The example the article gave was that Georgia tech would in theory have more influence/popularity in Atlanta compared to Georgia state, so a NIL deal to a player for GA Tech, from an Atlanta company, could be bigger than for Georgia State. That just seems like common sense to me. There is always room for someone to get screwed but I don’t think state will get screwed on this, it’ll be more the southern miss of the world.
I agree. Couple of things:
- For any famous player, the market is nationwide. Due to the internet, social media, TV, etc., geographic location really does not matter.
- After the famous players, it's the second tier where it gets tricky. It's about care level, and who cares more, MSU alumni scattered throughout MS and surrounding regions, or a bunch of city folks and companies in downtown Atlanta? I think MSU wins that battle for right now. U of Georgia is a different animal entirely, obviously. But I think our alumni that will hand out money for appearances for small businesses probably trumps the idea that Google, Mercedez, Chick Fila, Delta, Home Depot, Coke, etc. is going to care enough to prop up GT players. Even though they are obviously much much bigger.
There's always the possibility of some alumni that owns these companies getting involved in NIL, like Phil Knight or that guy in Louisville. But again, that's showing the care level needed. In a lot of cities, there's just more stuff to do that worry about college football. I don't really even know if Miami or USC can even amass the interest needed to succeed in this world. Well, I guess that lawyer down in Miami is buying everybody but that's not the norm, again, that's a Miami guy trying to help his same school.
Another is SMU....those are alumni who want to win, not a bunch of DFW area companies trying to make money off advertising. Because if you get real about it......the true market reach for any of these players outside the top 1% is not great. Johnny Manziel, Dak, Travis Hunter.....those types command real money but the rest - it's all just alumni wanting to win at all costs.