That's over $115.000 a year for 85 football players. I worked for 25 years before I hit that mark. I paid a lot of dues in that time so don't look for me to contribute. I have grandkids that need a college education and that's much more of a priority than funding a broken system with no real winners.
KXNO interview with Swarm founder
- Thread starter Mountain Man Hawk
- Start date
Not to mention that is also for hoops both men and women as well.
I had an apple fight when i was 4 so i blame that incident for no kids. I can afford it. No kids to pay for!.
You should probably do that then. I promise nobody will notice or care that you stopped watching college football to fish.
Yeah, we also have paid the coaches millions for many years already, we have facilities that rival NFL facilities, etc. I mean, in the NFL the star players make much more than the coaches so it’s not out of the question to say that will eventually be the case in college.
Ne iowa is one of the best spots in the state for fishing. I go on Sundays usually when im back visiting.
To be fair, Barta merely has to do the median of what his peers are doing. Do be doing substantially less results in less competitiveness.
The vast majority of people have more important things to spend their money on than a football collective for a team that already makes bank, myself included.
And ironically, the way NIL is currently working, players still don't get a "piece of the pie", schools and TV networks just fooled boosters and fans into doing it for them.
I do understand why some don't want to donate. I just can't watch Iowa fall into losing seasons because our fanbase isn't willing to do what so many others are.
The idea of pitting fanbases against one another is antithetical to competition and the idea of a level playing field.
Of course Iowa isn't going to have the same donor base and resources as Alabama, Florida, etc, just as ISU isn't going to have the same as Iowa. Those differences are why college football was organized into divisions in the first place, to keep things competitive. It's the same reason the NFL has a salary cap.
I think it is the opposite of conservatives, ie. the University Faculty/administration that has been stumbling block insisting on equitable outcomes for all and adherance to Title9.
The lack of Iowa Alumni Billionaire sponsor is the other problem.
The last issue is that many on the Free Football Forum might be described as frugal.
I think in general the AD is used to moving at a glacial pace and adapting to change about as fast as most local municipal governments with all of their layers of bureaucracy. And KF and Fran have a real sense of urgency because they are losing out on recruits and evidently we have some players currently on the team with wandering eyes that need to be recruited just to stay on the team for next year.
I know some will blame the players for lack of loyalty but it’s not much different than any other job. If a competitor company offered all of my coworkers a big raise, I would imagine quite a few of them would be all ears.
Brad said in the interview that he is facing a pretty narrow window to talk to these players with what Iowa can offer them to come back for next year.
I'm the opposite. I see more of a difference if i donate to the swarm. I honestly didn't think there would be this much resistance to the swarm. Iowa fans are die hard fans but not when it comes to keeping us competitive in nil. But to each his own. I think everyone should donate to the swarm and st judes. I realize that is my personal preference. Not going to try and force anyone to do exactly what I do. I might be liberal but I'm not a fascist.
But we have an AD that approves of KF's butt smell and BF's job performance.
10 mil is only going to get us the bare minimum type of athletes to compete for the West Division. Even 15 mil will put us way behind the Blue Bloods. Screw the charitable giving we need everyone on this board to dig deeper and pony up to Swarm.
The NCAA has done zero to stop or even control NIL. They are powerless, whether that’s by choice or through the legal system.
I'm just joining this discussion....and I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.
I'm Brad...and I do not take a salary for this. This is philanthropic for me. I have donated 6 figures to this already, along with a couple thousand hours or so. We have two full-time employees. Our objective is to keep expenses to around 10% of contributions...so a majority of the money all flows through to the kids.
And yeah, $10 million won't be easy. We are about 25% of the way there...and 6 months into it....it's unlikely that we make it to $10 million in the first 12 months, but hopefully we achieve that mark in year 2.
I'm just a Hawk fan who wants us to win...and to do it in a way that also benefits the community, if possible.
Go Hawks!
I'm Brad...and I do not take a salary for this. This is philanthropic for me. I have donated 6 figures to this already, along with a couple thousand hours or so. We have two full-time employees. Our objective is to keep expenses to around 10% of contributions...so a majority of the money all flows through to the kids.
And yeah, $10 million won't be easy. We are about 25% of the way there...and 6 months into it....it's unlikely that we make it to $10 million in the first 12 months, but hopefully we achieve that mark in year 2.
I'm just a Hawk fan who wants us to win...and to do it in a way that also benefits the community, if possible.
Go Hawks!
Brad, there are so many people that thank you for stepping up and doing the great job you are. Thank you. And as a donor I'll continue to keep donating and hopefully bring some with me! Take care and keep up the good work!
Brad…question…and thank you for humoring me.
A school is recruiting/contacting a player in the portal from another school. What is the process of your group getting involved? Do the coaches contact you to let you know who they are interested in? Do you contact the coaches and /or players? And how is it determined how much $ a player gets? Is there negotiating?
That’s more than one question, but just interested in the process. Thank you!
A school is recruiting/contacting a player in the portal from another school. What is the process of your group getting involved? Do the coaches contact you to let you know who they are interested in? Do you contact the coaches and /or players? And how is it determined how much $ a player gets? Is there negotiating?
That’s more than one question, but just interested in the process. Thank you!
Why do you keep wanting to make this political? Your stance here is it is the conservatives that are wanting to make sure there is socialist like funding to all sports.... let that set in.
The University of Iowa Athetic department is hesitant to compete in the unlimited class because there are no excuses in the unlimited class. Build the biggest baddest animal you can and run it. We have hung on to shitty performance under the emotional warm blanket of "do it right" for decades. The NCAA just decided "doing it right" is winning.
I am with you. I despise it, but I don't want Iowa football to go away.
I thought he made a good point though. I hear Iowa fans brag how they are the best in the nation but now that the swarm needs iowa fans ti step up they dont seem to be. Much more interested in complaining on a message board.
This is going to ruin college football. So the players get paid and a year later gets a better offer and transfers. And so on and so on. You root for a team and all the good players keep on tranferring. What a joke this is.
10 million a year is attainable and realistic for iowa. Hell of a challenge though. I mean iowas current staff has to be north of that for all sports. Nebraska is doing it with ease. Glad a successful businessman is doing this and not you.
Lazy take, two years into NIL it has yet to materialize. So far very few players at the power five level have left to go to another power five school solely because of NIL money. This season, players like Drake Maye were offered huge amounts of NIL money yet decided to stay at their school for next season. Most of the most high profile players who have transferred the last two years had contributing factors beside just money that went into their decision to transfer. For example, Caleb Williams likely would have played for Oklahoma this season if Riley had not gone to USC.
Obviously, money will be a factor and for some players it will be the number one factor. However, power five schools will lose few star players as long as they get a collective that makes them competitive financially. Hints why donating to The Swarm is extremely important.
Exactly, why is this a big deal to some people. I thought Hawkeye fans were the best in the country but evidently not if it means donating to the swarm. Nebby fans will but ours arw throwing fits about it while im sure they'll complain if we don't get the portal guys we're after.
Who was the last successful person that said just throw more money at it as a way to fix it?
I give to Hospice of Central Iowa and have for many years. They've taken care of some of my sick family members and I feel good doing that, maybe that is my ticket to heaven. Throwing money in into an electronic piggy bank just doesn't seem to be a good plan.
It is unfortunate we have an AD that is in coast mode until retirement. A new, hungry, progressive AD that is excited to promote NIL would be great right now. This can be accomplished while complying with rules and regulations with the right leader. It is a win win situation for all if our programs are successful.
Here’s a good Athletic article with a bunch of quotes from KF and Brad on this. Here are a few snippets. I wish I could post the whole thing as it’s very interesting and supports a lot of what is discussed in this thread but I want to be conscientious of the fact it’s behind a paywall.
The Hawkeyes have lost eight players to the transfer portal this month. With the team competing against Kentucky on Saturday, the players will scatter to their hometowns for a few weeks before the second semester begins. With tampering so widespread that it’s ungovernable, several Iowa players have been contacted by programs about entering the portal. If The Swarm Collective can’t counter offers or produce one up front, there could be significant departures.
“We have to find a way to be competitive in our (area) and make sure that’s what we’re comfortable with,” Ferentz told The Athletic and Hawkeye Report in an exclusive interview. “It’s not only recruiting guys, but it’s keeping your own guys. And that’s really where it starts for us because we’re not going to be a team of free agents. We’re just not; no interest in it. And we take a lot of pride in the guys that have come here and grow in our program.
Ferentz is known for his conservative, perhaps risk-averse strategy on the field. But in this area, he’s aggressive. He understands for Iowa to compete on the field, it must win off of it through its collective.
theathletic.com
The Hawkeyes have lost eight players to the transfer portal this month. With the team competing against Kentucky on Saturday, the players will scatter to their hometowns for a few weeks before the second semester begins. With tampering so widespread that it’s ungovernable, several Iowa players have been contacted by programs about entering the portal. If The Swarm Collective can’t counter offers or produce one up front, there could be significant departures.
“We have to find a way to be competitive in our (area) and make sure that’s what we’re comfortable with,” Ferentz told The Athletic and Hawkeye Report in an exclusive interview. “It’s not only recruiting guys, but it’s keeping your own guys. And that’s really where it starts for us because we’re not going to be a team of free agents. We’re just not; no interest in it. And we take a lot of pride in the guys that have come here and grow in our program.
Ferentz is known for his conservative, perhaps risk-averse strategy on the field. But in this area, he’s aggressive. He understands for Iowa to compete on the field, it must win off of it through its collective.
Dochterman: Iowa athletic department, The Swarm Collective need to work together
This is revolution, not evolution for the Iowa athletic department and The Swarm Collective.
theathletic.com
I do the swarm cause i love the Hawks and donate to st judes because i was there as a kid. Both are important to me and i refuse to see nebby fans step up no problem while Iowa fans refuse for the most part. Its not like i give 10 grand so smaller amounts make a difference. I want an ot from the portal and i can't go to the bowl game this year. My mom just had open heart surgery, so I'm donating the money i would have spent on going to the bowl. But i love the Hawkeyes and am a real fan.
I promise not to complain about getting guys in the portal. Ill still watch or attend every game. I won't burn my diploma from Iowa, move out of the state, or change my son's name from Nile to something not related to the University.
Can I still call myself a fan? Will I have to sit in a designated area of the stadium?
If not, let me know. There's plenty of other teams that I follow that won't blame me for not giving money to semi pro athletes.
I'll say it again. Liberal has nothing to do with this. Conservatives on the Supreme Court did. I refuse to not be at least as good a fan as nebby. They are raising money fine. Our "incredible " fans like to complain on the message board but when asked to donate even a small amount its suddenly "liberals asking for handouts'. If you're to cheap to help the team with nil like every fan base is then just say so. Just quit with the bs excuses.
UNC only kept Maye because they raised a fat stack of cash to counter offer.
We didn't see it last year because NIL was brand new and most collectives weren't established yet. Once they were, it quickly became what many warned about. It's only going to get worse without regulation.
This is not sustainable or healthy for the sport.
I agree. I think we just need to outlast this for a couple of years and we'll see some reform. Saban and some other big time coaches that have congressional friends are working on a fix to this fiasco. The ncaa needs to be given some power to control the excess of nil right now. I think something will happen but giving a 17 yr old highschool kid a million or 2 with the promise of yearly payments is not what nil is supposed to be.
Saban tried to warn everyone too, and when nobody listened he said **** it and used it himself. Just like he did with the transfer portal, HUNH, and so on.
