https://loyolaramblers.com/news/2022/9/ ... s-ink.aspx

Pretty cool. Campus Ink is a company that Mark Cuban invested in. Loyola student-athletes will have "digital lockers" where fans can purchase merchandise. Excited to see this launched and I think it's a great initiative for Loyola, both current student-athletes and in terms of recruiting. Let's support the Ramblers and buy some merchandise when this store launches.

Against pay for student athletes, but I'm warming to the NIL situation. Trouble is, it's hard to keep bad money from messing with players. Will there be any enforcement of rules? Loyola has advanced A LOT in the past 10 years, but I don't know if any non-P5 team is going to come out better for the NIL decision.

Amen, John.

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Let's go Braden!

It's a long time coming. Never saw a good justification why a player can't earn some $$$ signing autographs or being a spokesperson for a local bar or whatever. On the latest Krutwig podcast, Braden Norris talked about how something might be in the works with Raising Cane's. I don't think any Loyola player expects to be getting six figure deals or brand new cars, but earning some $$$ on the side--I'm all for that.

I do agree that enforcement is going to be pretty bad at the top levels. It already is. But we were never really going to land those guys anyways. Biggest concern is guys being lured away via the transfer portal by $$$.

For many years now, I have not seen a good justification why a player has to be a student and non-salaried or why an educational institution would lend it's own NIL to P5 football - except, of course, the money in the case of the small number of schools that have positive cash flow for athletics overall. Now, the incoherent NIL situation that arose with no planning or thought in response to well-intentioned, if uninformed, state legislatures trying to help athletes, threatens the much less professional sports and institutions, such as Loyola basketball. We will never go back to trying to maintain what college football and basketball were supposed to be, even if they never were. (Loyola dropped football in 1929 because it had become too professional. See also the point shaving scandals of the 1950s). Neither can we maintain the status quo with all the emerging creative schemes designed to thwart the NIL setup which is hardly regulated to begin with. Quo vadis? I have no idea, but I hope it means no students, not just stars, are exploited. But mostly, I hope it leaves most colleges and universities as educational institutions with some integrity and dedication to purpose, even if it means the intramural championship is the biggest athletic event of the year.