Just wondering if fans/alums need something more formal than what we have now for NIL. Maybe a committee that has alums or fans like Chip and Joanna, RG3, Drayton McLane, Paula Hurd etc. Let me know your thoughts.

I think we definitely need something more formal for NIL. What we are doing now is just not working.

there are already a lot of avenues to give. if we're going to rely on the average Joe middle class to pass the offering plate in order to scrape together enough cash to pay the Austin Novosad's of the world, we're screwed. I'm just speaking for me and mine and many of the other young alumni that I know. I like Baylor Sports just as much as the next fan, but with how expensive everything is, I'm not going to take money out of my budget to pay these guys. This is a rich man's game

However, I'll reiterate that our struggles the last two years are not primarily because of a lack of talent. Texas outtalented us maybe, but they also outplayed us. Every other game this year was winnable with better coaching.

I've been beating this drum for the last year that our entire NIL program is the single biggest long-term problem we have yet to confront.

I still don't understand our NIL approach. The way all this was and is worded with the GXG thing is that they're targeting average fans for a donation pool. I'm not saying we shouldn't do that, but that still appears to be all we're doing, or at the very least the vast majority of it. Failing that, Startup Waco and Baylor by proxy are just not doing a very good job explaining what all this is and how they're organizing efforts. Startup Waco in particular made our mainline NIL policy and it requires acts of service to unlock payments, which seem to be minimal anyway. Nobody who actually wants to woo players is doing that.

No major program is going to their rank-and-file fan base for their NIL strategy. Those collectives are set up explicitly for major donors to pull strings behind closed doors - the only things they're announcing is how much the players get paid, not who can give.

I know all this is new but I just think we're fumbling our NIL approach. We have no edge.

ScottS said:

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Just wondering if fans/alums need something more formal than what we have now for NIL. Maybe a committee that has alums or fans like Chip and Joanna, RG3, Drayton McLane, Paula Hurd etc. Let me know your thoughts.

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The challenge is discovering whether the money is actually there to be competitive with at least SMU and Tech. If not, we can make all the committees we want and it won't matter.

I think Mack or somebody in the athletic dept needs to come out and say what they need to be competitive. I have been donating monthly and it seems like if we could get a decent amount of us normal fans to throw in $20/$50/$100 a month that is at least something. It just seems like they need to comminicate what its going to take and how much they need to get us on par with tech/tcu etc.

Can we take out a second mortgage on the Fudge Football Facility, Hurd Welcome Center or half finished Foster Pavilion? Leverage your assets, it's the American way!

We are all under informed on Baylor NIL. on purpose.

And I think it's a good thing.

I do know we are more involved and have more NIL resources than most of the posters here really.

CTbruin said:

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We are all under informed on Baylor NIL. on purpose.

And I think it's a good thing.

I do know we are more involved and have more NIL resources than most of the posters here really.

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This sounds like good news, however, what about the person that is an alum, working and not a huge sports fan?
Maybe they tube in to a game or 2 a year. They don't know about NIL and and don't know about a way to donate. This person might donate if prompted in some way.

The single best thing to do for NIL is to have an exciting coach and program. That's why we need an offense that can score a ton of points. Football is supposed to be entertainment, and people will be a lot more likely to put money into it if it's entertaining.

As for the rest, a collection from 1000s is a great idea assuming we also have the big guys coming through.

I have to wonder what Men's Basketball is doing for NIL. Scott Drew does not seem to have any problem bringing in 5 Star recruits.

The truth is we don't have anything!! If we had something we would be pushing it. No emails, no ads on big screen, or Mack pushing every time he speaks. I know that the average joe can't sustain NIL. But…do major advertisers like they do the season ticket holders. Your level of giving to NIL determines your pecking order for advertising. "Texas Farm Bureau give to NIL first and then we will determine your advertising level!" Tiff Treat; Jim Turner Chevy; TFNB "Your NIL giver for life". Listen, this is the golden age of shake downs and ransoms. Baylor is a master at this. If they aren't hire the experts of shake downs from DEI, ESG, or BLM. Baylor is just hoping this goes away.

Our NIL is a disaster: we have no franchise QB's or DT's- we're talking mucho $$$$ for these.

Bear75605 said:

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The truth is we don't have anything!! If we had something we would be pushing it. No emails, no ads on big screen, or Mack pushing every time he speaks. I know that the average joe can't sustain NIL. But…do major advertisers like they do the season ticket holders. Your level of giving to NIL determines your pecking order for advertising. "Texas Farm Bureau give to NIL first and then we will determine your advertising level!" Tiff Treat; Jim Turner Chevy; TFNB "Your NIL giver for life". Listen, this is the golden age of shake downs and ransoms. Baylor is a master at this. If they aren't hire the experts of shake downs from DEI, ESG, or BLM. Baylor is just hoping this goes away.

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The primary issue is that the NIL system that you are describing is in fact what it was originally pitched as. Allow a player to do advertisements and sell autographs etc. to make money. The problem is, it's become an arms race where teams are literally paying players a decent American salary on top of the free scholarships, special treatment, free food, etc. I believe there was an interview with Mac a few months back where he said that a bare-bones NIL program has a price tag of something like 5 million a year for the football team. IIRC, that equates to giving every player like eight grand

I absolutely hate what it has become. I LOVE college football, but it has turned in the last few years into crazy town. Unfortunately it is a necessary evil if you want to play in the big leagues. And maybe we should except our lot in life.

I would be an awful candidate for NIL giving, because I am providing scholarships right now for my 2 kids. But I do know that "a fool and his money are soon parted". That's your target market.

Bear3 said:

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I have to wonder what Men's Basketball is doing for NIL. Scott Drew does not seem to have any problem bringing in 5 Star recruits.

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Basketball is very different than football due to how many players are needed to field an elite team and how many players are willing to ride the bench. To that end, any random team can make a big splash with just one to three players, and teams in general cannot stockpile elite players - regardless of how much they pay them - if those players do not have a meaningful opportunity to play.

CTbruin said:

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We are all under informed on Baylor NIL. on purpose.

And I think it's a good thing.

I do know we are more involved and have more NIL resources than most of the posters here really.

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Could you share any insight here? If Baylor isn't sporting a $25k floor for the football team, it's exactly where it appears to be.

I can't totally agree with this. We have an extreme talent deficit on the OL as well as an extensive problem on DL.

No Quarterback said:

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there are already a lot of avenues to give. if we're going to rely on the average Joe middle class to pass the offering plate in order to scrape together enough cash to pay the Austin Novosad's of the world, we're screwed. I'm just speaking for me and mine and many of the other young alumni that I know. I like Baylor Sports just as much as the next fan, but with how expensive everything is, I'm not going to take money out of my budget to pay these guys. This is a rich man's game

However, I'll reiterate that our struggles the last two years are not primarily because of a lack of talent. Texas outtalented us maybe, but they also outplayed us. Every other game this year was winnable with better coaching.

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You're right. Strength in numbers. Baylor's efforts to solicit NIL money, however, have been nonexistent.

Bear3 said:

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I have to wonder what Men's Basketball is doing for NIL. Scott Drew does not seem to have any problem bringing in 5 Star recruits.

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Because he has plenty of NIL resources from legitimate sponsors…..such as Nike, etc

I wonder the same thing exactly.

Realistically our entire top 8 on MBB would bail in 1 day if they were blocked from dealing in NIL in any way. Is there a different standard or is there a different split? I have no idea. But no way we're top 20 without NIL. Then again, Cryer flew to Houston.

Aberzombie1892 said:

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CTbruin said:

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We are all under informed on Baylor NIL. on purpose.

And I think it's a good thing.

I do know we are more involved and have more NIL resources than most of the posters here really.

---

Could you share any insight here? If Baylor isn't sporting a $25k floor for the football team, it's exactly where it appears to be.

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I do think we are trying to play by the rules. Most are not. The rules say NIL funds must be held, managed outside the university. We can help raise the money, but it must be held , managed outside.

Bear75605 said:

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Listen, this is the golden age of shake downs and ransoms. Baylor is a master at this.

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Meaning that we have been the ones getting shook down and paying the ransoms.

ScottS said:

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Just wondering if fans/alums need something more formal than what we have now for NIL. Maybe a committee that has alums or fans like Chip and Joanna, RG3, Drayton McLane, Paula Hurd etc. Let me know your thoughts.

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supposedly that is what GXG is.

parch said:

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I've been beating this drum for the last year that our entire NIL program is the single biggest long-term problem we have yet to confront.

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Is it though?

ScottS said:

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Just wondering if fans/alums need something more formal than what we have now for NIL. Maybe a committee that has alums or fans like Chip and Joanna, RG3, Drayton McLane, Paula Hurd etc. Let me know your thoughts.

---

Prospects have no use for shiplap.

parch said:

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I've been beating this drum for the last year that our entire NIL program is the single biggest long-term problem we have yet to confront.

I still don't understand our NIL approach. The way all this was and is worded with the GXG thing is that they're targeting average fans for a donation pool. I'm not saying we shouldn't do that, but that still appears to be all we're doing, or at the very least the vast majority of it. Failing that, Startup Waco and Baylor by proxy are just not doing a very good job explaining what all this is and how they're organizing efforts. Startup Waco in particular made our mainline NIL policy and it requires acts of service to unlock payments, which seem to be minimal anyway. Nobody who actually wants to woo players is doing that.

No major program is going to their rank-and-file fan base for their NIL strategy. Those collectives are set up explicitly for major donors to pull strings behind closed doors - the only things they're announcing is how much the players get paid, not who can give.

I know all this is new but I just think we're fumbling our NIL approach. We have no edge.

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What edge would we possibly have over schools with more big-money donors who care more about their school's football record than ours do?

As I've always said, this isn't a will issue, it's a means issue. You can't force donors or fans to give money to something so stupid as NIL. And it's a hard sell for those who aren't diehard fans.

Baylor will not compete with big state schools in NIL money. It won't. It can't.

But that's not why we're losing currently, so this discussion is nothing but a distraction from much larger, more pressing problems.

CTbruin said:

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We are all under informed on Baylor NIL. on purpose.

And I think it's a good thing.

I do know we are more involved and have more NIL resources than most of the posters here really.

---

Our NIL is good, but we can't afford to fire Aranda. Sounds like we need to reallocate our resources. Cause NIL ain't working and neither is Aranda.

Is NIL really the problem?

Based on baylor's NIL website, we are #2 in the Big 12 in total NIL.

Does that mean we are #9 in football related NIL but own everything else? I don't know. The info given is vague.

https://nil.baylorbears.com/

I'd like to see how this money is broken down among each sport. Deeper digging required.

Are they counting just strictly legal definition of NIL and not the slush funds that everyone has now and therefore cant really be said to be "illegal" but are also not officially endorsed by the NCAA. My sense is Baylor is playing semantic games with that claim.

Nonetheless, there is strength in numbers. I don't care how rich or poor we as alumni are. With enough pressure from the rank and file, we can effect change. IMO

Maybe they can use McLayne for Monster Truck Rallies, tractor pulls or concerts since football is done there now. A shrine to "what could've been" had the BOR stood up to the fake scandal crowd.

Well, this will suck if it comes to fruition.

morethanhecouldbear said:

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Is NIL really the problem?

Based on baylor's NIL website, we are #2 in the Big 12 in total NIL.

Does that mean we are #9 in football related NIL but own everything else? I don't know. The info given is vague.

https://nil.baylorbears.com/

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No one knows what anyone else is doing, so anyone who says that they're number x in their league is full of it. But, using common sense, no one here believes that Baylor is outperforming Texas and Oklahoma in NIL for football - let alone likely TCU and Tech (with its $25k minimum).