Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy. credits: LM Otero | source: AP Making money is the new name of the game in college sports, and Oklahoma State is unrolling a new strategy to capitalize on that.
What was once seen as taboo has completely changed the landscape of collegiate athletics now that athletes are able to profit from their name, image and likeness.
Everyone is excited that college football is about to be back, partially because the college football offseason has become exhausting with transfer portal news and players jumping teams in order to secure bigger NIL paydays.
But some of that NIL fatigue has officially crept onto the field, as Oklahoma State will wear QR code decals on the back of their helmets.
“This is a revolutionary step forward to help keep Oklahoma State football ahead of the game,” Gundy said. “It gives a chance for everyday fans across the world to have a real impact when it comes to supporting the NIL efforts for Cowboy football. I’m thrilled about this opportunity for our players.”
Literally just last week, Gundy was belly-aching about the NIL (as many older coaches have) and how excited he was to have “real football” set to kick off soon.
“We have to have those conversations with [the players]. ‘Tell your agent to quit calling us and asking for more money.’ It’s non-negotiable now. It’ll start again in December,” Gundy said last week. “So now we’re able to direct ourselves just in football, and that part is fun.”
Well, now agents don’t have to ask for money. There’s a QR code for that. Happy, Mike?
The QR code will redirect to a donation landing page for Oklahoma State’s NIL fund; this is believed to be a first for college football.
The school also acknowledged that these QR codes are only 1.5 square inches and will not be scannable from the stands within the stadium. However, they hope fans at home will scan them and, as a result, see an increase in donations to the NIL fund.
Oklahoma’s win total on most major sportsbooks is eight wins. Gotta imagine they need to take advantage of those wins, as not many drunk fans at home in Oklahoma will be donating their hard-earned cash during losses.
But that’s not even the dumbest part. Really, as long as they can cover the cost of the stickers, it was worth their while. But there’s no guarantee they can even cover thosee costs. Here’s where you have to stay with me.
Have you ever signed a QR code? They absolutely stink.
You go into a dark restaurant and feel like a moron, trying to scan a tiny, faded sticker on the table. It almost never works on the first try. If it’s that difficult to order chips and salsa to your table, imagine trying to scan the back of a helmet on 22 dudes running into each other at full speed.
If there wasn’t a literal global pandemic, the QR code would be dead.
But now it seems like they aren’t going anywhere. And neither is the NIL wave that’s changing college sports.
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