March 22, 2024

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Kentucky’s stunning March Madness loss to Oakland is sparking much bigger questions about the future of college basketball. … Elsewhere in the sport, the NBA opts to no longer compete with the name, image, and likeness era and is shutting down its G League Ignite team. … Angel Reese has plenty of confidence regarding her business prospects, regardless of where she plays next season. … Plus: More on the Masters, Adidas, Nike, and Peacock.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]] and David Rumsey [[link removed]]

March Madness Upsets Reflect Deeper Changes in College Landscape [[link removed]]

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Such is the deeply unsettled state of college sports that an upset March Madness loss is no longer just a loss. Rather, it can be the spark of an existential quandary about how to build, maintain, and economically support rosters, as well as how to compete in a completely different paradigm.

Kentucky, one of college basketball’s foremost bluebloods, lost late Thursday to the Horizon League’s Oakland. On the surface, the game in which a No. 14 seed beat a No. 3 team is the type of first-round March Madness upset that makes the tournament the compelling draw that it is. But Wildcats coach John Calipari saw the game as something much more, particularly given Kentucky fielded eight freshmen and three sophomores among its 15 rostered players against a Golden Grizzlies team with five players who are either seniors or graduate transfers and with only one true freshman.

“It’s changed on us. All of a sudden [the sport has] gotten really old,” Calipari said. “So we’re playing teams that our average age is 19, [and] their average age is 24 or 25. So do I change because of that?”

A New Model

Calipari’s question is just one of many bigger concerns surrounding this year’s March Madness, happening [[link removed]] in a college sports environment rocked almost daily by player unionization, renewed questions about conference realignment, legal battles, and new concerns about name, image, and likeness regulations.

The comments from Calipari suggest an entirely different model rapidly emerging for building and funding teams. With the transfer portal rendering [[link removed]] a new level of chaos of team development, what’s now happening is a highly transactional situation in which many players operate strictly on a year-to-year basis, and with less regard for establishing deep and lasting bonds with a particular school.

“I’ll look at other ways that we can do stuff,” Calipari said. “But, you know, this thing here—it’s a different animal.”

Calipari is hardly alone, as many other college coaches are similarly lamenting the massive player turnover transforming the sport and a model where college athletes are routinely jumping from school to school in search of better NIL offers.

“There are approximately 4,000 Division I players, and there are going to be 2,000 in the portal. That means half the players in college basketball are looking for a new destination,” said University of Miami coach Jim Larrañaga. “Does that make sense to anybody? It doesn’t to me.”

College Sports Shift Plays Role in NBA G League Team Shuttering [[link removed]]

Detroit Free Press

March Madness is when college basketball players’ high-earning name, image, and likeness deals come into the most focus. So, it’s somewhat fitting that on the first day of the men’s NCAA tournament, the NBA announced it was shutting down the G League Ignite, its owned-and-operated team that was supposed to offer an alternative path to playing in college.

But, since launching in 2020 with a stated focus on developing pro prospects, the Ignite failed to live up to the hype, in large part due to the growth of NIL pacts, a key factor cited by the NBA in its reasoning for dissolving the team, along with the advent of university collectives and the transfer portal.

The G League season ends next week, and the Ignite, currently 2–28, are guaranteed to finish with the worst record in the league. Ten Ignite players have been drafted by NBA teams, most notably Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson, the No. 3 pick in last year’s draft, and Jalen Green, the No. 2 pick by the Rockets in 2021. This summer, Ignite players Matas Buzelis (above, right) and Ron Holland are seen as potential lottery picks.

Better Luck Next Time

Five years ago, launching a new pathway for pro basketball seemed like a good idea. But the shifting landscape of college sports and continuously blurred lines between being an amateur and pro ended up making the Ignite mostly obsolete. Some top players were able to sign major endorsement deals, like Henderson did with Puma, but that’s not different from what college players can do in the NIL era.

Despite the Ignite’s shuttering, similar concepts are still striving for relevance, like the Overtime Elite basketball league, which produced its first NBA draft picks last summer when twin brothers Amen and Ausar Thompson were drafted Nos. 4 and 5 by the Rockets and Pistons, respectively.

SPONSORED BY WENDY’S

$1 Dave’s Single in the Wendy’s App

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With Wendy’s in-app offers [[link removed]], you can get a Dave’s Single for one dollar and a two-dollar Dave’s Double. So keep your fandom going and bet on the only sure thing this month—Wendy’s fresh, never frozen, beef.

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LOUD AND CLEAR Money Travels, Too

The Greenville News

“The deals are going to follow me if I leave or stay.”

—Angel Reese on her brand deals [[link removed]], whether she opts to jump to the WNBA after LSU’s season ends or decides to stay in Baton Rouge. The Tigers’ star is a senior but still has another year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic season in 2020–21. Reese, who was named the ’23 Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA tournament after LSU clinched last year’s title, currently ranks No. 8 among all college athletes with a name, image, and likeness valuation of $1.8 million, according to On3 [[link removed]]. Third-seeded LSU will begin its title defense against No. 14–seed Rice at 4 p.m. ET on Friday.

STATUS REPORT Two Up, One Down, One Push

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Adidas ⬇ Already grappling with its first annual loss [[link removed]] in 31 years, the athletic footwear and apparel giant lost the uniform rights to Germany’s national soccer teams after a 77-year partnership. The departure of those rights in the company’s own home country sparked German economy minister and vice chancellor Robert Habeck to say, “I can hardly imagine the German jersey without the three stripes.”

Nike ⬆⬇ The top Adidas rival won those German rights, stretching from 2027 to ’34, in a bid that the German Football Association called “by far the best financial offer.” But the company also reported flat revenue and a 5% drop in net income in its latest quarterly earnings, and it also projected a further revenue decline in the first half of fiscal ’25. Nike additionally said it would be cutting back on classic shoe styles to focus more on developing new products. Investors have dropped the value of Nike shares by more than 13% so far this year.

The Masters ⬆ Tiger Woods is among the field currently expected to compete at Augusta National next month, according to an updated list on the tournament’s official website. Woods, who in December said his goal was to play once a month moving forward, withdrew from the Genesis Invitational in January during the second round and hasn’t played since. Woods made the cut at the previous two Masters tournaments, but he withdrew from the 2023 edition midway through the third round due to lingering injuries from his ’21 car accident.

Peacock ⬆ Of the estimated three million new subscribers that signed up for the streaming service for the Chiefs-Dolphins AFC wild-card playoff game in January, just 29% have canceled their memberships so far, according to data from research firm Antenna [[link removed]]. That means 71% of subscriptions have been retained.

WEEKEND PRIZE POOL Racin’ for That Purse

Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Front Office Sports tees up every weekend sporting slate with a ledger of the purses and prize pools at stake. Here’s what’s up for grabs this weekend:

PGA Tour, Valspar Championship

When: Thursday to Sunday Purse: $8.4 million First place (individual): $1.512 million

IndyCar, The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge

When: Friday to Sunday Purse: $1.756 million First place: $500,000

NASCAR Cup Series, EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix

When: Sunday Purse: $9,740,789 First place: Individual payouts are no longer disclosed

Formula One, Australian Grand Prix

When: Sunday Purse: Prize money in F1 is distributed based on the constructors’ championship standings. Drivers do not receive direct payouts for their wins.

SPONSORED BY WENDY’S

Game-Changing Deals in the Wendy’s App

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This March, you can get a Dave’s Single for a dollar and a Dave’s Double for just two bucks with the Wendy’s in-app offer [[link removed]].

We know March is full of madness and we’re here to keep you fueled up and game-day ready.

Deals like this are rare. As rare as a game-winning buzzer beater. So get moving and download [[link removed]] the Wendy’s app and get the best deals on the best beef in the game.

Conversation Starters Since taking the head coach job at Oakland in 1984, Greg Kampe has guided the Golden Grizzlies from Division II to D-I, won 699 games, made four NCAA tournaments, and led 14-seed Oakland to an upset [[link removed]] over No. 3 Kentucky on Thursday, marking the biggest win in school history. Speaking of Oakland, graduate transfer Jack Gohlke went from [[link removed]] having around 500 Instagram followers and being unverified Wednesday to hitting 10 three-pointers in the win over the Wildcats on Thursday, resulting in more than 10,000 Instagram followers and verification by Friday. And speaking of upsets, Duquesne students celebrated following the Dukes’ first NCAA tournament victory since 1969. Take a look [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks First-Time NCAA Men’s Tournament Bids Could Be on the Verge of Extinction [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]Power and success are consolidating around the richest teams in college sports. Bookie at Center of Ohtani Scandal Reportedly Encouraged Belief Star Was a Client [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]Mathew Bowyer is said to have allowed customers to think Ohtani bet with him, to boost business. Skate or Hammer? MLB Historians Split on Shohei Ohtani Gambling Scandal [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]‘This is Pete Rose 1989 all over again,’ says Keith Olbermann. Others disagree. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Sports Careers [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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