Kansas: NCAA Violations

[Jumper_Dad]

Oh look, another adidas school.

 

Arizona and LSU both in the NCAA's crosshairs wear a swoosh and Auburn is UA. Those three are all going to be getting Notice of Allegations from the NCAA, but yeah just Adidas is being targeted. Got it!

[TheDeuce]

Arizona and LSU both in the NCAA's crosshairs wear a swoosh and Auburn is UA. Those three are all going to be getting Notice of Allegations from the NCAA, but yeah just Adidas is being targeted. Got it!

 

I wasn't implying adidas is being "targeted," more so that other school brands (read: Nike) are being ignored. Again, we'll see if that trend continues. Arizona is a "name brand" with very little "weight," so to speak. Yes, they are Nike, but we really believe they are the only ones?

[GrantNKY]

This is where I disagree. Of course they are doing it to the same level, if not more than Adidas. In terms of kids wanting to play on Nike teams, how do you think Nike came to be Nike? Kids just decided "They seem like the best, we'll just go play there"? No, Nike is paying the most money to get the elite kids. They are just much better at covering their tracks, probably because they've been doing it much, much longer.

Nike invested in the schools more than the players. I’m not going to turn a blind eye and act like Nike isn’t doing stuff as well, but Nike became Nike because they tried and have largely succeeded in creating a monopoly on outfitting college athletic departments. Why would Nike need to pay more money than Adidas when the player is statistically a lot more likely to end up at a Nike school than an Adidas or Under Armour school. Adidas has to do this. They have to get players to go to Kansas and UofL because if those schools don’t make the final four there’s a good chance Adidas won’t be represented at the table. In the first 5 years of the college football playoff Nike has had 19 of the 20 schools (only exception was ND last year). For basketball there’s more diversity but not much 15/20 schools in the final 4 have been Nike schools. Nike has invested in making sure the best players go to their schools, but they’ve done it largely by maximizing their opportunities as opposed to directly making payments like is being alleged here with Kansas. You mentioned it before about Nike sort of being untouchable, but at least in America they are. The 5 largest sports in the country (NFL, NBA, MLB, College Football, and College Basketball) Nike is either the official uniform sponsor like the NFL and NBA, they dominate the market like in college, or even in MLB where Majestic is the official uniform sponsor but Nike still makes all the undershirts and non uniform apparel for the teams like the undershirts with the Nike logo on the collar that is visible when the jersey is buttoned up. Nike doesn’t really have a need to pay people the way Adidas and UA do. It’s cheaper for Adidas to try and funnel athletes to Adidas schools then it would be for them to try and outfit more schools to compete with Nike.

[GrantNKY]

Arizona and LSU both in the NCAA's crosshairs wear a swoosh and Auburn is UA. Those three are all going to be getting Notice of Allegations from the NCAA, but yeah just Adidas is being targeted. Got it!

The difference there though is that at LSU, Arizona, and Auburn it’s assistant coaches who are alleged to have set up the payments not a Nike or UA employee like is being alleged with the Adidas guy and Kansas.

[tcjkbt]

The difference there though is that at LSU, Arizona, and Auburn it’s assistant coaches who are alleged to have set up the payments not a Nike or UA employee like is being alleged with the Adidas guy and Kansas.

I think this is a significant distinction: Whether it is an employee of the"member institution" or some third party not employed or affiliated with the school.

[GrantNKY]

I think this is a significant distinction: Whether it is an employee of the"member institution" or some third party not employed or affiliated with the school.

I agree there has to be some distinction, but with regards to this Kansas case the fact that this Adidas guy is supposedly really good friends with Bill Self. In this case the line between Adidas employee and Kansas assistant coach is pretty blurred. If this guy develops a great relationship with a recruit he’s going to be seeing him a lot because I’m sure he has almost as much access to the KU program as an assistant coach.

[TheDeuce]

Nike invested in the schools more than the players. I’m not going to turn a blind eye and act like Nike isn’t doing stuff as well, but Nike became Nike because they tried and have largely succeeded in creating a monopoly on outfitting college athletic departments. Why would Nike need to pay more money than Adidas when the player is statistically a lot more likely to end up at a Nike school than an Adidas or Under Armour school. Adidas has to do this. They have to get players to go to Kansas and UofL because if those schools don’t make the final four there’s a good chance Adidas won’t be represented at the table. In the first 5 years of the college football playoff Nike has had 19 of the 20 schools (only exception was ND last year). For basketball there’s more diversity but not much 15/20 schools in the final 4 have been Nike schools. Nike has invested in making sure the best players go to their schools, but they’ve done it largely by maximizing their opportunities as opposed to directly making payments like is being alleged here with Kansas. You mentioned it before about Nike sort of being untouchable, but at least in America they are. The 5 largest sports in the country (NFL, NBA, MLB, College Football, and College Basketball) Nike is either the official uniform sponsor like the NFL and NBA, they dominate the market like in college, or even in MLB where Majestic is the official uniform sponsor but Nike still makes all the undershirts and non uniform apparel for the teams like the undershirts with the Nike logo on the collar that is visible when the jersey is buttoned up. Nike doesn’t really have a need to pay people the way Adidas and UA do. It’s cheaper for Adidas to try and funnel athletes to Adidas schools then it would be for them to try and outfit more schools to compete with Nike.

 

So you think Zion Williamson went to Duke for free? Anthony Davis to UK?

[GrantNKY]

So you think Zion Williamson went to Duke for free? Anthony Davis to UK?

For free? Likely not. Do I believe they were offered significantly more to go to Kansas? Without a doubt.

[TheDeuce]

For free? Likely not. Do I believe they were offered significantly more to go to Kansas? Without a doubt.

 

So they chose to take less money just to play for Nike?

[gametime]

For free? Likely not. Do I believe they were offered significantly more to go to Kansas? Without a doubt.

 

You have a terrible understanding of how things actually work.

[gametime]

The FBI case was started because a suspect in a completely unrelated case tied to a financial planner told the feds he had dirt on basketball coaches. That financial planner was linked to the people doing a lot of the dirty work for Adidas. Those people exist for all three major shoe companies, and if any of them were in the same situation we would be having a different conversation.

 

Point being, the FBI didn't set out to bring down corruption in college basketball. It fell in their lap when someone tried to save their behind by spilling the beans on the small part of the process he was involved in.

[Randy Parker]

So you think Zion Williamson went to Duke for free? Anthony Davis to UK?

 

I think it was Gilbert Arenas who recently said that Duke gave Zion the highest price. Maybe $200k?

 

If I remember right with Davis, the price was $180k.

 

Cam Newton was $200k as well, if memory serves me right.

 

I've never doubted any of those stories, but I wasn't always sure if the money was from shoe companies or school boosters. Or maybe a mix.

 

As for the Kansas case, I am curious to see how this all unfolds. Kansas is as blue chip school. I wonder if they will get the UNC treatment, or the UL treatment.

[GrantNKY]

You have a terrible understanding of how things actually work.

I’ve been waiting for you to chime. You’re clearly more connected than I am so I’ll bow out and respect what you say over my own opinions.

[gametime]

I’ve been waiting for you to chime. You’re clearly more connected than I am so I’ll bow out and respect what you say over my own opinions.

 

What bothers me is the real issue was discussed in the trial and all but ignored. These kids are getting paid significant sums to play for AAU teams now, so of course there is an expectation that they will be paid for their college decision as well. I know of one Nike AAU program that has a 300K budget for “building” their 17U EYBL squad. It’s a big reason why the NCAA has no teeth at all, and I highly doubt any decision against Kansas will survive an appeal.

[Jumper_Dad]