Since nobody is talking about the Swarm these days, I thought I'd start a new thread about it. 
First, let me echo what others have said in recognizing the amazing job Brad Heinrichs has done in building this thing from nothing. If Brad had not stepped up when he did, there's no telling where Iowa's NIL program would be today. Perhaps someone else would have stepped up eventually, but we'd likely be a couple of years behind where we are right now.
Back in 1908, a journalist by the name of William Allen White reportedly said, "There are three things that no one can do to the entire satisfaction of anyone else: poke the fire, make love, and edit a newspaper.” I think that perhaps this quote could be updated for modern times to include "run an NIL collective."
That said, it hasn't stopped me from thinking about some of the things I would do if someone ever made the grave error of putting me in charge of the Swarm. To be clear, I am generally aligned pretty strongly with those folks who despise NIL, and I will likely never be a particularly big contributor. But I can see that NIL is necessary, at least for a while, so it's worth thinking about how to do it better.
Here are a few of the things I would try:
First, let me echo what others have said in recognizing the amazing job Brad Heinrichs has done in building this thing from nothing. If Brad had not stepped up when he did, there's no telling where Iowa's NIL program would be today. Perhaps someone else would have stepped up eventually, but we'd likely be a couple of years behind where we are right now.
Back in 1908, a journalist by the name of William Allen White reportedly said, "There are three things that no one can do to the entire satisfaction of anyone else: poke the fire, make love, and edit a newspaper.” I think that perhaps this quote could be updated for modern times to include "run an NIL collective."
That said, it hasn't stopped me from thinking about some of the things I would do if someone ever made the grave error of putting me in charge of the Swarm. To be clear, I am generally aligned pretty strongly with those folks who despise NIL, and I will likely never be a particularly big contributor. But I can see that NIL is necessary, at least for a while, so it's worth thinking about how to do it better.
Here are a few of the things I would try:
- At all times, refrain from getting pissy about the number of Swarm members or trying to guilt people into joining. All that does is annoy people and foment negative attitudes about the Swarm. Stay positive at all times. Always stay on-message: thank those who are members, and say you'd love to have more join.
- Try to avoid using the word "donate." Guys on the football team are going to college for free, and with the House settlement money, they will be earning 6-figure incomes on top of that. People think of "donations" as something you give to people in need, and college football players do not fit that description. Instead, use phrases like "support the Swarm," "join the Swarm," or "become a member."
- While many fans are obviously loath to make cash donations to players, they still love sports, love the Hawkeyes, and are willing to spend money on this form of entertainment. So look for more opportunities to raise money by giving fans something tangible in return for their investment. Swarm beer is a great example of this. Other ideas would be autograph sessions or other events featuring Hawkeye athletes, where people have to pay to get in, and the proceeds would benefit the Swarm. Maybe host a 5K in downtown Iowa City, where players appear/participate, and all proceeds benefit the Swarm. Need to get creative here. Fans are willing to spend money, but they're reluctant to just give money away. There needs to be something tangible in return.
- Continue efforts to create things like a small surcharge on tickets or "rounding-up" options at concessions stands, with that money going to the Swarm. In those cases, you have people already spending their money, and the idea of spending just a little more usually will be easy to stomach -- certainly easier than simply making a cash donation.
- Ditch the original Swarm Collective model in which all participating players get an equal salary in exchange for performing public service work in the community. For one thing, with the House money, a "base salary" is no longer needed. For another thing, players have always done public service work, and it looks bad when they are now doing it for money. But most of all, it doesn't make sense to ask fans to contribute money just so you can pay the third-team long-snapper hundreds of dollars for reading books to first-graders ... you need to be using that money to recruit/retain high-level players, which is how Swarm supporters probably intended their money to be used in the first place.
- Step up the PR campaign. You've got to do more than beg for supporters on Twitter and on the podcasts. Create testimonial ads from people who are supporting the Swarm, and have them explain why they do it ... "Here's why I love supporting the Swarm." Even better if some of these testimonials come from former players or other celebrity types. Talk to some players about pooling their NIL income to support a local charity -- it would do wonders to demonstrate that these athletes are not just using this money to buy sports cars and fancy clothes. Are there any players using NIL to support their family back home? That would be a good story.
