Antonie Walker's Daughter Stops By, Indians Fan Blames Astros For Stealing His Legs & A Wild Disc Hole-In-One
Well that was an interesting first day for Name, Image, Likeness
Needless to say, it's probably time for the NCAA to close up shop and find new jobs because after what we saw from the new NIL rules, it's going to be absolute chaos across college athletics, especially at the FBS level where it's the Wild West. It's not just the NCAA guys who are out of business. The sportswriters who made careers over unearthing dirty programs have now shifted to this NIL thing is so great, look at how much money these college athletes are going to make...MY COLUMN.
Karen Rovell, who successfully got Johnny Manziel suspended for half a game for signing autographs on the side, is now pumping out posts on the 10 Athletes Who Could Cash In The Most from the new NIL rules. This f'ckin guy. Never forget that Rovell was hiding in a hotel lobby trying to catch Johnny in the act.
Is college football, as you used to know it, done? Absolutely. Thursday, I saw an Instagram post from a guy who works on the Unilever marketing team for Degree deodorant. The brand is about to pump $5 million into sponsoring college athletes. It's unclear how Degree will spend that money. Will they create commercial campaigns where the Heisman frontrunner is applying deodorant? Probably. Will they have athletes making TikToks? Have to believe they will. It doesn't take a genius to realize brands will be able to stretch their dollars by paying college athletes to do a commercial on Saturday vs. hiring Patrick Mahomes on Sunday.
Are we going to see athletes pimping products around Michigan-Ohio State, Alabama-Auburn, etc.? You're damn right you are. Of the top 50 most-watched sports events of 2021 in the U.S., 48 of those telecasts were from the NFL. Two were from college football. Brands are going to hitch a ride for a big discount with these college guys and then ride them right into the NFL. So are the agents. The lawyers. The accountants. The PR teams. The IRS.
How long until we see our very first tax evasion case? I would suspect you'll see one early in 2023. Between sports gambling sweeping the nation and certain college athletes making money, this is the type of confluence that's going to cause chaos and I'm here for it. I'm here for the LSU gymnast becoming a millionaire. I'm here for teams fighting because the 3-star scrubs aren't making money. I'm here for the in-fighting. It's all coming, and it's going to be spectacular.
As for those of you who desire pure college football, I have news for you. You haven't been watching purity for a long time. The difference now is that all it takes is one rich guy booster to open the wallet to make things real interesting. Buckle up.
• Have you been following the drama out of Detroit where Phil Mickelson is furious over the Detroit News publishing a story using recently released court records that detail how a Motown mob bookie stiffed Lefty out of $500k in gambling winnings? The Rocket Mortgage Classic is in town, Lefty's in town, the golf media is in town, and the News drops this story. Phil's so mad at the paper that he's claiming this will be his final trip to the PGA stop. That's right, he's done.
Phil has a point. The bookie testified in 2007 about stiffing Mickelson. The records were released in 2018 and the News printed the story in 2021.
• And just like that, the U.S. has left Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan. The final troops left Thursday night. A contingent of 650 troops will remain to protect the U.S. embassy in Kabul. According to the NY Times, intelligence experts think the Afghan government could fall to the Taliban in as little as six months.
• What's on the menu this weekend? I've been on a grilled shrimp kick. I'm thinking about grabbing some more and dunking them into lime and maybe going with a shrimp salad of some sort. Yes, I'll also grab some burgers and dogs, but shrimp is my main focus tomorrow.
The forecast is calling for 83 Saturday. No rain. This is all adding up to a porch TV, Yacht Rock/iHeart 80s weekend where I don't come in until well after the sun goes down. No bedtimes for the kids. Blow up some fireworks. In other words, just a quiet weekend at home detoxifying from the golf trip.
• God bless those of you who'll be roasting at sporting events across the United States. May the hotel seltzers go down smooth after spending 12 hours listening to parents ramble on about their kids landing NIL deals.