Marquette collective signs entire men's, women’s basketball rosters to NIL deals

Be the Difference NIL, a Marquette-focused booster-led collective, has signed the entire men’s and women’s Golden Eagle basketball teams to NIL agreements.

Be the Difference NIL Executive Director Travis Diener told On3 the collective launched in May. Over the past several months, collective leaders have worked feverishly to sign deals with scholarship players on both rosters.

Diener said he could not disclose the terms of the agreements.

“All the men’s and women’s players have signed,” said Diener, who played at Marquette and was a member of the 2003 Golden Eagles team that reached the Final Four.

“So far, we’ve kicked off with some team events. We’ll get some other opportunities for individual appearances and small group appearances. Our main focus has been to get everyone involved, get everyone on the same page, and do some good in the community.”

Two weeks ago, players on both rosters participated in a back-to-school event at the Boys and Girls Club in Milwaukee. Through Be the Difference NIL, players gave away school supplies, shared food and played games with kids in the community. Coming up on Sept. 17, the players will also help support Al’s Run – a Milwaukee tradition and the largest fundraiser for the Children’s Wisconsin Hospital – that honors the Marquette legendary coach Al McGuire.

Diener said Be the Difference NIL has applied for 501(c)(3) status as a public charity – something more and more collectives are doing across the country. The basketball players will continue to take part in community service activities. They will also help raise awareness for local charities in Milwaukee and throughout Wisconsin.

Marquette players ‘excited’ about NIL opportunity

Be the Difference NIL isn’t the first collective that’s signed NIL agreements with entire rosters.

Last month, The Matador Club, a Texas Tech-based collective, announced it was paying 100 Red Raider football players $25,000 for a one-year NIL contract. Then in early August, the Athletes Advocate Consortium said the entire Arkansas men’s basketball roster signed a deal with the Children’s Safety Center in an agreement that was facilitated by the collective. Furthermore, Level 13 announced it signed the entire Texas Tech women’s basketball team to NIL agreements.

Even though they weren’t the first to sign entire rosters of players, the deals with players from both men’s and women’s teams are unique. It’s something that sparked a lot of excitement.

“Any student-athlete right now that has a chance to be compensated for Name, Image and Likeness – and obviously we’re in a new day and age – it’s all excitement,” Diener said. “There’s some shock. It hasn’t been here. They’re like, ‘Wow, we can do this and get this. And we can provide good in the community? We can go to these events and get compensated for it?’ You win on both ends.

“You win by these athletes being in the community, doing what’s right, being leaders and being examples for younger kids. And they get the reward of being compensated for being who they are.”

Teamwide NIL deals could test NCAA’s NIL guidelines

When the NCAA released additional NIL guidance regarding third-party involvement in May, the guidance said: “NIL agreements must be based on an independent, case-by-case analysis of the value that each athlete brings to a NIL agreement as opposed to providing compensation or incentives for enrollment decisions… athletic performance… achievement… or membership on a team.”

Members of the NCAA’s enforcement staff have made their presence known at a few schools, such as when enforcement staff talked to Miami booster John Ruiz and requested more information from Oregon regarding Division Street. But it’s still unclear if and how the NCAA will enforce its interim NIL policy. Just last week, the NCAA asked for help identifying NIL guideline violators.

Teamwide NIL or marketing deals could theoretically provide high-profile potential test cases for the NCAA’s additional guidance.

Will every player on a team receiving the same amount of compensation in publicly announced marketing deals receive scrutiny from members of the NCAA’s enforcement staff? Do third parties have any concerns about facilitating such a set of deals?

Be the Difference NIL focused on doing right

Yet, Diener feels good about how Be the Difference NIL is progressing with its teamwide agreements. That’s true largely because of its focus on helping those in the community.

“Obviously there were schools out there in front,” he said. “We were, not late to it, but kind of in the middle. We looked around and could see some schools were doing it the right way. Some schools hopped into it too quickly and weren’t doing it the way we wanted to do it. So, I know we wanted to involve every men’s and women’s basketball player. That was a pretty simple conversation from the very beginning. It’s maybe a little unusual on our side in that I don’t think there are a lot of women’s programs that have this.

“It’s been great for our women. But it’s been great for every scholarship athlete to have a chance to be part of this. It was good that we’ve been able to sign each and every one of them. So far it’s gone very well.”