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Nebraska’s Cook will tell recruits “they can come here and make money”


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Again, this is not set in stone that the NCAA will allow this. But if they do, Cook's right - this will be a HUGE boon for Nebraska Volleyball.

 

 

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New NCAA rules: Nebraska’s Cook will tell recruits “they can come here and make money”

Of all the things elite college volleyball players have to think about, now add this: 

 

How much to charge for an autograph or a selfie.

 

Last week, the NCAA’s Board of Governors voted unanimously to allow college athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness. Rules will be codified by January, 2021. \

 

The immediate reaction, of course, focused on football and men’s basketball. Imagine what a Heisman Trophy candidate or hoops All-American could make? Volleyball players may not have that type of fame, but at certain schools — Nebraska in particular — the announcement could be a game changer. 

 

The Cornhuskers have led the nation in attendance the past six years, averaging more than 8,000 fans a match. Lincoln (population 280,000) is big enough to offer numerous businesses-endorsement deals but small enough that the University of Nebraska is the only major athletic brand in town. 

 

“I can tell you right now that we’ll have players that will get endorsement deals,” Nebraska coach John Cook said. 

 

Would he use that in recruiting?

 

“Heck yeah,” Cook said without hesitation. “I’m going to be telling recruits they can come here and make money.”

 

Cook, correctly, noted that outside hitter Lexi Sun has more followers on Instagram (55,500) than Nebraska starting quarterback Adrian Martinez (35,400) and is certain that popularity would lead to a financial windfall. Sun, though, isn’t sure about the impact of the NCAA’s decision. She said Nebraska volleyball players already receive a lot of benefits other students do not.

 

“Coach told me before I got here that ‘You guys are going to be celebrities wherever you go.’ I didn’t believe him, but then I got here and it’s true,” Sun said. 

 

Setter Nicklin Hames said players are treated “like queens” on campus, but still, she’s in favor of the decision to allow players to make money. 

 

“It’s kind of hard to think ‘we should be getting more’ but at the same time, you think in the back of your head ‘what if I sold my jersey?’ ” Hames said. 

 

Though their primary focus is on the court, players do talk about the issue, Hames said. She and her teammates routinely sign autographs for free, both after matches and around town, and it would he awkward, she admits, to do so for cash. 

 

“To have those fans who support you no matter what, you don’t want to be like ‘give me 20 bucks,’ ” Hames said. 

 

 

 

 

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I can see why Hames, and other players, would feel awkward about asking for $20 from a kid who just wants an autograph.  They should feel bad, that would be a d!(k move.

 

BUT,  they should not feel bad about accepting $500 from Scheel's to come sign autographs at a table for an hour or two.  They shouldn't feel bad about a local restaurant giving them $1000 to put a cardboard cutout in the lobby telling patrons to try "Sun's favorite dish!!!"

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10 hours ago, funhusker said:

I can see why Hames, and other players, would feel awkward about asking for $20 from a kid who just wants an autograph.  They should feel bad, that would be a d!(k move.

 

BUT,  they should not feel bad about accepting $500 from Scheel's to come sign autographs at a table for an hour or two.  They shouldn't feel bad about a local restaurant giving them $1000 to put a cardboard cutout in the lobby telling patrons to try "Sun's favorite dish!!!"

Create a youtube channel and these girls could probably make more money than most Nebraskans.  We should consistently have the best team money can buy.

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