https://twitter.com/ValpoBasketball/status/1767650308128133334
Here is a look at how Powell views NIL. I am interested to see how much this was a boost for the Victory Fund and how much this was how Powell genuinely views NIL
Powell's position is an admirable one, but also necessary when a university lacks ability to provide substantial NIL funding to its players. When he says "it's not just about how much money you can make," it doesn't negate that some of it is about how much money can be made. I wonder how persuasive that approach will be with many prime athletes, especially those from less economically secure backgrounds. Plus, it is not only money, but many schools can provide conspicuous perks. For instance, in addition to monetary NIL opportunities, one of my alma mater schools gave all 85 scholarship football players a free lease on a new 2024 Dodge Ram 1500 Big Horn Night Edition truck. The retail price of each truck is $61,000.
@valpopal This is why Powell is making a BIG push to the community and the Region. Once he gets a presence in the region, well if he gets a presence, VU can begin to provide more perks for attending the school. His stance is one I would expect a Christian school to take, that being more towards charity and community rather than making money. I am especially fond of Powell's approach to looking outside of the city for community outreach. To my knowledge, there hasn't been a real effort from previous coaches and ADs to look outside of Valparaiso to build a following and gather support for the school. I believe this play will provide a huge return on investment in the not-so-distant future. While we may be Valpo in name, we are the region's D1 team. Much like Northwestern markets itself as "Chicago's B10 Team" I feel it is essential for VU to market itself within the region as a whole and Powell is taking these steps.
In the short term people from the business community with money to spare may donate to Valpo’s NIL out of the goodness of their hearts, but it will be a limited amount by a limited number of donors for a limited time. “What’s in it for me (WIIFM)” rules the roost in business. Everything (and I mean everything) has to add value to the business, including charitable contributions. Unless and until Valpo can show that investing in its collective is good for business, contributions will be minimal. Name, image, and likeness of a 19-year-old student athlete is essentially worthless until the program elevates its name, image, and likeness to a high level through MVC championships, NCAA tournament participation, etc. And, that’s just the beginning. To keep money coming in year after year, it has to sustain success over time.
The bottom line in my business opinion is Roger has a very narrow window in which to raise some good faith money, use it in conjunction with his personal charisma to bring in some more experienced high mid major talent, and immediately begin to soar. Given all the recruiting disadvantages that already exist trying to resurrect a program from the ashes, IMO the odds are slim to none that Valpo will ever have a competitive D-1 NIL program. If remains to be seen, but if developing and sustaining a highly competitive basketball program requires a competitive, sustainable NIL program, Valpo’s future is in serious jeopardy (again IMHO).
If remains to be seen, but if developing and sustaining a highly competitive basketball program requires a competitive, sustainable NIL program, Valpo’s future is in serious jeopardy (again IMHO).
One way to establish an NIL presence is to give a portion of merch sales to an NIL collective. A lot of schools are starting to do this. Purdue and IU both have options to buy merch that directly contributes to an NIL fund. Now we are microscopic compared to those 2 schools, but Drake, Bradley, Belmont, and many other schools in the MVC have merch where a portion of sales goes towards their players. I feel like this is a step the school should take. People would be more interested in buying merch that directly benefits a player rather than flat donations. This all depends on the success of the program, and Powell probably has a good 2-3 years to turn the program into competitive until it's too late to save. Granted this timeline would be much shorter if not for the fact that the MVC is a "premier" mid-major conference and people care about the MVC.
