Burman Interview with Thorburn

[LawPoke]

I listened to the entire interview that Burman did with Thorburn. It was well done. While I didn't like the bitter medicine that he dispensed, I can't disagree. Tom's interview with the old TN AD was also quite good - and I think it was linked in a 7220 piece.

One thing that I took away from the interview was that Tom knows that the current NIL framework at UW is not ideal. The Opendorse platform is fairly awful if you ask me. You can go here to judge for yourself:

https://opendorse.com/wyoming-athletics

Between general ambivalence, outright hostility to NIL and a crappy Opendorse arrangement, it seems that the Department is looking for donors and fans to step forward to own NIL (because they can't). They are in a tough spot for sure. Others are figuring it out. How do (or will) fans get motivated? We all lament when players leave - and by Tom's own admission, few are leaving strictly because of money (which tells me there are issues with WYO Basketball, which Tom also acknowedges), but at some point, there has to be an organic effort from the fans/donor class to start to move the needle. I think something like this at WY scale might be doable and might move needles.

https://iowaswarm.com/

 

[OrediggerPoke]

I listened to the entire interview that Burman did with Thorburn. It was well done. While I didn't like the bitter medicine that he dispensed, I can't disagree. Tom's interview with the old TN AD was also quite good - and I think it was linked in a 7220 piece.

One thing that I took away from the interview was that Tom knows that the current NIL framework at UW is not ideal. The Opendorse platform is fairly awful if you ask me. You can go here to judge for yourself:

https://opendorse.com/wyoming-athletics

Between general ambivalence, outright hostility to NIL and a crappy Opendorse arrangement, it seems that the Department is looking for donors and fans to step forward to own NIL (because they can't). They are in a tough spot for sure. Others are figuring it out. How do (or will) fans get motivated? We all lament when players leave - and by Tom's own admission, few are leaving strictly because of money (which tells me there are issues with WYO Basketball, which Tom also acknowedges), but at some point, there has to be an organic effort from the fans/donor class to start to move the needle. I think something like this at WY scale might be doable and might move needles.

https://iowaswarm.com/

I'm not paying a single dollar to any athlete. If other fans/alumni/donors want to line the pockets of 18-22 years olds, that is their prerogative. Personally, I see it as a waste to take donor money and reallocate it from education and facilities to athletes' pockets. I see that as a poor investment and an investment into something that we can't win (i.e. we don't have the donor and fanbase to compete with the big programs paying athletes ridiculous amounts). I'm glad no one associated with Wyoming stepped up to pay Ike a million dollars; so many better ways to spend money to enhance our state and university.

Call me hostile to NIL because I am and it has already destroyed college athletics as we know it. But my advice to these athletes, if someone is dumb enough to pay you a bunch of money to go play for them, take the money and go (a million bucks is life changing money and the odds of a professional career are not great).

 

[Pokes fan 24-7]

I listened to the entire interview that Burman did with Thorburn. It was well done. While I didn't like the bitter medicine that he dispensed, I can't disagree. Tom's interview with the old TN AD was also quite good - and I think it was linked in a 7220 piece.

One thing that I took away from the interview was that Tom knows that the current NIL framework at UW is not ideal. The Opendorse platform is fairly awful if you ask me. You can go here to judge for yourself:

https://opendorse.com/wyoming-athletics

Between general ambivalence, outright hostility to NIL and a crappy Opendorse arrangement, it seems that the Department is looking for donors and fans to step forward to own NIL (because they can't). They are in a tough spot for sure. Others are figuring it out. How do (or will) fans get motivated? We all lament when players leave - and by Tom's own admission, few are leaving strictly because of money (which tells me there are issues with WYO Basketball, which Tom also acknowedges), but at some point, there has to be an organic effort from the fans/donor class to start to move the needle. I think something like this at WY scale might be doable and might move needles.

https://iowaswarm.com/

Opendorse is good for businesses looking to make one off deals to pay an athlete to actually do something or use their image in an add. What it’s not good for is giving individual donors a way to contribute to a pool of money that gets disbursed in a strategic manner. That is where the collectives come in. I don’t blame people that choose not to contribute, but we need one for the people that do so the money gets concentrated and used effectively.

 

[laxwyo]

I listened to the entire interview that Burman did with Thorburn. It was well done. While I didn't like the bitter medicine that he dispensed, I can't disagree. Tom's interview with the old TN AD was also quite good - and I think it was linked in a 7220 piece.

One thing that I took away from the interview was that Tom knows that the current NIL framework at UW is not ideal. The Opendorse platform is fairly awful if you ask me. You can go here to judge for yourself:

https://opendorse.com/wyoming-athletics

Between general ambivalence, outright hostility to NIL and a crappy Opendorse arrangement, it seems that the Department is looking for donors and fans to step forward to own NIL (because they can't). They are in a tough spot for sure. Others are figuring it out. How do (or will) fans get motivated? We all lament when players leave - and by Tom's own admission, few are leaving strictly because of money (which tells me there are issues with WYO Basketball, which Tom also acknowedges), but at some point, there has to be an organic effort from the fans/donor class to start to move the needle. I think something like this at WY scale might be doable and might move needles.

https://iowaswarm.com/

I'm not paying a single dollar to any athlete. If other fans/alumni/donors want to line the pockets of 18-22 years olds, that is their prerogative. Personally, I see it as a waste to take donor money and reallocate it from education and facilities to athletes' pockets. I see that as a poor investment and an investment into something that we can't win (i.e. we don't have the donor and fanbase to compete with the big programs paying athletes ridiculous amounts). I'm glad no one associated with Wyoming stepped up to pay Ike a million dollars; so many better ways to spend money to enhance our state and university.

Call me hostile to NIL because I am and it has already destroyed college athletics as we know it. But my advice to these athletes, if someone is dumb enough to pay you a bunch of money to go play for them, take the money and go (a million bucks is life changing money and the odds of a professional career are not great).

Well, now the money can go straight to where people want instead of it being funneled through a bureaucracy. NIL actually does what you want. Donor money to the institution can stay with the institution and donors to specific sports can now be used to keep and retain athletes, although I don't know how successful we'll be. I guess my point is as some kind of business owner and want to donate you'd be forced to donate to Cowboy Joe and then hope the brain trust uses the money in a way you hope. Now, you can basically funnel money straight to where it can be effective. If you're a old track alum, you can support track athletes directly etc. It might take a while for the population to catch on. The big loser will probably be CJC.

 

[307bball]

I'm not paying a single dollar to any athlete. If other fans/alumni/donors want to line the pockets of 18-22 years olds, that is their prerogative. Personally, I see it as a waste to take donor money and reallocate it from education and facilities to athletes' pockets. I see that as a poor investment and an investment into something that we can't win (i.e. we don't have the donor and fanbase to compete with the big programs paying athletes ridiculous amounts). I'm glad no one associated with Wyoming stepped up to pay Ike a million dollars; so many better ways to spend money to enhance our state and university.

Call me hostile to NIL because I am and it has already destroyed college athletics as we know it. But my advice to these athletes, if someone is dumb enough to pay you a bunch of money to go play for them, take the money and go (a million bucks is life changing money and the odds of a professional career are not great).

Well, now the money can go straight to where people want instead of it being funneled through a bureaucracy. NIL actually does what you want. Donor money to the institution can stay with the institution and donors to specific sports can now be used to keep and retain athletes, although I don't know how successful we'll be. I guess my point is as some kind of business owner and want to donate you'd be forced to donate to Cowboy Joe and then hope the brain trust uses the money in a way you hope. Now, you can basically funnel money straight to where it can be effective. If you're a old track alum, you can support track athletes directly etc. It might take a while for the population to catch on. The big loser will probably be CJC.

If amateurism was ever a thing....it definitely is no longer.

A true "amateur" setup with rules and enforcement is really the only way that non-powerhouses ever had a chance to be competitive. Now that the wallets are open...Katy bar the door! $$=wins!

I suppose there is a small chance that college athletes collectivize and force some sort of flattened compensation structure but even that would probably be a s#$t show.

 

[cowpokeguy]

Thorburn dropped a big article this morning looking back at the season
https://trib.com/sports/college/wyoming/mbb/inside-the-tumultuous-wyoming-cowboys-basketball-season/article_6d10fc74-d5c4-11ed-b8eb-87bcadb60187.html?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter_CSTribune

 

[OrediggerPoke]

Thorburn dropped a big article this morning looking back at the season
https://trib.com/sports/college/wyoming/mbb/inside-the-tumultuous-wyoming-cowboys-basketball-season/article_6d10fc74-d5c4-11ed-b8eb-87bcadb60187.html?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter_CSTribune

It’s a well written article. Curious who the portal poke is who stated it was a ‘confusing and emotionally draining year.’ Finally confirms the California trio quit and packed their bags. Those 3 seem really really soft from the article.