Cut and pasted from another place I post, so some of the names might not make a lot of sense:
As way of some background, baseball has 11.7 scholarships and 40 on the roster. What we're trying to do is help financially to off set the burden of baseball players that pay in state or out of state tuition and don't benefit from an athletic scholarship.
We've had some interest and activity regarding the match by @Tx_Hawk and Bruce directed to baseball. These donations need to be either $1,000, or $100 monthly. Anyone that has asked me has been directed to Swarm on individual donations of this size. I'll be doing this before the end of the year myself.
I really appreciate and want to thank those donors and @Tx_Hawk Hopefully tax planning prior to year end will genreate some additional interest and donations.
@Hawk Writer and RTI Threads are moving towards production of apparel and specialty items, and hope to have this done prior to the Christmas Holiday. The first apparel / specialty items are going to be team items, so every member of the Iowa baseball team can share reap some financial benefit. Some of the better known players already have NIL deals, and several have bright futures in MLB. The most important part of the RTI Threads NIL partnership to me was at least part of the benefit could be shared by the entire team, not just the star players.
I continue to put together business to individual player contracts, and Swarm does this as well. Some of the original donors are used to doing this outside of Swarm, so we continue to do this. There is no competition between this and Swarm at all. In fact I've offered, and it's been accepted, to introduce Swarm to some larger donors I know after football season. No one can promise an outcome, but myself and other continue to knock on doors to the extent we can between our personal lives and running our businesses.
Smaller donations that can't be directed towards baseball (under $1,000 or $100 monthly) have been collected and will be distributed to Swarm when that amount reaches $1,000, or bundled and a contract is entered into. This has been the most complicated part for a variety of reasons. It has always been the slowest part, which is unfortunate. We need more access to smaller donors, and smaller donors need to be comfortable that their funds make it to Swarm and baseball eventually.
We're going to have some news going forward which will make it easier to collect smaller donations. It's been a slow process. We needed to do this with legal advice, in a way which the U of I was comfortable with, and didn't muddy the waters and create confusion with the, efforts of Swarm.
@KyleHuesmann has really been an advocate for baseball (also field hockey, women's basketball, etc.) so no one better to report on the news when it's ready.
I believe based on a conversation during fall baseball, and I don't want to speak for them, the Iowa radio announcers have looked into what, if anything, they can mention on their baseball radio broadcasts about baseball NIL. I'm not sure if John Evans posts on here, but if so, he could add his insight. @Johnny_Golfer could weigh in also. @Johnny_Golfer posted publicly on this board that he took advantage of Swarm's match, so I want to thank him here.
A lot of this stuff takes time. It's frustrating. There have been numerous delays due to the above and other things. We're moving forward and we've had a lot of help. Everyone involved is doing this essentially pro bono, including the attorney.
The next delay will be my fault as I'm headed to Indianapolis, and after that will be back and forth between Iowa and Florida. There is only so much of me to go around, and I can't be in three places at one time.
Again, I want to thank all donors to all Iowa sports, whether that has been for baseball, directly through me, directly to Swarm, to the I Club, or even if you buy some single game tickets. Everyone is equally important regardless of donation size, or even f they decide to not donate at all. I've publicly thanked several posters in this thread. There are a handful of others involved who have remained anonymous. You know who you are, you know how much I appreciate all of your efforts, and you know how proud I am to be associated with you, even if only in this small endeavor.
I think it's a real possibility after football is over, some of our efforts will benefit more than just baseball. To be clear, I am very much a baseball and football fan. Although several years ago I became an Iowa women's basketball fan, and @KyleHuesmann might be getting my hooked on women's field hockey. And one of the donors is working on me about wrestling, as I work on him about a baseball donation. I'm not particularly aggressive, so maybe some day a go getter will take all of this over from me. We could use a CPA or accountant who is willing to donate some time pro bono, or anyone else for that matter.
As way of some background, baseball has 11.7 scholarships and 40 on the roster. What we're trying to do is help financially to off set the burden of baseball players that pay in state or out of state tuition and don't benefit from an athletic scholarship.
We've had some interest and activity regarding the match by @Tx_Hawk and Bruce directed to baseball. These donations need to be either $1,000, or $100 monthly. Anyone that has asked me has been directed to Swarm on individual donations of this size. I'll be doing this before the end of the year myself.
I really appreciate and want to thank those donors and @Tx_Hawk Hopefully tax planning prior to year end will genreate some additional interest and donations.
@Hawk Writer and RTI Threads are moving towards production of apparel and specialty items, and hope to have this done prior to the Christmas Holiday. The first apparel / specialty items are going to be team items, so every member of the Iowa baseball team can share reap some financial benefit. Some of the better known players already have NIL deals, and several have bright futures in MLB. The most important part of the RTI Threads NIL partnership to me was at least part of the benefit could be shared by the entire team, not just the star players.
I continue to put together business to individual player contracts, and Swarm does this as well. Some of the original donors are used to doing this outside of Swarm, so we continue to do this. There is no competition between this and Swarm at all. In fact I've offered, and it's been accepted, to introduce Swarm to some larger donors I know after football season. No one can promise an outcome, but myself and other continue to knock on doors to the extent we can between our personal lives and running our businesses.
Smaller donations that can't be directed towards baseball (under $1,000 or $100 monthly) have been collected and will be distributed to Swarm when that amount reaches $1,000, or bundled and a contract is entered into. This has been the most complicated part for a variety of reasons. It has always been the slowest part, which is unfortunate. We need more access to smaller donors, and smaller donors need to be comfortable that their funds make it to Swarm and baseball eventually.
We're going to have some news going forward which will make it easier to collect smaller donations. It's been a slow process. We needed to do this with legal advice, in a way which the U of I was comfortable with, and didn't muddy the waters and create confusion with the, efforts of Swarm.
@KyleHuesmann has really been an advocate for baseball (also field hockey, women's basketball, etc.) so no one better to report on the news when it's ready.
I believe based on a conversation during fall baseball, and I don't want to speak for them, the Iowa radio announcers have looked into what, if anything, they can mention on their baseball radio broadcasts about baseball NIL. I'm not sure if John Evans posts on here, but if so, he could add his insight. @Johnny_Golfer could weigh in also. @Johnny_Golfer posted publicly on this board that he took advantage of Swarm's match, so I want to thank him here.
A lot of this stuff takes time. It's frustrating. There have been numerous delays due to the above and other things. We're moving forward and we've had a lot of help. Everyone involved is doing this essentially pro bono, including the attorney.
The next delay will be my fault as I'm headed to Indianapolis, and after that will be back and forth between Iowa and Florida. There is only so much of me to go around, and I can't be in three places at one time.
Again, I want to thank all donors to all Iowa sports, whether that has been for baseball, directly through me, directly to Swarm, to the I Club, or even if you buy some single game tickets. Everyone is equally important regardless of donation size, or even f they decide to not donate at all. I've publicly thanked several posters in this thread. There are a handful of others involved who have remained anonymous. You know who you are, you know how much I appreciate all of your efforts, and you know how proud I am to be associated with you, even if only in this small endeavor.
I think it's a real possibility after football is over, some of our efforts will benefit more than just baseball. To be clear, I am very much a baseball and football fan. Although several years ago I became an Iowa women's basketball fan, and @KyleHuesmann might be getting my hooked on women's field hockey. And one of the donors is working on me about wrestling, as I work on him about a baseball donation. I'm not particularly aggressive, so maybe some day a go getter will take all of this over from me. We could use a CPA or accountant who is willing to donate some time pro bono, or anyone else for that matter.
