Potential new source of revenue?

[Ruzious]

This isn't what I'd normally expect a Major League Baseball frachise to get involve with, but Atlanta's doing it.  Braves sign UGA, Georgia Tech athletes to NIL deals (ajc.com)  NIL (name, image, likeness) deals could become somewhat lucrative for the better known athletes.  Guessing boosters will abuse things like this to get their favorite athletes to go to their schools.  

[Hazmat]

Would it be legal for an MLB team to sign a top college baseball playing in this capacity as a way to gain favor with that player or to supplement the draft allotment?  Let's say a college player has another year of eligibility but a MLB team signs them as an influencer as a way to persuade them to sign with their team when they draft them?

[Ruzious]

16 minutes ago, Hazmat said:

Would it be legal for an MLB team to sign a top college baseball playing in this capacity as a way to gain favor with that player or to supplement the draft allotment?  Let's say a college player has another year of eligibility but a MLB team signs them as an influencer as a way to persuade them to sign with their team when they draft them?

Good question.  Not all abuses are illegal.  And I'm guessing there will be all kinds of abuses that won't be illegal - until they write rules/laws to make them such.     

[waroriole]

How is this a new source of revenue? Wouldn’t it be a new expense?

 

[Frobby]

3 minutes ago, waroriole said:

How is this a new source of revenue? Wouldn’t it be a new expense?

 

Both.   The team gets the revenue from the use of the athlete’s name, license, etc. in exchange for payments to the athlete.   

[Sports Guy]

Sell the naming rights to the stadium

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Sell the naming rights to the stadium

Who would want to tie their brand to the Orioles these days?

[glenn__davis]

2 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Sell the naming rights to the stadium

Boo this man!

[Sports Guy]

29 minutes ago, glenn__davis said:

Boo this man!

We will still call it Camden Yards or Oriole Park either way.  Its just a name on the building.

The reality is the current name is pretty dumb.  That's why no one calls it Oriole Park at Camden Yards.  Hell, people write OPACY because they don't want to type it all out.

[Tony-OH]

30 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Who would want to tie their brand to the Orioles these days?

Wastequip??

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, Tony-OH said:

Wastequip??

I can see it now, the Baltimore Dumpster Fires.  It could work.  Would make for a sweet hat.

[Barnaby Graves]

Turn it into a dog park when there's no baseball going on so it can be Oriole Bark at Camdog Yards.

I have thousands of these ideas, literally thousands.

[UMDTerrapins]

1 hour ago, Barnaby Graves said:

Turn it into a dog park when there's no baseball going on so it can be Oriole Bark at Camdog Yards.

I have thousands of these ideas, literally thousands.

Nice. This has me thinking. Why can't we give multiple brands the stadium naming rights? 

[Barnaby Graves]

26 minutes ago, UMDTerrapins said:

Nice. This has me thinking. Why can't we give multiple brands the stadium naming rights? 

 

[Mr. Chewbacca Jr.]

4 hours ago, waroriole said:

How is this a new source of revenue? Wouldn’t it be a new expense?

 

It's marketing. It seems like they intend to use the athletes as local celebrities in promotions. Basically the same as if the O's signed the Towson Tigers QB to make appearances at games and produce some social media videos about how fun a night at Camden Yards is. 

In the article, it says they're paying the student athletes with a $500 stipend, free tickets, and merch. Pretty cheap marketing if you ask me.

Not sure that would really move the needle much in a city like Baltimore that doesn't really have a big athletics school - but I could see this approach working well in the South where high school football and college sports are a big deal.