NIL

[wmr]

Pittman 85 IQ confirmed.

[vegashog]

Does anybody know this Saffa guy?  Why is his name all over this?

i sure as hell don't know him, but his twitterx profile says he's the chief marketing officer at saracen and apparently the guy that thought this up.

Pittman 85 IQ confirmed.

what does pittman have to do with any of this?

[jdcatty]

i sure as hell don't know him, but his twitterx profile says he's the chief marketing officer at saracen and apparently the guy that thought this up.
what does pittman have to do with any of this?

Pittman has absolutely nothing to do with it.  That is just stupid.

[DrMongoose]

Interesting timing on the word salad from the elf in the fishwrap Tuesday morning........eh

Aren't the foundation and Arkansas edge separate entities?


And the word salad:

Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort has made a $500,000 donation to the Arkansas Razorback Foundation.
Louis Cella's interest was piqued when he heard a rumor out of the state capitol that led him to call Arkansas Razorback football Coach Sam Pittman, who owns a second home in Hot Springs and is a thoroughbred racing fan.
Cella is the owner and president of Oaklawn, a hands-on manager 24-7.
What Cella heard was someone was trying to expand casino wagering from the four legally licensed counties to statewide by allowing people to play slot machines, blackjack and roulette on their phones or computers no matter where they were in the state.
To sweeten the idea, and this is where Pittman came into the picture, a raffle would be started and the proceeds would go to the Razorbacks' name, image and likeness package.
The University of Arkansas' NIL, like about 99% of schools in the country, is struggling, especially with the latest court ruling of back pay for all athletes starting from 2016, which is estimated to be between $20-$22 million no one had budgeted for.
So Cella called Pittman and asked what is up, to which Pittman said he thought Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort was on board.
"That's illegal," Cella said and then asked, "What do you need and how can Oaklawn help?'
Pittman explained the situation and almost immediately Cella wired the half-million dollars to the Arkansas Razorback Foundation.
Cella said by phone Monday it was an example of one great Arkansas sports institution lending a hand to another.
He also said it was important for all Arkansas businesses to consider helping the Razorbacks, who are looking at 10 very difficult months financially.. (SAY WHAT?)
Cella, a graduate of the University of Arkansas School of Law, said it was no secret these are tough financial times for college sports, especially those at this alma mater.
"They are competing in the toughest conference in the nation, and regularly going up against schools with far greater resources," Cella said. "If the Razorbacks are going to remain competitive, it's going to take backing from all of us."
For more than 100 years, the two largest sports programs in Arkansas have been the Razorbacks and Oaklawn.
"We know what it is like to feel outgunned," he said. "So I'm pleased to now be in a position where we can help. I realize this doesn't solve the entire financial crunch for U of A athletics. But if more Arkansas businesses will consider pitching in too, it will be a huge step in the right direction for Razorback nation."
Before Instant Racing, the brainstorm of Oaklawn senior Vice President Eric Jackson, Oaklawn was close to following suit like many tracks across the country and shutting their doors.
Instant Racing was the extra revenue Oaklawn needed, and with Amendment 100 grew that into casinos in four counties.
Cella, though, was not through lending a helping hand.
Oaklawn has always made it possible for winner's of jackpots to make a donation to a charity, now they are adding the option of donating to the Razorbacks' NIL.
"It is what neighbors do for each other," Cella said.
He did not challenge the other two casinos that are up and running, but all Arkansas businesses.
NIL is not going away, at least not in the foreseeable future. It needs federal legislation that levels the playing field for every state and school.
Recently getting the Democrats and Republicans to agree on anything seems almost impossible, but some legislative attention needs to be focused on NIL because it needs governing.

[BleedinRed]

Difficult monthly financials...lol. 

I hope the entire collegiate model crashes and burns.   

The system is almost as retarded as the new NFL kickoff rule. 

[PHARMHOG]

i sure as hell don't know him, but his twitterx profile says he's the chief marketing officer at saracen and apparently the guy that thought this up.
what does pittman have to do with any of this?

I can't figure out what side I support...but Sam is in the game.

Ol Cold Beer and Cella

[buff2.0]

Are we really going to turn down Saracen because Oaklawn thinks 500k is enough?  We're taking "This is Arkansas" to a whole other level if so.

[animal]

How is there truly a hardship and what defines that? A hardship within the RF? The University? NIL? All the above? I assume the stadium and facilities upgrades are a major issue. I also understand that the huge chunk of money that comes in every year from the SEC and our merchandising is going somewhere. I think by now we're done paying off shitty former coaches.

No doubt people including elf writers may be conflating the issue of reportedly poor NIL numbers with any potential issues with the traditional fund raising arm of the UA. Oaklawn blocked this shit because it doesn't put butts in seats at Oaklawn. You have to physically go to Oaklawn to gamble just like you have to physically go to any other gambling site in the state. What happened next could certainly be construed as Pittman shifting money from the players pockets to the RF which btw helps pay the salaries of the coaching pool to include Pittman and his buyout. I find that somewhat telling if in fact that is true.

[buff2.0]

Also I see Wally still writes like a fifth-grader that is trying to meet a two-page quota.

I stopped reading that rag years ago when they let my buddy Grelen go but kept Wally in charge of sports.

[vegashog]

sec schools took in a record amount of tv money last year and it's going to be even more moving forward. the only time the program has finished in the red in the past 20 odd years is the covid fiscal year. i'd have to see some numbers to back up the claim that somehow arkansas athletics is broke.

I can't figure out what side I support...but Sam is in the game.

thanking someone for a $500k donation doesn't make him 'in the game', imo.

[Keyser Soooie]

OAKLAWN's sportsbook app is getting crushed by Saracen's and Southland's because they're lazy and don't really give a shit about it. But they certainly don't want Saracen to get any positive press out of this , hence the blocking. In actuality, with a rule tweak, they could do exactly what Saracen is proposing as well, just as Carlton mentions in the interview below. He's saying that we need 600k per MONTH for NIL. No idea if that's the actual figure, but there's no way we can turn down free money like they're proposing.

https://youtu.be/91jFrAFDIVk?si=kGp-MHs0nuYyjv4U

[Trigger7672]

sec schools took in a record amount of tv money last year and it's going to be even more moving forward. the only time the program has finished in the red in the past 20 odd years is the covid fiscal year. i'd have to see some numbers to back up the claim that somehow arkansas athletics is broke.
thanking someone for a $500k donation doesn't make him 'in the game', imo.

I don't know, I remember reading this in an article about the BWA renovations and thought it was odd.



In the proposal, the university highlights paying down the $153 million in athletic debt it owes as of the end of the 2023 fiscal year. This proposal will add at least another $50 million in debt through a bond issue.

The hope is that the more expensive options can be paid for with gift commitments, third-party partnerships and the possibility of new naming rights. The university listed renaming Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium as a potential income. Its naming rights expire in 2024. It is unclear how much the university thinks these improvements will help them pay off their debt, but leaders believe all athletic debts will be discharged within the next 14 years. The goal of the proposal seems to be to maximize Bud Walton Arena's earnings potential and this should help bolster their efforts to get back into the black.

https://www.bestofarkansassports.com/arkansas-basketball-bud-walton-arena-proposed-renovations-matt-jones/

[DirkPiggler]

i sure as hell don't know him, but his twitterx profile says he's the chief marketing officer at saracen and apparently the guy that thought this up.
what does pittman have to do with any of this?

Pittman publicly thanking Oaklawn specifically while all this is going on can be seen as taking a side in the debate.  If the projections from Saracen are true, Sam is choosing the one time payment now (to the wrong entity - should have gone to Arkansas Edge) versus the larger ongoing revenue stream that would make his job easier.  If true, and if the Saracen numbers are even close to accurate, it's a low IQ move on his part.

This isn't taking sides in a Walmart vs. Target or Tyson vs. Perdue debate.  He's picking a side between two major donors/advertisers in an industry with three total participants.  Smart people don't do that and risk alienating one or both.

[DirkPiggler]

And someone needs to direct the Keebler Elf to have someone look up how much each schools' revenue is projected to increase starting this year with the new media rights contract.  I'll give him a hint...it's supposed to be at least the amount of the projected cost number for back pay he mentions, but ongoing rather than a one-time hit to the budget. 

[DirkPiggler]

sec schools took in a record amount of tv money last year and it's going to be even more moving forward. the only time the program has finished in the red in the past 20 odd years is the covid fiscal year. i'd have to see some numbers to back up the claim that somehow arkansas athletics is broke.

The only thing I can figure out here is that there is a mandate from on high...BOT, Chancellor, etc...to get that stadium debt paid off sooner rather than later, and to use the increased revenue from the media deal to get it accomplished.  That would explain the reluctance to pay Sam's buyout last season, and the "we're poor" mentality. 

[PHARMHOG]

sec schools took in a record amount of tv money last year and it's going to be even more moving forward. the only time the program has finished in the red in the past 20 odd years is the covid fiscal year. i'd have to see some numbers to back up the claim that somehow arkansas athletics is broke.
thanking someone for a $500k donation doesn't make him 'in the game', imo.

Looking back at his Tweeters to November and don't see other thank yous to specific people or entities for donations.

[Barton Fink]

The only thing I can figure out here is that there is a mandate from on high...BOT, Chancellor, etc...to get that stadium debt paid off sooner rather than later, and to use the increased revenue from the media deal to get it accomplished.  That would explain the reluctance to pay Sam's buyout last season, and the "we're poor" mentality. 

Speaking of, seems all the chatter about renovating BWA has died off. Haven't heard a word of it this year.

[DirkPiggler]

Speaking of, seems all the chatter about renovating BWA has died off. Haven't heard a word of it this year.

Good.  The plan would have reduced capacity.  That money needs to go towards talent acquisition.  Besides, it doesn't make sense to have fewer seats, even if it has the potential to increase revenue through more suites and premium seating, when you have a waiting list for season tickets.

Besides, Alabama and Auburn have been as good as or better than us lately, and they play in glorified high school gyms or spruced up, polished turd versions of Barton Coliseum.  Let's get the results back to the 1990s and then spend any windfalls on remodeling our arena.

[The Whyte Boar]

This brings up a point I mentioned a while back.  Our method of funding is obsolete and we have the Foundation and our NIL fund in direct competition with each other. 

The old school establishment at Arkansas personified in the Foundation wants to go back to the way things were and wants Congress to make a fix.  The new guys personified by NIL want to do what it takes to win and not get left behind by the rest of the SEC.

I've news for the old guys.  In this political climate, Congress ain't gonna do a damned thing that will be perceived as limiting the earning potential of young black men in order to help rich white men save a sport that largely caters to middle class white men.  Financially speaking, there simply isn't enough money in college sports to influence Congress on something like that.  Sure, it's big money but it ain't tech industry or military industrial complex big. 

So Arkansas will languish until we finally decide to catch up right about the time the paradigm changes again. 

[jdcatty]

This brings up a point I mentioned a while back.  Our method of funding is obsolete and we have the Foundation and our NIL fund in direct competition with each other. 

The old school establishment at Arkansas personified in the Foundation wants to go back to the way things were and wants Congress to make a fix.  The new guys personified by NIL want to do what it takes to win and not get left behind by the rest of the SEC.

I've news for the old guys.  In this political climate, Congress ain't gonna do a damned thing that will be perceived as limiting the earning potential of young black men in order to help rich white men save a sport that largely caters to middle class white men.  Financially speaking, there simply isn't enough money in college sports to influence Congress on something like that.  Sure, it's big money but it ain't tech industry or military industrial complex big. 

So Arkansas will languish until we finally decide to catch up right about the time the paradigm changes again. 

Don't you realize how many millions of people can see the negativity you are spreading?  This simply hurts the program.  If you don't have anything positive to say, don't say anything at all.😊