This is Sparta! signs NIL deals with Michigan State golf, women's soccer

The Michigan State NIL market has received another notable boost.

Charitable Gift America, the philanthropic organization that manages the This is Sparta! NIL collective, has agreed to terms with the Michigan State women’s soccer and men’s and women’s golf teams.

The deals call for each student-athlete to receive $2,500 in January. Another $5,000 will be provided for the 2023-24 academic year next fall. In total, the deal will total $382,500 and be distributed to 41 Michigan State athletes.

Similar to the previous deal struck with the Michigan State gymnastics team by This is Sparta!, each athlete will be expected to contribute 5% to a charity of their choice.

“We’re thrilled that we can continue to expand our efforts and provide more Spartan athletes with financial support along with the opportunity to give back to worthwhile causes,” Charitable Gift America board president and Michigan State alumnus Dr. Thomas Dieters said in a statement. “Our project with the women’s gymnastics team was so successful and meaningful that we knew we couldn’t stop there.

“I’m grateful for Spartans across the country who have stepped up to the plate and helped empower our student-athletes to make a difference.”

The news marks just another team-wide deal, which have become a go-to option for collectives across the country. SMU’s Boulevard Collective is paying players on the football and men’s basketball teams $36,000 a year — a total payout of $3.5 million annually — for NIL activities. And the Texas Tech-focused Level 13 Agency committed $25,000 for each women’s basketball player.

This is Sparta! funding

The three-team deal was funded by well-known Spartans booster Bob Skandalaris, who served as the lead donor of the Michigan State football complex. The founder of multiple private and public companies, he co-founded the Private Bank LLC, which built an international investment firm to more than $2 billion in assets under management.

In the release, Charitable Gift America notes it has also struck partnerships recently with individual football and baseball players. Michigan State gymnastics athletes signed a team-wide deal in August that paid each athlete $5,000. In total, 70 Spartan athletes have received NIL compensation through the collective.

The collective also appears to be accepting donations, with a note on its website on where to direct contributions.

“A student-athlete experience at MSU is about much more than athletic results—it’s also about molding the next generation of leaders,” Skandalaris said. “Being a Spartan means working every day to make a positive impact in the world. I’m proud to partner with Charitable Gift America and support the personal growth of our student athletes.”

Michigan State collective scene

Dieters is a Michigan State alum, part of the reason why Charitable Gift America played a role in the Michigan State collective. The collective has plans baseball and softball, as well.

Charitable Gift America has no plans of stopping its expansion in East Lansing, though. The non-profit’s website states its experience in gift planning gives donors the ability to give cash, publicly traded stock, real estate and cryptocurrency. The group has already done individual deals with athletes at other schools, too.

This is Sparta! is the second collective to join the Michigan State collective market. The East Lansing NIL Club was among the first player-led membership communities in college sports. It launched in June. ELNC allows fans to purchase passes for access to in-person events with players. Participating players will split the proceeds equally. ELNC has sold just 400 of its 4,000 available passes as of Thursday morning.