This Sports Illustrated article says in the future bowls may pay players to participate. I assume the increasing number of players opting out is part of the reason for the potential change.
Bowl game sponsors are getting creative in the era of NIL, striking deals with participants that may both stave off bowl opt-outs as well as provide a work-around to the NCAA policy prohibiting pay-for-play.
This could open the door to a more standard operating procedure of bowls directly paying players, potentially steering the money paid to conferences and schools toward athletes.
“We are really eager to have that conversation,” Carparelli says. “We think we can be a great solution for the commissioners. We know they are under increased pressure to find ways to put money in the pockets of student-athletes especially with the rapidly escalating television revenue. They are not able to pay players directly. If they were to desire bowls to make payments directly to players instead of conferences and schools, we can do that.”
Several holiday college basketball tournaments have paid participating players through NIL deals. But bowl checks would be more sizable. Bowl payouts range widely, from the Bahamas Bowl’s $225,000 and the New Mexico Bowl’s $1 million, to the Quick Lane Bowl’s $2 million and the Valero Alamo Bowl’s $8.2 million.
Traditionally, payouts go directly to conferences of participating teams. Leagues then normally distribute that revenue among their members.
“The payouts from bowl games could certainly be directed entirely to the players instead of the conferences if that’s what the commissioners wanted,” Carparelli says.
Bowl game sponsors are getting creative in the era of NIL, striking deals with participants that may both stave off bowl opt-outs as well as provide a work-around to the NCAA policy prohibiting pay-for-play.
This could open the door to a more standard operating procedure of bowls directly paying players, potentially steering the money paid to conferences and schools toward athletes.
“We are really eager to have that conversation,” Carparelli says. “We think we can be a great solution for the commissioners. We know they are under increased pressure to find ways to put money in the pockets of student-athletes especially with the rapidly escalating television revenue. They are not able to pay players directly. If they were to desire bowls to make payments directly to players instead of conferences and schools, we can do that.”
Several holiday college basketball tournaments have paid participating players through NIL deals. But bowl checks would be more sizable. Bowl payouts range widely, from the Bahamas Bowl’s $225,000 and the New Mexico Bowl’s $1 million, to the Quick Lane Bowl’s $2 million and the Valero Alamo Bowl’s $8.2 million.
Traditionally, payouts go directly to conferences of participating teams. Leagues then normally distribute that revenue among their members.
“The payouts from bowl games could certainly be directed entirely to the players instead of the conferences if that’s what the commissioners wanted,” Carparelli says.
