Nebraska football players join Big Red Fan Club NIL community

The NIL ties to Lincoln, Nebraska, home of the University of Nebraska, include the headquarters of NIL technology provider Opendorse and athlete storytelling and branding company FanWord. Without a franchise in the state from one of the “Big Four” professional sports leagues, the Huskers dominate the market. The passion Nebraska fans have for the school’s athletic programs, particularly football and women’s volleyball, could make Lincoln a profitable market in the NIL era.

Big Red Fan Club, announced Saturday and designed to support Nebraska football players through NIL, is the latest membership-based community. However, Big Red Fan Club is the first publicly announced membership-based community supported by FanPassU, rather than YOKE.

YOKE backs so-called “player-led” membership-based communities at schools including Arkansas, Auburn, Kansas State, Michigan State, Minnesota and Texas.

The social media announcements of Big Red Fan Club followed a similar approach as previous NIL clubs. Numerous Nebraska players shared letters on Twitter that announced the sale of Fan Passes in August.

Fans can join the waitlist at BigRedFanClub.com.

Here’s access Fan Pass grants Nebraska fans

Fans who purchase a Fan Pass receive access to meet and greets, tailgates, autograph signings and player-generated content in a private online community. In addition to FanPassU, GSD 14 Events, an eastern Nebraska-based events company, is listed as a company that supports Big Red Fan Club.

“By purchasing a Fan Pass you are directly supporting each and every one of the Nebraska football players involved,” the letters from Nebraska football players stated.

In YOKE-backed player communities, each player who is part of the community receives the same compensation. Michigan State right guard Matt Carrick told On3 that the more than 100 Spartans who have joined the East Lansing NIL Club will share 75% of the club’s revenue.

“Our goal is to deliver memorable experiences to the fans that support our athletes through thick and thin,” Big Red Fan Club’s website says.

What’s up husker nation ‼️ The time is now you can get your exclusive season passes to meet some of you favorite husker players 🏈 I can’t wait to meet you , Let’s Goo 🌽❤️ @BigRedFanClubNE #BigRedFanClub pic.twitter.com/XF39xxvnb0

— Jaquez ☔️ † (@JaquezYant0) July 9, 2022

The players involved in membership-based communities supported by FanPassU and YOKE don’t describe the groups as NIL collectives. But the clubs could arguably still fall under the umbrella term, which generally describes groups that pool funding from fans and donors that is then distributed to players through NIL activities.

What are NIL collectives?

Collectives are groups typically launched by fans of a specific school, which pool contributions. Those funds are then paid to athletes at the school in exchange for NIL-related services, such as social media posts or public appearances. Collectives are most common at the Power 5 level, especially in the Big Ten and SEC.

The fan bases at some schools have created multiple collectives. This includes some designed to support athletes who compete in a specific sport. Some collectives have already merged.

A recent trend is third-party companies organizing NIL clubs for the players on Power 5 football teams.

“I think they’ve done a really good job of having an idea that has a business model that is team-oriented,” Carrick told On3 about East Lansing NIL Club. “A lot of times, it’s harder for certain position groups to make money. For example, for NIL, the starting quarterback’s going to make more money than a starting offensive lineman. It’s just the way it is. There’s nothing wrong with that.

“It just really opens up opportunities for other guys. Even walk-ons are on it, too. It allows them to be able to have some type of money flow coming in so that they’re able to stay on the team longer and hopefully make it by getting a scholarship.”

“By purchasing a Fan Pass you are directly supporting Nebraska Football Players and strengthening the foundation of NIL at Nebraska,” Big Red Fan Club’s website says. “Your contribution is bettering the Nebraska Football Program 1 season at a time.”