Why Jim Larrañaga Was Right That More Schools Should be Transparent About NIL
Some schools have received different public treatment for a long time. One of those schools would be in South Florida, the Miami Hurricanes.
With all of the changes that have come in the past few years to college athletics, that treatment has continued for Miami, but not just with football.
Before Miami takes a step onto the basketball court to play the Connecticut Huskies Saturday night in the Final Four, what the Hurricanes head man said before the last contest should be brought up and discussed in a broader spectrum.
Here’s the backdrop before going into what Miami head basketball coach Jim Larrañaga said about how Miami has been the subject of scrutiny of late, with Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) being at the forefront.
The Jeanie came out of the bottle with NIL on July 1, 2021. It’s been a whirlwind of emotions for so many fans and people that follow college sports. Bottom line, athletes finally got paid for what they’ve done for decades.
Most of the attention, for the vast majority of colleges using NIL, has been towards football. It’s by far the biggest money maker for the powers that be so no surprise NIL has been big there.
For Miami – its basketball program in particular – the details that came out of the deals, and were pushed across social media and beyond, have been a bit odd and maybe even concerning. Here’s what Larrañaga recently said at a press conference regarding the topic.
“I think everybody should be transparent,” he noted last Saturday before playing the Texas Longhorns. “Why is it hidden behind the curtain? Why? You can go on a website and check out anybody’s salary in the NBA.
“There are a lot of schools that do the same thing we do. We just don’t know about it because it’s not public knowledge. Why not? Why are we afraid of sharing that information?”
Larrañaga had a great point. It’s not like Miami was the only school using NIL deals. Why weren’t many of those deals at other insitutions being made public, and with more details, in terms of the actual dollars and cents?
For Miami, as examples, deals with basketball players like Nijel Pack and Norchad Omier certainly were thrown into the public eye.
For the longest time, Pack's $800,000 deal was a hot topic. It's not like his deal was the only one out there to discuss, but the media hammered it and so did fans of other schools.
Part of the reason, those other college athletic departments withheld information. What were they hiding?
It’s one thing for Miami’s football team to get hated on. That’s happened since Miami’s players were dominating in the 1980s and 1990s and continued on. Whether media outlets or opposing fans, the Canes were often disliked more than any other college football program.
This NIL discussion point has been about hoops just as much as football, however.
That’s why Larrañaga’s statement about transparency was simply brilliant. Where were the hardline numbers for the players at programs across SEC basketball programs, just as another example?
It’s also ironic considering Miami’s basketball history. Until roughly the last 20 years, the Canes just have not been that great at hoops.
Yet, now, people have taken some shots, or, at least offered more information about what happens with Miami’s athletes, the basketball program now being a prime target.
Maybe it’s because of Miami booster John Ruiz. No doubt, he’s a personality that’s constantly on social media. Maybe people just do not like Mr. Ruiz because they feel he will hurt the chances of their favorite schools from winning because he’s helped UM athletes.
Ruiz sponsored deals with players across several UM sports. Outside of men’s basketball and football, the women’s basketball team added two well known social media stars. The Cavinder twins inked a NIL deal with Ruiz that ended up being penalized by the NCAA.
Yes, even the NCAA has essentially taken a shot at Miami with NIL.
Really? With all the stuff that’s happening across college athletics, the NCAA chose the deal with the Cavinder twins and Ruiz?
There’s no clear answer as to what will happen next. It’s just good that Larrañaga took the opportunity to say something and directly ask about other schools and their NIL deals. After the better part of a week since he did, the time to reflect also brought one ending point to ponder.
If people truly dislike Miami football and even Canes basketball now, how much will they hate the Hurricanes if the men’s basketball team cuts down the nets by winning the 2023 national title?
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