Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Jonathan Turley: California Democrats trigger a reverse Gold Rush with a wealth tax.
- 18 Nebraska football players challenge CSC rejection of third-party NIL deals worth over $1 million. Who is paying all these NCAA legal fees?
- Orders, duty, and the Ridgeway benchmark.
- Healthcare fraud is costing Americans hundreds of billions.
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Interesting NIL case to watch unfold.
- Jonathan Turley on Biden's bizarre ERA declaration.
- The evolution of Marco Rubio. Fascinated by Rubio as a character. He's a steadfast ally of Israel and foe of China.
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Ross Dellenger on the Department of Ed's ruling on NIL. Was this an unforced error by the Biden Administration on the way out the door?
- The five smallest nations by GDP in 2025
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Tucker Carlson Episode 99 on Ukraine
- College sports leaders in talks to settle anti-trust NIL lawsuit. Sounds like the people who actually have to pay the bill are sick of the NCAA always losing in court.
- Ncuti Gatwato to be new Doctor Who. Surprised the show is still on the air. Haven't watched in years.
- The Nostalgia Machine. Songs from any year you chose.
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- NCAA loses ability to enforce NIL rules. The NCAA is dead.
- The two flags of Iwo Jima (thanks Mark)
- Fani Willis and Nathan Wade (illegal) Friends with Benefits. Wonder if anyone convicted using those cell records by her office now has immediate grounds for appeal.
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Sam Altman on How to be Successful. Long but impactful read that should be taken to heart. (HT Tim Ferriss)
- A look at the post Frank Beamer struggles at Virginia Tech. Interesting read that subconsciously makes the case for relegation in college football.
- Dan Wetzel on how state governments are using NIL to juice in-state recruiting.
- Reminder - the more you use something like Facebook/Meta the worse you feel
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Sabrina Pasterski has been called the "next Einstein and is definaely a name you should know. Sorry about how the article repeats itself but still a name you should be aware of.
- Podcast on Jordan Peele. Worth a listen.
- The Free Press says the NCAA has a "hot girl" problem. No they have an NIL problem. Now that the Cavider Twins are no longer playing basketball they're not making NIL money - they're just making money. That's the problem.
- Vindman pitched $12 million scheme to profit off the Ukraine war. As Glenn Reynolds would say. "Tar and feathers is too good."
A lawsuit has been filed against the NCAA, top college sports conferences, and Notre Dame seeking damages from TV money earned by those parties dating back to 2016 (the furthest back allowable). The lawsuit is claiming those parties kept athletes from earning NIL (name, image and likeness) money during that period. There are "more than 7,000 athletes in football, men's basketball or women's basketball who would be entitled to damages" under the lawsuit.
The NCAA doesn't have a good track record in these lawsuits and the damages here could reach into the billions. This is a lawsuit to keep an eye on since it could really change the dynamics of college sports and potentially bankrupt some schools (do you think those schools wisely invested that TV revenue?).
This is an interesting development - a football player at the University of Tennessee at Martin signed an NIL (Name Image and Likeness) deal to support a local candidate for District Attorney. The player is a family friend of the candidate but this is a real blending of politics and sports and perhaps a sign of things to come.
Can you imagine running for Congress in a district that has a university with a big time football or basketball program and you, as a candidate, help secure a top recruit for the program via a big NIL deal? How many votes is that worth? Is there a limit on how much campaign cash can be used to buy such an endorsement?
This could be interesting.
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Medical Schools Update Hippocratic Oath to Exclude Unvaccinated
- The little known heroic humanitarian deeds of heavyweight boxing champ Max Schmeling. (From the archives.)
- Morgan Housel: History's Seductive Beliefs
- NCAA's sky is falling NIL rhetoric looks all the more ridiculous now. "It's almost like the establishment made up the sky-will-fall panic." We seem to be getting a lot of such panic mongering from many different such "establishments."
- Bari Weiss: Everybody Hates the Jews. That antisemitism is on the rise in the country is undeniable. That antisemitism is repugnant, and ignorant in all it's forms is also undeniable.
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
If you think about it, the exclusion of Gary Johnson from the Presidential Debates in 2016 was one of the first red flags that the elites were tilting the playing field in this country... Robert Plant's (Crazy on a) Ship of Fools easily could be the theme song for politics in 2021. "I built this ship it is my making"... Armed Propaganda would be a good name for a band (or new Political Party)... Boston in 1860... Any truth to the rumor that El Chapo will be sponsoring the entire University of Miami soccer team in an NIL deal? It could be a great way to launder some cash... The NBA's biggest nightmare has to be a PED that makes you grow taller...
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
Seeing the victorious team skate the Stanley Cup around the ice starting with the team captain is one of my favorite traditions in all of sports. The pure joy on the face of each player as they hoist the Cup always puts a smile on my face no matter the team. And keep in mind this only happens after the traditional handshake line against the vanquished foe - another of my favorite traditions... Interesting - how the NCAA v Alston ruling effects college athlete "loss of value" insurance. Big schools will now insure top players for millions giving additional incentive for players to stay in school. Which in turn with help that school's marketability... Just a thought but with the NCAA v Alston Supreme Court ruling and NIL payments happening left and right - what is the reason or justification for college sports remaining non-taxable? Think that should change... Hockey players are the best (no inner dialogue whatsoever)...
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
Remember two years ago when California threatened not to put President Trump on the primary ballot unless he released 5 years of tax returns? So can I assume that Governor Newsom and everyone running for Governor has released at least their last 5-years of tax returns? Think we already know the answer to that... This is still hilarious to me... "Mouth Sailing" would be a good term for "babbling." For example, "Stop mouth sailing and get to your point"... Remember the words of the great Abe Lincoln, "Live every week as if it were Shark Week"... One side-effect of NIL might be a reversal of the trend for good players sitting out Bowl Games. They were afraid of risking injury but now they instead may worry about risking hurting their marketability...
College sports (especially basketball and hockey) have been suffering to a degree (no pun intended) from "student athletes" leaving early to make money in pro leagues. Now they won't have to leave because if you're good enough to be drafted - you're also good enough to make bank from local boosters. And the longer you stay - the more familiar you'll be to the fans and thus the more your NIL will be worth. As a side note - this greater familiarity should also lead to greater TV contracts for the schools and conferences. A true "win-win!"
Of course the money will be there for recruiting enticements. Lots of money. There will also be more inducements for any solid athletes with a 5th year of eligibility to do another year of college instead of going pro or entering the real world. And the transfer portal - well it may as well be sponsored by eBay since many students would enter just to go with the highest bidder. It will be fascinating to watch.
The NIL freedom comes on the heels of another NCAA legal defeat at the Supreme Court (this one a 9-0 shutout) that basically said it is OK to pay student athletes. The example I saw most frequently was a $6,000 stipend for remaining academically eligible. You could probably also do another $6,000 for making honors and $6,000 for graduating (which would also be a minor inducement for team continuity).
But wouldn't paying the student-athletes on top of providing full scholarships create a financial burden on some already strapped athletic departments? Not necessarily. Revenue creating sports should be able hold their own but also sponsor money becomes more above board. Why wouldn't Nike sponsor Phil Knight's alma mater Oregon in all sports? Same for the University of Maryland which the founder of Under Armor attended. Can't you see Apple sponsoring the athletes at Stanford and Harvard? That would be very on-brand for Apple. So many possibilities.
The downside is the potential for many schools to drop non-revenue sports. Maybe drop them to "club" status. Is that such a bad thing though? Who really needs varsity squash?
Perhaps the best thing is the NCAA will be almost powerless to stop any of this. Try penalizing an athlete when they can sue the pants off the NCAA for restraint of trade. What will be the role of the NCAA in future years? What will be the purpose and reason for being of the NCAA in future years? Perhaps there will be none and the NCAA will become a historical oddity.
It will be fascinating to watch.
