Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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6 AUGUST 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FAN FORUM NOTRE DAME AND NIL Would you and your team at Blue & Gold consider putting together an article or series explaining NIL as it exists today and where do you see it heading? This is for people like me who believe in amateur sports! However, I do feel that college ath- letes should be provided a stipend, but not based on success on the field or court, only on need! I hope you consider this request and provide some clarity as to what is going on in the world of college sports. Thank you. RM Caffarelli P.S.: I sure wish Fr. Ted H. was around to get his take on this subject. Mr. Caffarelli, ask and you shall re- ceive. Senior writer Tyler Horka tack- led that very subject in our 2023 Blue & Gold Illustrated Football Preview. You can also give it a read if you subscribe to BlueandGold.com. BE HEARD! Send your letters to: Letters, Blue & Gold Illustrated, P. O. Box 1007, Notre Dame, IN 46556 or e-mail to: sdowney@comanpub.com It is the Wild, Wild West in NCAA football with the incorporation of name image and likeness (NIL). Senior writer Tyler Horka did a deep dive on Notre Dame's approach to NIL with Friends of the University of Notre Dame (FUND) and how it compares nationally. It is obviously a polarizing subject. Here's a sampling of some of the opin- ions from our subscribers on The Lou Somogyi Board at BlueandGold.com: Bigteve79: The part about the Bama guys getting what amounts to a salary likely explains how all those guys have such nice cars on a college student's income. I like the ND approach better, but the difference in how ND does it in comparison to the football factories explains the "behind the scenes" stuff we've wondered about. This sort of content is exactly why some of us pay for this site. Well done, Tyler. NJNative140: Yes, interesting read. Now we have to find the players that accept that type of NIL. IMO, the parameters of NIL should be clearly defined and each school must adhere to them but we know how that goes. We shall see. Mr. Leonard: What a great article. Very well written and informative. It makes one proud to be associated with Our Lady's University when you continue to read about how ND is always trying to do the right thing for its student-athletes, and all students for that matter. We are different, and in a very good way. Thanks, Tyler. Kcndmis97: Absolutely first-class article, so well written and structured! While I admire ND's approach to NIL, and it is tremendous and in line with the university's overall vision, it just doesn't cut it in this professional football world. If you are a 5-star player, wouldn't you rather get guaranteed money instead of having to work extra for it? That's why it is important to get drafted as high as you can, to capitalize on that guaranteed money. ND won't survive well with this NIL approach in terms of seriously compet- ing for titles and becoming a powerhouse again. I just don't see how paying football players a true salary would hurt ND. To me, you have to pick a lane, if you want to stick to your guns and have a true amateur football program, then great, do it but don't tell your fan base that you do everything possible to compete for titles. That's what gets me mad as an alum, they want their cake and eat it, too. They want the big NBC deal, they want all the merchan- dise revenues as if they are truly trying to win a title but they don't want to really do what is necessary to win a title … that's pay players a salary plus signing bonus for top recruits. HTXIrishWave: Reading this article, I don't think ND will win another na- tional championship unless it changes its position on NIL. Hond92: Who is making the decision to do NIL like this? Are they not in favor of the decision to have NIL? I feel like they're trying to make a political statement by tanking the football program. No wonder the OC from Utah decided not to come. Avicii: Choosing not to do something completely legal is disheartening. We have no shot at a title for the foreseeable future. Watasha12: Great article and I appreciate ND for its values. Unfortunately, it'll be very difficult to truly compete in our current environment. Tommy1380: It's likely the administration, which probably tells Swarbrick what he can and can't do. It's just par for the course for modern day ND. Everything about the program is "safe" and slow to adapt. It's why they're constantly trying to play catch-up. And I think many are frustrated because ND used to be top dog. They were Alabama. They were Ohio State. They were innovative and led the way in many areas. It's now run completely different than the program that many of us grew up following. It's like driving at or below the speed limit on the highway. Most people are going to drive 5-7 mph over. It's well known that cops won't pull you over for that. It doesn't make you a bad person. It doesn't cause you to lose your integrity. But ND doesn't care, because it's wrong to drive above the speed limit. So, in a 65 mph zone they drive 60-65 mph. And they brag about it. .com .com FROM THE WEBSITE FUND contractually links Fighting Irish student-athletes and pays them for their contributions to the community, such as quarterback Sam Hartman's appearance at the Ronald McDonald House of Michiana in April. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS