NIL Google Meet with the Players
To those who were on the call, let's keep anything that was said on the call quiet out of respect to the players. The purpose of this post is to let those of you who didn't make it or haven't signed up for the NIL program know that the call was pretty awesome. A number of players were able to attend and gave us some good insight into where their minds are going into the season. Also, it was cool to see other fans who are just as excited about the upcoming season. If you haven't signed up for the program, there is still time.
August 28th, 2022 at 8:44 PM ^
I signed up and but missed the call. Hopefully they continue content.
August 28th, 2022 at 8:49 PM ^
wasn't aware they had an online presence - cool!
August 28th, 2022 at 9:07 PM ^
I think the Michigan NIL club is the most successful so far. The only other one that is close is Oklahoma's.
August 29th, 2022 at 5:57 AM ^
And they started their's a little sooner.
August 29th, 2022 at 7:36 AM ^
Can you elaborate?
August 28th, 2022 at 9:26 PM ^
I had no idea there was a call until I got the text. I will try to be on future calls.
thanks for posting this.
August 28th, 2022 at 9:32 PM ^
I hopped on the call for about 5-10 min or so. Without giving anything major away, it was a very cool experience. Michigan players that were on the call included Mike Morris, Gemon Green, and Caden Kolesar. Fans asked questions and they would answer. Looking forward to the next one!
August 28th, 2022 at 9:46 PM ^
It was good until someone asked about Cade or JJ transferring and made it weird. Don’t be that guy.
August 28th, 2022 at 9:53 PM ^
So what did they say?
August 29th, 2022 at 9:01 AM ^
They said they are not worried about it - if someone was going to transfer they already would have.
August 28th, 2022 at 10:02 PM ^
dumb. someone should moderate the Q&A
August 28th, 2022 at 10:03 PM ^
And the guy who asked what they were going to do without Aidan. The players actually said “don’t ask those types of questions, because we won’t answer them.”
August 28th, 2022 at 10:52 PM ^
This is why this is a bad idea. Fans are going to ask dumb questions. Some even embarrassing.
I honestly wouldn’t even know what to ask of a kid 25 years my junior. It would just be awkward.
August 29th, 2022 at 1:07 AM ^
But the players know the dumb question askers care enough to pay them so ask away would be my stance if I were them
August 29th, 2022 at 2:36 AM ^
I'm sure you could find something to rant at them about
August 29th, 2022 at 11:28 AM ^
Kettle called pot black.
August 29th, 2022 at 5:15 AM ^
How about "Are ya keeping up with your studies? School's important, ya know. This isn't Ohio."
August 29th, 2022 at 12:16 PM ^
I'd love to hear from the players (or any current student, really) about what classes they are taking, which ones they like, etc.
August 29th, 2022 at 8:26 AM ^
Yes you would, bc you're not a stupid person.
It's very simple. Ask them things like "Mike Morris, what are you most excited about this year playing defense for Michigan?"
The point is to enjoy time with the players and keep things positive. Anyone who thinks they're buying some kind of inside scoop is an idiot.
August 29th, 2022 at 9:56 AM ^
Or how about "What kinds of things were you hearing from the OSU players on the field during The Game last season?"
August 29th, 2022 at 8:47 AM ^
Precisely why I had/have no interest in participating in these calls. We aren’t going to glean any useful information, and talking. To college aged students about anything just makes me feel old, and in this type of setting…it would feel weird.
I’m glad there’s an avenue for the players to generate income (and I am supporting this particular endeavor financially), I just hope the players don’t find it tedious and the fans who do partake don’t creep them out/turn them off by berating them if they lose or miss a play or asking questions about who’s going to start and if they agree etc. This just seems like there’s more risk of downside that potential for upside.
August 29th, 2022 at 11:30 AM ^
The part about berating them for mistakes in a game is a real issue. Some dumbass is going to do that.
August 29th, 2022 at 12:11 AM ^
You’re kidding, right?
August 29th, 2022 at 9:40 AM ^
Woof. Big time cringe moment for that guy. That's why big time Q&A's typically have a moderator to filter out stuff
August 28th, 2022 at 9:58 PM ^
This is in 1 week so far?
August 28th, 2022 at 10:21 PM ^
I believe it opened on Wednesday of last week.
August 28th, 2022 at 10:45 PM ^
Yeah - So much for the M money cannon.
August 28th, 2022 at 11:00 PM ^
I'm a little surprised too, but think it just needs time to grow via social media/"word of mouth".
The Michigan alumni base is 650,000 globally per https://alumni.umich.edu/communities-clubs/ so assuming a good portion follow football there's still a ton of room to grow.
Hopefully an alum like Ross might be willing to chip in too.
August 29th, 2022 at 8:08 AM ^
I wonder if there are any limitations against UM providing free or heavily discounted advertising for it during games.
Put an ad and link on everyone's digital tickets.
Change the banner to "Go Blue - the Ann Arbor NIL Club Supports You"
August 29th, 2022 at 12:24 AM ^
You do realize that is the monthly amount - based on yearly commitments - so that is close to $350k raised in about 5 days with not a lot of publicity, right?? I would say that is a great example of the M money cannon, and as others have noted apparently better numbers than most similar setups at other schools already.
This is also separate from the stuff Wangler is doing I.e. the $50 a head meet the players / autograph session this weekend of which 100% of the proceeds went to the players…
August 29th, 2022 at 2:44 AM ^
Anyone with "money cannon" levels of money knows that there are better avenues than a service that takes 18% off the top. This is a way for common fans to make a contribution.
August 29th, 2022 at 7:10 AM ^
less than 1% of people that support Michigan (fans + alumni) know about this I bet. The best thing they could do would be for the club to advertise their existence during the game somehow.
August 29th, 2022 at 9:27 AM ^
Have you contributed?
August 28th, 2022 at 11:56 PM ^
It's not really being advertised well. They need to send out an email or mailer to alumni. The people they need to target aren't necessarily on social media and need to be reached via traditional channels
If you want to look at it from a glass half full perspective, the fact that it's half way to the monthly goal and only ~1200 people have signed up is pretty good. Once they figure out the best way to advertise, this could end up being a very solid and consistent NIL stream
August 29th, 2022 at 3:40 AM ^
NJV - I hope you are right, but it just doesn’t feel like it. For starters, ~1,200 out of the alleged tens of thousands (?) of MGBLOG readers alone sounds very weak.
Agree they should be carpet bombing alum base with info. But at the same time it’s disappointing because it feels like all of the “pay the players” crowd is coming up well short. If they really feel that strongly, I would expect them to pony up the cost of one single game ticket to support the players directly!?
August 29th, 2022 at 7:12 AM ^
relax - they just literally started their online presence a week ago, hardly anyone knows about it, and they're at $30K/month. That's pretty damn good.
come back a year from now and make a thread / worry if we aren't at $1/million a year.
The $50K/month goal is nothing, should be higher.
August 29th, 2022 at 8:25 AM ^
There are going to be a lot of people that want to pay for the content, and want to see what that content is before committing. (very understandable if you look at it as paying for something and not a donation)
We won't really know the extent of what that content is until after a few games. This virtual meeting seems to be a good start. I hope the subscription sites honor this as another site's content, and don't immediately start ripping off the information and posting it as premium on their own site.
August 29th, 2022 at 6:24 AM ^
So I just joined. I get so much out of U of M sports. About time I give back for all the joy it brings me. Go Blue!
August 29th, 2022 at 7:31 AM ^
I’ll never forget my then, 12 year old son asking Hoke, unsolicited btw if he was gonna finally beat OSU. It was Hokes first year at the M den during an autograph session. Hoke actually seemed irritated by the question while those around us all laughed.
August 29th, 2022 at 8:26 AM ^
I didn't realize there was a call until the text, which I saw rather late.
I will have to hop on one of these in the future.
August 29th, 2022 at 9:16 AM ^
Me too.
August 29th, 2022 at 8:44 AM ^
I was on the call and it was exciting to hear from some of the players. Total cringe fest from one of the guys on the call who was noticeably drunk and asking ridiculous questions (e.g., will one of the QBs transfer? What will you guys do without Aidan?)
There is great energy from The Team. Looking forward to the opener.
August 29th, 2022 at 9:17 AM ^
you mean the guy who sits in every row in the stadium and is always pessimistic the first time anything doesn’t go perfectly? Glad those guys were represented on the call too.
August 29th, 2022 at 9:21 AM ^
I was gonna join the call but child and dinner duties pulled me away :/
Next time!
August 29th, 2022 at 10:02 AM ^
I was out playing golf yesterday afternoon amd didn’t see the invitation until after 7. Wish I had seen it earlier
August 29th, 2022 at 10:25 AM ^
It's going to be fascinating to watch all of this unfold over the next several years. I think the kid going to Tennessee got an $8 million deal? Is this going to be sustainable? How are the people investing in these kids making a profit or mitigating risks? It's looks like Tennessee, Texas and Texas A&M are early winners on this new era.