NIL

[Midwest Cowboy]

Wisconsin's legislature just fast tracked a bill that will (in summary) restructure the use of public money so that UW will be able to begin paying its athletes directly. The amount is about $14.5 million annually with the lion's share going ($13.5M) to UW (Madison) and $500K going to UW Green Bay and UW Milwaukee. No other state schools (and there are a lot) get anything. The bill declares that despite being paid by the UW system, athletes are not employees of the system and that the terms of any contracts (i.e. dollar amounts) shall remain private and not subject to FOIA.

There was almost no debate and passed state senate by 17-16. It now goes to Governor Evers who may or may not veto.

Regardless of what anyone thinks about NIL, having tax payers fund the program to make UW more competitive (you see where this is going in a conference dominated by Michigan and Ohio State...we need more, more, more...) is total BS. Secret contracts beyond the review of the public...unbelievable. There is so much waste in the UW system. And now tapping into taxpayers has got me sideways (especially since I hate the Badgers more than any team in the NCAA...yes, more than CSU). The thing that probably bothers me the most is the fast track without discussion (during a bunch of weather events and national news) and the secrecy.

I have no other information but its all over the news now that the vote occurred.

 

[rocket city poke]

Colleges Hide Athlete Pay Data Behind ‘Competitive Harm’

Nebraska, like other public FBS schools, won’t disclose even top-line totals of its House v. NCAA distributions, claiming that info is a trade secret.

www.sportico.com

The media and public need get more organized. These are payments from public institutions that are using state tax dollars. They should be made public at this point, the universities and attorney general's offices that represent that state are very organized. I can't imagine why they would not be public, but there needs to be some litigation on the issue.

 

[TheRealUW]

Wisconsin's legislature just fast tracked a bill that will (in summary) restructure the use of public money so that UW will be able to begin paying its athletes directly. The amount is about $14.5 million annually with the lion's share going ($13.5M) to UW (Madison) and $500K going to UW Green Bay and UW Milwaukee. No other state schools (and there are a lot) get anything. The bill declares that despite being paid by the UW system, athletes are not employees of the system and that the terms of any contracts (i.e. dollar amounts) shall remain private and not subject to FOIA.

There was almost no debate and passed state senate by 17-16. It now goes to Governor Evers who may or may not veto.

Regardless of what anyone thinks about NIL, having tax payers fund the program to make UW more competitive (you see where this is going in a conference dominated by Michigan and Ohio State...we need more, more, more...) is total BS. Secret contracts beyond the review of the public...unbelievable. There is so much waste in the UW system. And now tapping into taxpayers has got me sideways (especially since I hate the Badgers more than any team in the NCAA...yes, more than CSU). The thing that probably bothers me the most is the fast track without discussion (during a bunch of weather events and national news) and the secrecy.

I have no other information but its all over the news now that the vote occurred.

The ridiculousness continues.

Since these student athlete's are clearly independent contractors and not employees, I'm sure they will be allowed to call their own plays, play for multiple teams, and practice whenever their schedule allows for it - because those are all requirements to meet the definition of an independent contractor.

 

[Midwest Cowboy]

Colleges Hide Athlete Pay Data Behind ‘Competitive Harm’

Nebraska, like other public FBS schools, won’t disclose even top-line totals of its House v. NCAA distributions, claiming that info is a trade secret.

www.sportico.com

The media and public need get more organized. These are payments from public institutions that are using state tax dollars. They should be made public at this point, the universities and attorney general's offices that represent that state are very organized. I can't imagine why they would not be public, but there needs to be some litigation on the issue.

I completely agree! These are our dollars and have a right to know how they are being spent. Isolating the public and maintaining such secrecy is...unbelievable. In Wisconsin, these athletes will be paid directly by the UW system but by definition are not employees? I just cannot imagine this will stand scrutiny. This state is equally divided between Marquette fans and UW fans (probably with a nod to UW). But both are popular. Marquette fans must be outraged (along with all the other in state schools that were cut out). We are now using taxpayer funds to unfairly compete against private institutions.

 

[Midwest Cowboy]

The ridiculousness continues.

Since these student athlete's are clearly independent contractors and not employees, I'm sure they will be allowed to call their own plays, play for multiple teams, and practice whenever their schedule allows for it - because those are all requirements to meet the definition of an independent contractor.

Imagine when some athlete goes to file a work comp claim? This state is so employee-centric. In every other instance, someone spends 5 minutes working for you, the courts have said "Yep, employee."