OrangeUnited.com

[OrangeXtreme]

Orange United Launches to Support 'Cuse Student-Athletes in NIL - Syracuse University Athletics

Syracuse, N.Y. – Orange United is here! The preferred NIL Collective for Syracuse University student-athletes to leverage their Name, Image and Likeness (N...

cuse.com

Syracuse, N.Y. – Orange United is here! The preferred NIL Collective for Syracuse University student-athletes to leverage their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities, powered by Student Athlete NIL (SANIL). Orange United joins Athletes Who Care as another partner in the NIL space aimed at assisting all Orange student-athletes.

"We are excited about the launch of Orange United, the preferred collective of Syracuse Athletics, that is designed to reach Syracuse fans with multiple ways to make a direct impact in supporting all 600 of our student-athletes," said Director of Athletics John Wildhack. "Orange United is a terrific complement to Athletes Who Care, which launched last year. Today signifies an important milestone in advancing our NIL efforts to benefit all student-athletes across our 20 sports."

The Orange United mission is to leverage the collective power of Orange fans, alumni, and supporters to equip student-athletes with the tools and resources necessary to excel both during their time in Syracuse and beyond. Orange United will engage with individuals, businesses and monthly subscribers to fund NIL activities, including autograph signings, personal appearances and endorsements. Each membership level offers exclusive benefits, and contributions can be designated by specific sport.

Mark Hayes, who has been the Syracuse Crunch Hockey Club vice president for sales/revenue development since 2017, will be the Orange United general manager.

Through a partnership with Syracuse Sports Properties, Orange United received the "preferred" status, which gives them access to Syracuse Athletics branding and marks and allows them to promote the collective at Orange home contests.

Orange United, in conjunction with SANIL's Student Athlete Empowerment (SAE) program, will facilitate NIL transactions between Syracuse student-athletes and fans, donors and businesses. SANIL is the most experienced end-to-end NIL solution provider in the country and trusted by more than 30 Universities to manage NIL programs between interested third parties and student-athletes.

To learn more about Orange United's mission to equip student-athletes with the tools and resources necessary to excel both during and beyond their time at Syracuse and how to become a subscriber, visit OrangeUnited.com.


SANIL's Student Athlete Empowerment program and Orange United work in unison with various University supporters to create marketing activations that maximize student-athlete earnings while ensuring that the University's best interests remain protected throughout. Syracuse joins a client roster that includes Georgia Tech, Hawaii, Oklahoma, Rutgers and Wake Forest, among others.

 

[cuseallday]

I got the scoop. It will support all SU sports and has a goal of $6M-$9M annually in NIL deals.

 

[OCESIP]

"Syracuse administrators will not be involved in making deals with student athletes".
For the uninitiated, how does the collective decide what player (recruit) gets what deal if there's no interaction with the coaches? Not being critical. Just trying to understand
how it would work.

 

[Consigliere]

Recruits don’t get deals. At least not like this. For enrolled student athletes the athletic department may say that based on what the enterprise is looking in terms of projects or initiatives, these are some suggested student athletes for you to consider. Collective can also act autonomously and choose student athletes based on name recognition, social media reach, or by canvassing a group and inviting them to apply. INFLCR has a feature that allows you to do exactly that.

 

[Fly Rodder]

"Syracuse administrators will not be involved in making deals with student athletes".
For the uninitiated, how does the collective decide what player (recruit) gets what deal if there's no interaction with the coaches? Not being critical. Just trying to understand
how it would work.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[OCESIP]

Again, just for a basic understanding from my perspective, the collectives only interact with ENROLLED students. I'm assuming, as a general practice, there are promises/deals offered to RECRUITS which are outside of the realm of the collectives. This, I assume, is where a Weitsman would step into the discussion and is perfectly legal (if not a little tainted). If this is a correct scenario, these outside benefactors are a huge part of the equation. Does SU even address this if that is in fact the case

 

[Consigliere]

Again, just for a basic understanding from my perspective, the collectives only interact with ENROLLED students. I'm assuming, as a general practice, there are promises/deals offered to RECRUITS which are outside of the realm of the collectives. This, I assume, is where a Weitsman would step into the discussion and is perfectly legal (if not a little tainted). If this is a correct scenario, these outside benefactors are a huge part of the equation. Does SU even address this if that is in fact the case

It's only perfectly legal if the deal is NOT contingent on attending a specified school and does not include a clause that a recruit must reside in a certain area. On the other hand if you are driving 80 mph on a country road and no one cares to watch, is that illegal?

I can't speak for SU and whether or not there is any back channel communication between representatives of the SUAD, including coaches, and "outside benefactors." I can say that SU has the reputation to err on the side of caution when it comes to compliance matters. But it is publicly known which recruits are being targetted and offered by SU coaching staffs so I don't know that much additional urging by the University is necessary.

Look, I don't have blinders on and it is clear that boosters ARE recruiting and using NIL promises as an inducement. Even more egregiously, with the advent of the portal, current student athletes are being poached with those promises even if they are not yet in the portal. Until and unless the NCAA grows a pair and chooses to start enforcing their guidelines this will continue and likely escalate. All we can do is either make the Syracuse experience a compelling and financially satisfying one, or roll in the mud with others and backfill using the same tactics.

 

[OCESIP]

It's only perfectly legal if the deal is NOT contingent on attending a specified school and does not include a clause that a recruit must reside in a certain area. On the other hand if you are driving 80 mph on a country road and no one cares to watch, is that illegal?

I can't speak for SU and whether or not there is any back channel communication between representatives of the SUAD, including coaches, and "outside benefactors." I can say that SU has the reputation to err on the side of caution when it comes to compliance matters. But it is publicly known which recruits are being targetted and offered by SU coaching staffs so I don't know that much additional urging by the University is necessary.

Look, I don't have blinders on and it is clear that boosters ARE recruiting and using NIL promises as an inducement. Even more egregiously, with the advent of the portal, current student athletes are being poached with those promises even if they are not yet in the portal. Until and unless the NCAA grows a pair and chooses to start enforcing their guidelines this will continue and likely escalate. All we can do is either make the Syracuse experience a compelling and financially satisfying one, or roll in the mud with others and backfill using the same tactics.

Thanks for the insight and an honest appraisal of the whole NIL situation across the country and at SU. The NIL concept in it's intended form is not a bad idea. Like most good ideas where there is prestige and money involved, institutions/individuals have found ways to abuse and unethically benefit from the system. I can't see it getting any better in the near future.

 

[Consigliere]

Thanks for the insight and an honest appraisal of the whole NIL situation across the country and at SU. The NIL concept in it's intended form is not a bad idea. Like most good ideas where there is prestige and money involved, institutions/individuals have found ways to abuse and unethically benefit from the system. I can't see it getting any better in the near future.

Couldn’t agree more. We are proud of what we do with the SyraCRUZ Tailgate NIL initiative. By the end of 2023 our program will have touched 25 student athletes at Syracuse covering six sports with transactions totaling over $35,000. Not life changing money for anyone, but a chance to show appreciation and give the players an opportunity to make a few hundred to a few thousand dollars to help their families and/or enjoy their time at SU just a little more.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[Jake]

Recruits don’t get deals. At least not like this. For enrolled student athletes the athletic department may say that based on what the enterprise is looking in terms of projects or initiatives, these are some suggested student athletes for you to consider. Collective can also act autonomously and choose student athletes based on name recognition, social media reach, or by canvassing a group and inviting them to apply. INFLCR has a feature that allows you to do exactly that.

Which in practical terms means they can pay who they want when they want. This gives us great flexibility and is a great practical approach.

All those “data points” can be subjective.

 

[cuseallday]

Which in practical terms means they can pay who they want when they want. This gives us great flexibility and is a great practical approach.

All those “data points” can be subjective.

Yeah, I talked to Torrey Ball with SU Athletics about this recently. Orange United's GM and board make all decisions on which players to forge NIL deals with, SU Athletics has no say, Ball says, however, he did tell me that SU officials will meet with Orange United leaders to discuss their "priorities," but again, final decisions come down to Orange United leadership.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[two3zone]

This just all feels so gross while we have such poverty just hundreds of feet from campus.

 

[Orangezoo]

This just all feels so gross while we have such poverty just hundreds of feet from campus.

Just look at things in the south around all those SEC schools. It's been gross for such a long time. They are happy to pluck the talent from the poorest areas and forget everyone else in those communities