky that after he left Colorado the NCAA found 51 violations that occurred during his time as coach there. In my opinion the guy has no credibility. Now I'm not saying Uncle Phil isn't pumping money into the U of O, he is, it's just that Ricky is going for "clicks" and getting them.

This is just Sleaze Neuheisel being Neuheisel. FYI: his son is a coach a position coach at UCLA now.
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I found the source of the story to be pretty sketchy also. Having Phil Knight money pumping into your Ducks programs definitely helps, but other schools have money flowing also. Money won't be the determining factor for many of the recruits and transfers the coaches want IMO.
 

I’m still trying to wrap my head around caring about these 4 new teams. Hell, Rutgers and Maryland still do nothing for me. Gone are the days of following the B1G West where we at least had a shot at late season relevance and consistent rivalry games.
 



Mulligan said:
The ray of hope is that he is 86. (Coming from a 78 year old.:unsure:)
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This. If I were a Ducks fan, I’d be praying for reaching the promised land in the next few years. They’ve been an athletic program propped up by a single person for a couple decades now. At some point, the dude will die. Maybe he leaves a pile in his will for the Ducks, but that will eventually dry up as well. They’re no USC or even UCLA with some “brand name” to them. Once Uncle Phil passes, the likelihood of them going back to what they used to be is pretty high.

I don’t think all the spending has helped Nebraska yet, so it’s no guarantee. Although convincing kids to go live in the PNW has to be easier than Lincoln, NE. Having toured the Ducks facilities, they are very impressive, and not in the garish way you see in the Southeast.
 

GoDucks349 said:
I've seen this a number of places. First, it came from SlickRick, the guy fired from Washington (Oregon rival) for betting on NCAA games and the same Ricky that after he left Colorado the NCAA found 51 violations that occurred during his time as coach there. In my opinion the guy has no credibility. Now I'm not saying Uncle Phil isn't pumping money into the U of O, he is, it's just that Ricky is going for "clicks" and getting them.

This is just Sleaze Neuheisel being Neuheisel. FYI: his son is a coach a position coach at UCLA now.
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And, Nike stock dropped $5.5 BILLION $ in one day within the last couple weeks....that'll curb some spending for a moment. And his funds are a boatload but not unlimited at 3% of Nike's shares.

"FORBES VALUATION​

Nike cofounder Phil Knight’s net worth fell by $5.5 billion Friday, falling by more than any other billionaire, according to our real-time tracker. The 86-year-old Knight and his son Travis Knight own about 3% of Nike’s shares, according to FactSet."
 

forever a gopher said:
This. If I were a Ducks fan, I’d be praying for reaching the promised land in the next few years. They’ve been an athletic program propped up by a single person for a couple decades now. At some point, the dude will die. Maybe he leaves a pile in his will for the Ducks, but that will eventually dry up as well. They’re no USC or even UCLA with some “brand name” to them. Once Uncle Phil passes, the likelihood of them going back to what they used to be is pretty high.

I don’t think all the spending has helped Nebraska yet, so it’s no guarantee. Although convincing kids to go live in the PNW has to be easier than Lincoln, NE. Having toured the Ducks facilities, they are very impressive, and not in the garish way you see in the Southeast.
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There are other donors to the Oregon atheltic department, Division Street Fund as of 2022 was generating $10 million a year in revenues for NIL. Not sure how much it's generating now, but I'd be surprised if it hadn't increased significantly. The Ducks aren't going away, we're just getting started.
 

Phil might want championships for Oregon, but Nike doesn’t seem to care considering all the NIL deals they’ve given to players at rival schools.
 


NotAFanOfBecky said:
Wow, how is this even remotely fair?
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Because everyone has the opportunity to do it?

I'm in software. Google, Microsoft, etc. pay top dollar and get the best candidates every year and other companies sort through the rest of the available talent. Those other companies have the opportunity to pay up and get that talent too, if they choose.

Same situation here, except we're talking about high school graduates instead of college graduates.
 

60's Guy said:
And, Nike stock dropped $5.5 BILLION $ in one day within the last couple weeks....that'll curb some spending for a moment. And his funds are a boatload but not unlimited at 3% of Nike's shares.

"FORBES VALUATION​

Nike cofounder Phil Knight’s net worth fell by $5.5 billion Friday, falling by more than any other billionaire, according to our real-time tracker. The 86-year-old Knight and his son Travis Knight own about 3% of Nike’s shares, according to FactSet."
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He's worth $33-45B net depending on the source. He could put $500M (like 1.5% of his net worth) in some sort of Trust for the athletic department and it would kick out, conservatively invested, something around $20M a year.
 

PMWinSTP said:
He's worth $33-45B net depending on the source. He could put $500M (like 1.5% of his net worth) in some sort of Trust for the athletic department and it would kick out, conservatively invested, something around $20M a year.
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I know, I was just trying to cheer myself up. Contrast to the Gophers is amazing.
 

Does Knight get a tax write-off on his contributions to Oregon football?
 

PMWinSTP said:
He's worth $33-45B net depending on the source. He could put $500M (like 1.5% of his net worth) in some sort of Trust for the athletic department and it would kick out, conservatively invested, something around $20M a year.
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I believe Oregon currently has a NIL budget of $23 million and I believe the majority of that comes from the Division Street Fund. Which is funded by various donors, including Uncle Phil. I understand a couple years ago Division Street was pumping out $10 million per year, so that annual number has likely gone up significantly.
 

Didn’t know where to put this, but Colorado state is running names.

Supposedly k state offered their QB 600k to transfer. Nothing stopping anyone from putting the names Out for what the real Offers are
 

GoDucks349 said:
There are other donors to the Oregon atheltic department, Division Street Fund as of 2022 was generating $10 million a year in revenues for NIL. Not sure how much it's generating now, but I'd be surprised if it hadn't increased significantly. The Ducks aren't going away, we're just getting started.
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Is there a link for this? They publish their financials?
 

GoDucks349 said:
I believe Oregon currently has a NIL budget of $23 million and I believe the majority of that comes from the Division Street Fund. Which is funded by various donors, including Uncle Phil. I understand a couple years ago Division Street was pumping out $10 million per year, so that annual number has likely gone up significantly.
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Is the source of this number Nebraska AD Dannen? Heard a blurb some time ago.
 

Let's hope Oregon's entry into the Big Ten goes as well as Nebraska's.
 

Word said:
Let's hope Oregon's entry into the Big Ten goes as well as Nebraska's.
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Well, yeah... good point. When the Cornhuskers first switched conferences, some people thought Nebraska would dominate the B1G. It didn't work out that way. Now, all these years later, the sports pundits and talking heads seem equally convinced that fancy-pants Oregon will make quick work of all the frumpy, dumpy midwestern teams out here in flyover land.

We'll have to wait and see how that turns out.
 

RememberMurray said:
Well, yeah... good point. When the Cornhuskers first switched conferences, some people thought Nebraska would dominate the B1G. It didn't work out that way. Now, all these years later, the sports pundits and talking heads seem equally convinced that fancy-pants Oregon will make quick work of all the frumpy, dumpy midwestern teams out here in flyover land.

We'll have to wait and see how that turns out.
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I am kinda on the opposite side. I would like to see someone wipe the floor with Ohio St and Michigan. If Oregon is going to win it all I would rather they were a member of the Big 10 (18). Nebraska is a different story.
 

HitMeAgainIAmStillMoving said:
I am kinda on the opposite side. I would like to see someone wipe the floor with Ohio St and Michigan. If Oregon is going to win it all I would rather they were a member of the Big 10 (18). Nebraska is a different story.
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In their very first season playing in their new conference, the Ducks will get the opportunity to "wipe the floor" with both Ohio State and Michigan. Welcome to the B1G, Ducks!

fbschedules.com

2024 Oregon Football Schedule | FBSchedules.com

View the 2024 Oregon Football Schedule at FBSchedules.com. The Ducks football schedule includes opponents, date, time, and TV.
fbschedules.com
 

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