Katelyn Tuohy signs NIL deal with Adidas

These new rules are BS. I had to pass up a bit of money when I was in college to retain my eligibility which could have seriously helped me survive once I graduated. I easily passed up $5,000 plus its pennies now but at the time it could have really helped me not have to rely on family while I was reinventing myself right after school. It also would have prevented me from trashing my body running crazy distances that I was not ready for. I was an 800m/1500m man in college. I immediately won $2,500, $5,000, and then an additional
$2,500 in a marathon debut that I was not ready for all just to eat. Plus, the $5,000 I passed up I could have had $15,000 put away so I didn’t have work some stupid job as a bar back and waiting tables for survival. I eventually joined the military because I got sick of the rat race. Now it’s like here keep all the money you get. I might be alone on this, but I think it is bogus because for those of us that did win some pro track races in college and passed up the paychecks might feel like we got ripped off when now money is allowed. Don’t get me wrong I personally feel if you earn it you should keep it I just think it is a kick in the face to those of us that had to pass up our earned jackpots when we earned it fair and square.

Good for her. Sounds like she wants to really start to market herself more even though she already had a huge following. But she was never really out there in terms of NIL. Adidas will probably sign her anyway professionally after this year

So now that she's officially a pro we can talk about her body? (Reference the infamous 'damn' 'disgusted look' thread.)

*This post is made in saracasm*

Smart move for both parties! She gets the obvious income and perks. Adidas can use her in their marketing efforts. I would be interested to know if a well-known collegiate athlete that races and wins with frequency does more to move products than a domestic pro that races very little and then often finishes well behind Africans? I suspect Ms. Tuohy or an equivalent male would inspire more high school kids to buy shoes than would a Bowerman pro.

will this mess with Parker's psyche?

The NCAA has failed to define exactly the boundaries of nil. While plenty of stars are signing conventional marketing deals, even at the $million and above level (Liv Dunne, Paige buekerss, azzi fudd), many programs, particularly the usual suspects of football and basketball have found ways to simply offer 'pay for play', that becomes part of the HS recruiting package.

Option 1, single rich booster. The sponsor says I'll pay each offensive lineman $100k annually, in exchange for them showing up at 3 pulled pork bbq's for photos and autographs. Let's say 10 players, that's $1 million. This money then gets expensed in the booster's company marketing budget. It's just a loss providing no benefit for sales growth, there may never even be a BBQ, but who is counting?

Option 2, booster collective. School b doesn't have a single rich booster, but they have a huge generally wealthy fan base. So they form a 'collective' with 100 booster's each paying $10k annually to get the same $million together to pay their lineman. The collective sets up a shell company that has no revenue, and $Million in expense.

The key to understand this is knowing that in both cases, the donor is not looking for any real financial return. It's just the old 'underhanded donations' for pay to play now wrapped up in an NCAA legal nil. This money is now included in recruiting packages, so you will hear a kid sometimes say he chose a different school at the last minute, because they offered a bigger nil. The only tangible benefit for the donor is better recruits hopefully leading to more wins.

There is a shocking amount of booster money floating around big time college sports.

This hasn't really trickled down to minor sports yet, but there is no reason Mr. Knight couldn't buy recruits. Let's say Oregon xc recruits get a half scholarship, plus a $50k annual nil. That way more runners, good deal for kids.

I am not sure what your definition of recent years is but I challenge you to back this up using actual results. By including McLaughlin, you've opened the door up for all Nike and Adidas sprinters to be included....

Tuohy is very deserving of the NIL. Is NIL that rare in women's xc/track that you need to be a generational talent and all-time HS and college great with a huge established fan base to get it?

I'm surprised there aren't more athletes with NIL in xc/track. Does it just mostly go to the money sports (football and men's basketball)?

Katelyn has stated in multiple interviews (including one from yesterday) she always wanted to go to college, and turning pro and skipping college was "never an option". She stated in her interview yesterday with the media that "every pro runner says there's nothing like college cross country", with the atmosphere and team environment in college being much more fun/exciting that pro running. I wouldn't be surprised if Katelyn uses her covid year, and runs XC in college in the fall of 2024 as well. She loves the team atmosphere of college XC.

KT has a much better ring to it, and is somewhat synonymous with her first name already.

Gotta wonder which sponsors are lining up for PV right now.....

"I was wronged so everyone else should be in the future."

Did I sum it up correctly? And can I get you a tissue?

Some schools do NIL for their athletes better than others. I know of a swimmer at the University of Texas that was set up with an apparel brand for a few thousand a year to post on instagram. I'm guessing most of the swim team passes the NIL contacts around to see whos willing to pay.

6 years of being a dominant champion in a grueling sport. I would say she has more than earned it.

Agree it’s a good book worth reading. I might be forgetting something, but did the author say it is racist to pay players? I thought the author’s point was that the youth and college athletes were NOT getting a fair deal and that they were not getting paid their worth, while coaches and colleges and shoe companies were making money off of them.

Maybe Addida's gear competitors might want to hold off sponsoring the athlete that got run down like a hyena by the chick who is sponsored by Adidas. Just saying. No disrespect to PV, but can you see how that might not be the image they want in the minds of their target market. Possibly after track season it will be a different story. She is model pretty, so I am sure she won't starve.

As there should be. College athletes are far past the point of deserving to be paid for their athletics. The idea of amateurism is as outdated as it was under Avery brundage.

I woefully disagree with this take. Most students of the sport understand that it was Parker Valby that made that race, and is the one responsible for 19 athletes going under the course record. If PV had a huge positibe split, then maybe what you say would make some sense. But on the contrary, she actually negative split the race while running most of it out alone. That is huge testament to her guts, and ability to pace herself.

And this is why it's now dumb for any runner to go pro and forgo their NCAA career unless they're already making olympic/world teams. You can still make some NIL/contract money while competing in the NCAA system. You just can't accept prize money, which barely exists on the track as it is.