2024 Spring Ball

[AppSt94]

I get that but companies are dealing with inflation right now and I would imagine they would want to see an increase in business when they make a deal with one of our athletes to advertise or use in marketing in some way. I am genuinely asking this because I mainly pay attention to football, basketball, and baseball so I don't know. If we have a tennis, field hockey, golf, etc athlete that falls in the category I named I would like to see. So who do we have that I could give 20k or more to outside of football or basketball that has a big following or is breaking records that would give me a return on my investment if I am running a business? As an individual I am having enough trouble with inflation that it is hard to give money without a return on that investment like a championship.

I seriously doubt that there are many, if any businesses in Boone that have a marketing budget that would allow them to spend $20k on a player. Regardless of their name, position, or popularity and expect a break even ROI. I try to hit up the Rivers St Ale House when I am in town because I like Justin and Jeff. I get the Joey wings because they are good, but I doubt they are selling enough of those to pay him that much.

I just said 20k because it is a small amount of money compared to what some are getting at P5 schools. My point is that I think this whole thing is tough because unless the athlete has a huge following or we are winning championships I don't see a big return on it to where businesses would want to do much.

I would be curious to hear how much Joey gets on those wings. Are the wings or him more expensive so he gets a cut or is the Ale House charging the same compared to the others and taking a lesser profit on them? If they are taking a lesser profit they probably quietly prefer people don't get them but offer that to support the team.

Joey is a really good player and I think there is a chance he can have a special season for us but I just think businesses will need to see a return on investment at some point.

Could you imagine how much Armanti would have made in 2006 and 2007 in Boone? I would have loved to have seen those numbers. There would have definitely been a return on that investment.

I’m not following you. When you speak about ROI, you seem to be flipping between what a business needs to see in return and championships for the school. Businesses that would invest aren’t going to make a decision based on whether or not the kid can bring an on field championship to the school. They want their investment back and hopefully a little profit.

You or someone brought up the fact we should be spending on sports outside of football or basketball. I asked you if you know of anyone in those other sports who has a huge following online or is a big name in their sport. I said that because I would think that businesses would be looking for someone with a big following and alumni would care about retaining major impact players beyond our normal giving.

You did not name anyone so I am guessing we don't have anyone that would draw heavy NIL in those other sports. Correct?

I still can't get behind giving to a NIL collective in any sport outside of football or basketball because I don't see the publicity for those other sports big enough to make an investment worth it. I also have inflation to deal with and give all my extra money to the Yosef Club where I know my donation helps the athletics department so I know that instead of money benefiting just 1 or 2 athletes that I am benefiting them all.

I said that they should have athletes from other sports in attendance.I didn’t answer your question about about athletes with large followings because I don’t follow or keep up with individual follows on accounts. Your comment that NIL needs to be focused on on football and basketball becuase they are visible is indicative of peoples misunderstanding of what NIL is. It is monetizing on their image. According to the linked article. Only four of the top 10 social media followings are females.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... i=89978449

People wanting to endorse these kids want their message seen by as man people as possible. The other thing that gets lost in this is that athletes can’t get money for their likeness if they are representing the school. New rules have been introduced where a school can opt in to an internal program but half of that money had to go to female. My point is NIL is for all athletes to monetize their brand, not the school.

[AppStFan1]

I seriously doubt that there are many, if any businesses in Boone that have a marketing budget that would allow them to spend $20k on a player. Regardless of their name, position, or popularity and expect a break even ROI. I try to hit up the Rivers St Ale House when I am in town because I like Justin and Jeff. I get the Joey wings because they are good, but I doubt they are selling enough of those to pay him that much.

I just said 20k because it is a small amount of money compared to what some are getting at P5 schools. My point is that I think this whole thing is tough because unless the athlete has a huge following or we are winning championships I don't see a big return on it to where businesses would want to do much.

I would be curious to hear how much Joey gets on those wings. Are the wings or him more expensive so he gets a cut or is the Ale House charging the same compared to the others and taking a lesser profit on them? If they are taking a lesser profit they probably quietly prefer people don't get them but offer that to support the team.

Joey is a really good player and I think there is a chance he can have a special season for us but I just think businesses will need to see a return on investment at some point.

Could you imagine how much Armanti would have made in 2006 and 2007 in Boone? I would have loved to have seen those numbers. There would have definitely been a return on that investment.

I’m not following you. When you speak about ROI, you seem to be flipping between what a business needs to see in return and championships for the school. Businesses that would invest aren’t going to make a decision based on whether or not the kid can bring an on field championship to the school. They want their investment back and hopefully a little profit.

You or someone brought up the fact we should be spending on sports outside of football or basketball. I asked you if you know of anyone in those other sports who has a huge following online or is a big name in their sport. I said that because I would think that businesses would be looking for someone with a big following and alumni would care about retaining major impact players beyond our normal giving.

You did not name anyone so I am guessing we don't have anyone that would draw heavy NIL in those other sports. Correct?

I still can't get behind giving to a NIL collective in any sport outside of football or basketball because I don't see the publicity for those other sports big enough to make an investment worth it. I also have inflation to deal with and give all my extra money to the Yosef Club where I know my donation helps the athletics department so I know that instead of money benefiting just 1 or 2 athletes that I am benefiting them all.

I said that they should have athletes from other sports in attendance.I didn’t answer your question about about athletes with large followings because I don’t follow or keep up with individual follows on accounts. Your comment that NIL needs to be focused on on football and basketball becuase they are visible is indicative of peoples misunderstanding of what NIL is. It is monetizing on their image. According to the linked article. Only four of the top 10 social media followings are females.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... i=89978449

People wanting to endorse these kids want their message seen by as man people as possible. The other thing that gets lost in this is that athletes can’t get money for their likeness if they are representing the school. New rules have been introduced where a school can opt in to an internal program but half of that money had to go to female. My point is NIL is for all athletes to monetize their brand, not the school.

In FBS it is literally pay to play in most cases. I am not surprised that 4 of the top 10 social media accounts are women but interesting stat.

My question about following is that does a business get more bang for their buck using the image of an athlete who has just 2500 followers online and is not a national leader or by taking out a TV ad or sponsoring one of our athletic events? I think if businesses saw "true NIL" as a better way to have their message seen they will do it.

I will be curious to hear if those who did NIL deals with Ryan Burger, Joey, etc feel like they got a lot more business because of it? If so, then I would imagine they will be very active with doing it. It is going to be interesting to see the NIL landscape in Boone in a few years once businesses have a good sample size of the impact to their businesses.

[AppSt94]

Very disappointed in today’s turnout for the open practice. For a fan base that has been clamoring for access, I was hoping for more than a couple hundred folks.

[BambooRdApp]

I can understand that. How well was it advertised? I just noticed that it was occuring this week or last. Not that I could attend given busy season...

[311neers]

I can understand that. How well was it advertised? I just noticed that it was occuring this week or last. Not that I could attend given busy season...

I spoke with a few football alumni that were at the event last night that didn’t even know there were events today if that says anything about advertising and marketing.

[Stonewall]

Ball dropped. Disappointing.

[BambooRdApp]

I can understand that. How well was it advertised? I just noticed that it was occuring this week or last. Not that I could attend given busy season...

I spoke with a few football alumni that were at the event last night that didn’t even know there were events today if that says anything about advertising and marketing.

Given my busy season, so I miss some things on the social media side and advertising. If there was not much marketing and advertising, you got to start doing that in January with coaches doing PSAs to get people fired up. Given we have not had one in a while, I would suggest a true spring game.

[311neers]

I can understand that. How well was it advertised? I just noticed that it was occuring this week or last. Not that I could attend given busy season...

I spoke with a few football alumni that were at the event last night that didn’t even know there were events today if that says anything about advertising and marketing.

Given my busy season, so I miss some things on the social media side and advertising. If there was not much marketing and advertising, you got to start doing that in January with coaches doing PSAs to get people fired up. Given we have not had one in a while, I would suggest a true spring game.

A true spring game in the actual spring. At least April, Easter/Masters weekend, like most other schools. A spring game in mid to late February does no good.

[AppSt94]

I can understand that. How well was it advertised? I just noticed that it was occuring this week or last. Not that I could attend given busy season...

I spoke with a few football alumni that were at the event last night that didn’t even know there were events today if that says anything about advertising and marketing.

Given my busy season, so I miss some things on the social media side and advertising. If there was not much marketing and advertising, you got to start doing that in January with coaches doing PSAs to get people fired up. Given we have not had one in a while, I would suggest a true spring game.

A true spring game in the actual spring. At least April, Easter/Masters weekend, like most other schools. A spring game in mid to late February does no good.

We aren’t going to do a true spring game. it’s a wasted practice. We are going to get the spring season over as soon as possible to allow for more time in the S&C program and allow for ample recovery time for any injuries suffered in the spring.

Additionally, I don’t think that the school is responsible for promoting the event. It was put on by the company that his handling the NIL piece so athletics had nothing to do with the promoting of the event which was put on to drive NIL participation. But as far as not being aware, it was obviously out there since people did show up.

[BambooRdApp]

I can understand that. How well was it advertised? I just noticed that it was occuring this week or last. Not that I could attend given busy season...

I spoke with a few football alumni that were at the event last night that didn’t even know there were events today if that says anything about advertising and marketing.

Given my busy season, so I miss some things on the social media side and advertising. If there was not much marketing and advertising, you got to start doing that in January with coaches doing PSAs to get people fired up. Given we have not had one in a while, I would suggest a true spring game.

A true spring game in the actual spring. At least April, Easter/Masters weekend, like most other schools. A spring game in mid to late February does no good.

We aren’t going to do a true spring game. it’s a wasted practice. We are going to get the spring season over as soon as possible to allow for more time in the S&C program and allow for ample recovery time for any injuries suffered in the spring.

Additionally, I don’t think that the school is responsible for promoting the event. It was put on by the company that his handling the NIL piece so athletics had nothing to do with the promoting of the event which was put on to drive NIL participation. But as far as not being aware, it was obviously out there since people did show up.

Many schools have a spring practice that is a wasted practice..Apo's choice to have one or not
It doesn't matter who is setting it up. The coaches must have agreed to to allow the event to happen. Whether coaches like it or not, it is part of the job. It does not take much time to plug the event even if the coaching staff does not want to speak to who is behind it. As a G5 and smaller fanbase to a typical P5, App has to work harder to to promote it. IMO, it was not advertised much at all and not much lead time to get people excited about it
Sounds like the lack of promotion could have contributed to attendance...maybe so, maybe not...

[Saint3333]

As a 20+ year Yosef Club member I wish I had known about an open event.

Can’t be disappointed if you don’t communicate.

[311neers]

Ball dropped. Disappointing.

Too early in the season. No one else plays Spring ball/game this early. If we had the secret sauce, everyone else would be doing it. If we want fans to show…1. Play in warmer weather (delay by a month, maybe less injuries for players) 2. Market better. There is no way football alumni should not know about an NIL event. Some of these guys are making $500k-millions.

Spring break for the Carolinas schools maybe had a part?

[AppSt94]

As I said above and this is all I will say on it in this thread; The event was for the kickoff of the TIGMA NIL and it was supported by Athletics to the extent that Clark allowed it to coincide with his last practice of the Spring. As such, it wasn’t a sponsored event by App Athletics so there was no need for them to promote it. That should fall on TIGMA, which they did announce it. If you scroll back through this thread, I personally mentioned it on March 14th and it was discussed between a few people. Some of you are on here as much, if not more so than I am so if you didn’t see it, that is on you.

As for the Spring game idea, ya”ll are free to discuss the timing an event with Gillin, Clark, or anyone you want in Athletics. They aren’t doing it. Myself, Bootsy and a few others that Clark admires spent more than enough time lobbying for it with both Shawn and the AD to the extent that we were asked and we presented an outline of what the event could look like, the revenue stream and timing. That was two years ago and we haven’t heard anything else about it. Satterfield tried it and the attendance sucked.

I get the rationale of why fans want an event. I get the rationale why fans want it later in the year. I also understand why it is done in the timing that it is from the football operations side. I suggest that if it means that much to you, pick up the phone on Monday and call the Athletics Office or write Doug an email. That’s the only way this is going to make them think about doing things differently going forward.

[BambooRdApp]

Observations
Happy to have another NIL established to support student athletes.
It seems the overall timing was not the best (not timing of when App holds spring practice)..but the the timing of announcement to actual event. If marketing/announcement (whatever you want to call it) started in early to mid-March for an event to be held on March 23rd, I would believe the expectation should be that only 100+ show up for an event. If the expectations were for more to show, that is unrealistic expectations. For 2025, they got plenty of time to get ahead of planning and marketing.
Whether sponsored by athletics department or not, they allowed the event..so, indirectly, they are tied to it. Again, timing plays a roll in this given short timeframe to market this event. For 2025 spring ball...
I am not sure how the archaic NCAA rules apply with NIL. If the athletic department cannot be directly tied to sponsor, they can market that there will be an open spring practice to see Mountaineers live. PSAa by HC, OC, DC can be replayed for months in advance.
In terms of overall attendance, I would guess a true spring game would have better attendance than just an open practice.. especially given many alumni live off the mountain. If the coaching staff does not want one...then it is a non starter ...it is what it is..
I do not remember the timing and marketing when Satt tried it. I have slept many nights since then. Maybe it is time to try again. I am not the one to be involved in that endeavor. Maybe folks with more time on their hands, more importantly, ties to people that make decisions. However, I would probably work around busy season to make effort to be there to attend a true spring game. I do not have much desire to attend a practice. If practices were in such high demand, all our fans would be in there seats during pregame warm-ups .

[Saint3333]

Lack of communication is a pervasive problem for the athletics department.

Three posters on Yosef’s Cabin isn’t an effective form of communication.

There is a faction of the fanbase that are loyal Yosef Club donors and season ticket holders that are reluctant to support NIL programs (for various reasons).

I do hope we aren’t planning on excluding communication of general athletic events to those fans. That will be a grave mistake.

[Stonewall]

Lack of communication is a pervasive problem for the athletics department.

Three posters on Yosef’s Cabin isn’t an effective form of communication.

There is a faction of the fanbase that are loyal Yosef Club donors and season ticket holders that are reluctant to support NIL programs (for various reasons).

I do hope we aren’t planning on excluding communication of general athletic events to those fans. That will be a grave mistake.

Thank you.

[hapapp]

Lack of communication is a pervasive problem for the athletics department.

Three posters on Yosef’s Cabin isn’t an effective form of communication.

There is a faction of the fanbase that are loyal Yosef Club donors and season ticket holders that are reluctant to support NIL programs (for various reasons).

I do hope we aren’t planning on excluding communication of general athletic events to those fans. That will be a grave mistake.

My understanding (and that only) was that it was not an open event. One had to have contributed/joined (whatever the proper terminology) to gain entrance. One can actually be a part of this NIL with as little as $9 a month.

I think many of us are disenchanted with the direction that college sports seems to be taking. On the other hand, if it becomes a part of the new norm, are we to eschew this course while our competitors take advantage of it? Whatever our decision, it comes at a cost. We either adapt and bite the bullet, or we fall behind competitively.

[AppSt94]

Lack of communication is a pervasive problem for the athletics department.

Three posters on Yosef’s Cabin isn’t an effective form of communication.

There is a faction of the fanbase that are loyal Yosef Club donors and season ticket holders that are reluctant to support NIL programs (for various reasons).

I do hope we aren’t planning on excluding communication of general athletic events to those fans. That will be a grave mistake.

My understanding (and that only) was that it was not an open event. One had to have contributed/joined (whatever the proper terminology) to gain entrance. One can actually be a part of this NIL with as little as $9 a month.

I think many of us are disenchanted with the direction that college sports seems to be taking. On the other hand, if it becomes a part of the new norm, are we to eschew this course while our competitors take advantage of it? Whatever our decision, it comes at a cost. We either adapt and bite the bullet, or we fall behind competitively.

That would be incorrect. There was no obligation to join or have already joined to participate.

[AppStFan1]

As I said above and this is all I will say on it in this thread; The event was for the kickoff of the TIGMA NIL and it was supported by Athletics to the extent that Clark allowed it to coincide with his last practice of the Spring. As such, it wasn’t a sponsored event by App Athletics so there was no need for them to promote it. That should fall on TIGMA, which they did announce it. If you scroll back through this thread, I personally mentioned it on March 14th and it was discussed between a few people. Some of you are on here as much, if not more so than I am so if you didn’t see it, that is on you.

As for the Spring game idea, ya”ll are free to discuss the timing an event with Gillin, Clark, or anyone you want in Athletics. They aren’t doing it. Myself, Bootsy and a few others that Clark admires spent more than enough time lobbying for it with both Shawn and the AD to the extent that we were asked and we presented an outline of what the event could look like, the revenue stream and timing. That was two years ago and we haven’t heard anything else about it. Satterfield tried it and the attendance sucked.

I get the rationale of why fans want an event. I get the rationale why fans want it later in the year. I also understand why it is done in the timing that it is from the football operations side. I suggest that if it means that much to you, pick up the phone on Monday and call the Athletics Office or write Doug an email. That’s the only way this is going to make them think about doing things differently going forward.

I am hearing that and it is a sad reality. They seem to have no appetite for it. This was too early for any event though because weather can by weird. I would like to have seen something in mid to late April but the reality is they don't have an appetite for it.

I was not going to go just for TIGMA no matter what but people make plans and you can blast it on national TV but if put together late it does not matter. Maybe next time they will start promoting an event 2+ months in advance to give people plenty of time.

[AppSt94]

As I said above and this is all I will say on it in this thread; The event was for the kickoff of the TIGMA NIL and it was supported by Athletics to the extent that Clark allowed it to coincide with his last practice of the Spring. As such, it wasn’t a sponsored event by App Athletics so there was no need for them to promote it. That should fall on TIGMA, which they did announce it. If you scroll back through this thread, I personally mentioned it on March 14th and it was discussed between a few people. Some of you are on here as much, if not more so than I am so if you didn’t see it, that is on you.

As for the Spring game idea, ya”ll are free to discuss the timing an event with Gillin, Clark, or anyone you want in Athletics. They aren’t doing it. Myself, Bootsy and a few others that Clark admires spent more than enough time lobbying for it with both Shawn and the AD to the extent that we were asked and we presented an outline of what the event could look like, the revenue stream and timing. That was two years ago and we haven’t heard anything else about it. Satterfield tried it and the attendance sucked.

I get the rationale of why fans want an event. I get the rationale why fans want it later in the year. I also understand why it is done in the timing that it is from the football operations side. I suggest that if it means that much to you, pick up the phone on Monday and call the Athletics Office or write Doug an email. That’s the only way this is going to make them think about doing things differently going forward.

I am hearing that and it is a sad reality. They seem to have no appetite for it. This was too early for any event though because weather can by weird. I would like to have seen something in mid to late April but the reality is they don't have an appetite for it.

I was not going to go just for TIGMA no matter what but people make plans and you can blast it on national TV but if put together late it does not matter. Maybe next time they will start promoting an event 2+ months in advance to give people plenty of time.

That’s fair. I think that asking for leeway for planning purposes is reasonable. My understanding is that the partnership with SANIL came about quickly so there wasn’t an opportunity for that type of planning. Having said that, I don’t think that they plan to move practice back in the year.