What if we took a big chunk of NIL money out of football and diverted it to baseball? Gamecock football has always been nothing more than mediocre, I don't think there is enough NIL money to change that. Baseball, on the other hand, has traditionally been the best men's sport. Pouring NIL money into baseball could create a championship program that would be a long term dynasty. A large NIL commitment to baseball would also attract the best coaches to SC.
Radical NIL idea...
- Thread starter Piscis
- Start date
I have floated this idea many times for baseball and basketball. We love our football too much, even though we suck at it.
If I knew it would make our football team a regular SEC title contender, I'd scrap EVERY other sport we have.
Except baseball actually has a foundation of being pretty good. Football has always been mediocre at best.
Agreed.
But if the discussion is which sport is the best investment, only football and MBB make money.
So we need those two.
I disagree with the notion we need to take money from football. In fact, I’d rather we take money from non-revenue producing sports and put it toward football. It’s the breadwinner in the family …by far.
It’s not about mediocrity or success. Thats a fallacy. It’s all about the money. And it’s been that way for decades upon decades.
And if you think USC is going to relegate a huge revenue producer like football to a lower level, think again. They are already pouring $350 million into renovating the stadium. Do you really believe a small fan base supporting baseball, WBB, and even MBB is going to eclipse football? While we may have had more success with equestrian or WBB, the market for those sports just isn’t there.
It’s not about mediocrity or success. Thats a fallacy. It’s all about the money. And it’s been that way for decades upon decades.
And if you think USC is going to relegate a huge revenue producer like football to a lower level, think again. They are already pouring $350 million into renovating the stadium. Do you really believe a small fan base supporting baseball, WBB, and even MBB is going to eclipse football? While we may have had more success with equestrian or WBB, the market for those sports just isn’t there.
One would have to be willing to accept the consequences of regulating the football program to sub standard levels, to accept this proposal.
There would be short term and long term consequences.
Short Term: Immediate exodus of players who were expecting NIL monies previously agreed to. Several recruiting decommits.
Long Term: Low level recruiting classes on a yearly basis. Most optimistically, beyond expectations year win totals 4-5 wins, and even that total may be generous (no more 2-3 patisies as of 2026). Being regarded by the CFB world as a program better suited as a G5 program
I'm not so sure the fan base would willingly accept a strategy to purposefully diminish the FB program as a long term solution for the Baseball program.
There would be short term and long term consequences.
Short Term: Immediate exodus of players who were expecting NIL monies previously agreed to. Several recruiting decommits.
Long Term: Low level recruiting classes on a yearly basis. Most optimistically, beyond expectations year win totals 4-5 wins, and even that total may be generous (no more 2-3 patisies as of 2026). Being regarded by the CFB world as a program better suited as a G5 program
I'm not so sure the fan base would willingly accept a strategy to purposefully diminish the FB program as a long term solution for the Baseball program.
This is not only a radical idea, it’s probably the worst idea I’ve ever read on this board. I like college baseball, but come on…a CWS doesn’t compare to a National Title in Football or the Final Four in basketball. For some fans, it might feel that way, but for 95% of the country??? No way.
The same goes for our women’s basketball team. I get people love the feeling of us winning something. But understand that the feeling of winning National Title in Men’s Baseball & Women’s Basketball is great…but it doesn’t compare to winning a National Title in Football. It’s a feeling we don’t know, but come on…and it’s why we long for winning in the sports we’ve won in. because we know how it feels.
Instead we’re average across the board except a sport that we lose $6 million annually because we pay more than anyone else to win. It’s stupid. Put the money into football. Nobody cared about women’s basketball before we won. We care about football even when we suck.
The same goes for our women’s basketball team. I get people love the feeling of us winning something. But understand that the feeling of winning National Title in Men’s Baseball & Women’s Basketball is great…but it doesn’t compare to winning a National Title in Football. It’s a feeling we don’t know, but come on…and it’s why we long for winning in the sports we’ve won in. because we know how it feels.
Instead we’re average across the board except a sport that we lose $6 million annually because we pay more than anyone else to win. It’s stupid. Put the money into football. Nobody cared about women’s basketball before we won. We care about football even when we suck.
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The baseball landscape of 2026 is much different than 2010.Back then not every school prioritize baseball like they do now.When opened Founders Park was the Taj Mahal of baseball facilities and gave Carolina a distinct advantage.Thats not the case anymore.
You can't change the current NIL agreements for football players, those are contracts. Moving $5million or so from football to baseball would make a substantial change in baseball and football would probably remain as it has always been. Gamecock fans have shown that they will not walk away because of lackluster, or even poor, seasons. SEC money will keep football as the money maker.
As to records, right now, and historically, SC football is a .500 record sport. 2 or 3 patsies and 3 or so SEC weak sisters i.e. MSSt, Vandy, UK and 6 win seasons should be the norm regardless of NIL spending. Throw in an upset or two and 7 or 8 wins means a successful season in view of the norm of SC football. Being realistic, SC football is not going to compete for an SEC or national championship in the foreseeable future.
Being a national power in at least one sport of consequence is a much better position than where SC athletics is now.
I wouldn't assume that because that has been the historical norm for our fanbase, it will always be that way. We are in the midst of a paradigm shift. Our athletic department, like the rest of college football, has moved and continues to move toward a pro sports model and I see no reason why the fans won't reciprocate with a pro-fan's mindset. Win and we'll show up in numbers, suck and we'll stay home.
The other thing to keep in mind with your proposal is that the high-profile sports, especially football, are essentially marketing tools for the universities. In addition to funding all the other sports, success in football drives applications in a way that ten consecutive national titles in baseball would not.
The vast majority of NIL contracts are for 12 months. Just watch what happens when 1 year contracts ends, and then the announcement," hey kid, we're severally currting back and/or eliminating monies to you and your teammates contracts. So are you in ?"
I'm sure the SEC will look kindly on this new experiment by one of its members
Why do you think players jump in the portal? They don't move on because they got a big raise or are going to get paid the same after a lackluster season.
I'm pretty sure SC can spend its money however it wants, without SEC interference. If SC became a baseball juggernaut, the SEC would be happy about it.
This idea would have Clemson's endorsement.
I agree completely with this notion, but I dont think that was the point. By my reading, the thought was "we dont have enough money to be high level in football, so why not accept a bad product there, and use that money where it WOULD make us competitive. Like MBB or baseball. "
We could succeed in those sports for less investment.
Personally, I'm on the side of sinking every other program and putting the mo ey into football. Jmo
you’re correct. But we do have enough money to succeed in football. We don’t have enough money to win in the sport and lose $6m in women’s basketball, keep the NIL fund competitive in basketball and baseball.
the one thing I agree with from the OP is that something drastic has to change. However, killing the football program, which would happen as no doubt the SEC would want to kick us out, would kill USC Athletics across the board.
We shouldn’t bail on football until we’ve exhausted every resource we’ve got. We haven’t. In the current landscape, I think it’s crazy we haven’t tried. We shouldn’t be spending millions on stadium upgrades. That’s so old school thinking. Take the millions and pay some players. You win, you make a lot more $$. Then upgrade. We so stuck in old school mode it pisses me off. You think Indiana is mad they put a ton of money into football for once when they missed the NCAA tournament again in Basketball? Sure they want it all. But thats freaking Indiana going all-in in a sport they might have been the absolute worst P5 team that existed. They didn’t even overrun basketball as much as football. Because they know football is king. They know when you win in football, there is more money for everyone. And they aren’t morons.
I’m all for taking $4 million from Staley’s salary and giving it to football.
Give her $150,000 salary and tell her to make money*. If the WBB program can’t make enough to cover expenses, treat it like soccer, softball, track and field, equestrian, etc., and let it fall by the wayside. If WBB begins to pay for itself, reevaluate and slowly make increases.
*Yes, I know she will leave. No loss. Let another school waste their money.
Give her $150,000 salary and tell her to make money*. If the WBB program can’t make enough to cover expenses, treat it like soccer, softball, track and field, equestrian, etc., and let it fall by the wayside. If WBB begins to pay for itself, reevaluate and slowly make increases.
*Yes, I know she will leave. No loss. Let another school waste their money.
If the SEC kicked schools out of the conference for being weak in football, UK, MSSt and Vandy would have been gone long ago and Auburn would probably have been kicked out in the last 15 years along with Arkansas. Moving 15-20% of football's NIL money to baseball would not "kill" the football program. Besides, it isn't like the football program is on some lofty perch that it can be knocked off of.
I think you are confusing NIL money and money from the school/athletic association. The school does not control NIL money, the collective does. Schools are going to be limited to the revenue sharing amount that will be the same for every school. Indiana didn't put money into NIL, Mark Cuban did.
Be good at something. I don't think that something is ever going to be football, but baseball seems like an expeditious way to become a national power in some sport.
Nope. We can't risk giving up any football competitiveness in a football-centric league.
I expect you'll see sports cut across the landscape eventually for the sake of the Big Two.