Ohio State NIL collectives merge, seek greater impact
The overlap was there. Same for the shared vision. So when it came time to take a look at how they did things, both The Foundation and The O Foundation came to realize something.
The impact that two of Ohio State's primary name, image and likeness collectives could have together would almost certainly dwarf what they were doing apart. Now, as the two groups plan a fundraising event at Value City Arena in late April, the hope is that the university's football and men's basketball programs will see the financial benefits from their decision to join forces.
And that starts with making it as simple as possible for Ohio State fans who want to spend their money in this way.
“It creates less confusion,” said Bill Lewis, founding member of The O Foundation and now one of 20 board members at The Foundation. “We're both charities working with Ohio State on their goals and the coaches' goals. There's no reason in mixing up the fan.”
Once the NCAA allowed players to profit from their NIL rights, The Foundation was among the first collectives launched to help facilitate deals between student-athletes and the public. With Brian Schottenstein and Cardale Jones as co-founders, its focus was largely on football and men's basketball. In the fall, former Ohio State captain Ron Stokes, Lewis and multiple former players started The O Foundation with a focus strictly on men's basketball.
Multiple members of this year's men's basketball team had deals with both collectives for which they would be paid for charitable work with organizations such as A Kid Again, Lifetown or After School All-stars. When it came time to do a deal with a men's basketball player, Schottenstein said he was already speaking frequently with Lewis to make sure they weren't stepping on each other's toes, helping them consider merging the groups.
Now, instead of working with two different collectives, men's basketball players can deal directly with just one. Schottenstein declined to provide specifics when asked how much more of a financial impact The Foundation can now have after the merger but said it will obviously be able to do more for both sports with shared resources.
“It's going to not devalue (basketball) but actually increase the value,” Schottenstein said. “We're going to be able to raise more money for football and basketball with the merger, so it's going to help both sports.”
The Foundation's website lists the 20 board members who range from Stokes (president of the board) to the likes of Troy Smith, Evan Turner, Santonio Holmes and D'angelo Russell. The Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) that allows all donations to be used as tax write-offs, and Lewis and Schottenstein emphasized multiple times that they do not receive any financial compensation for their work with the collective.
“When the fans are buying tickets and drinks in the stadium, it's great, but none of that money goes to the studentathletes,” Schottenstein said. “All the money we raise goes to the student-athletes and that's why we're so important.”