Mustache mania, without a handle
Small-town promotion meets NCAA rules
The Chamber of Commerce in Colfax, Washington, recently decided to stage an event that would pay special tribute to Gardner Minshew, the mustachioed Washington State quarterback.
The celebration even carried his name, “Gardner Minshew Days,” a twoday festivity scheduled for this week on Main Street, 16 miles from campus in Pullman.
But the name is a problem, according to NCAA rules. It’s also another example of how the NCAA and its members control the controversial system of amateurism in college sports.
“We just wanted to celebrate him and the Cougs,” said Valoree Gregory, the chamber’s executive director.
The chamber planned to have local businesses give away fake mustaches before Friday’s big game against Washington, joining a local craze that’s seen hundreds of Cougars fans wearing fake mustaches in honor of Minshew, the nation’s leading passer.
It all seemed innocent enough, at least until the chamber received a cease-and-desist notice from the NCAA rules compliance staff at WSU.
“In accordance with NCAA Bylaw 12.5.2.2, Washington State University requests you cease the production and display of advertisements, and the possible distribution of any products using Gardner Minshew’s name and likeness,” WSU’s letter to the chamber said Nov. 7.
So the event changed its name to “Mustache Madness” and removed his photo. It still will go on as planned and still references Minshew on its website, just not by name.
“We are honoring our favorite WSU quarterback by giving out FREE mustaches” on Wednesday and Friday, the website said.
Colfax (population 2,900) still hopes it adds to the fun surrounding Friday’s Apple Cup in Pullman. Minshew, a graduate transfer from East Carolina, has led the seventh-ranked Cougars (10-1) to one of their best seasons ever, making his mustache so popular that Washington State has tried to capitalize on it, too.
Last week, WSU revved up its Heisman Trophy campaign for Minshew by mailing media members fake mustaches with instructions to “vote for Minshew!”
Just don’t expect to see that campaign slogan in Colfax this week. The posters there instead will feature generic mustaches without a name.
The reason is amateurism, the NCAA economic system that’s been under attack in the courts and by critics as NCAA schools and coaches keep getting richer while player compensation is strictly restricted. In this case, the system prohibits not only players from profiting off their names and likenesses but also Minshew from having a say even when a local town wants to give free mustaches and honor him by name.
Similarly, a Cougars gear store in Pullman, Crimson & Gray, has sold fake mustaches for $2 each but has no photo or mention of Minshew, thereby complying with NCAA rules. The sales bin instead has marketed the mustaches with a photo of the comedic character Uncle Rico from the movie “Napoleon Dynamite.” Fans jokingly have compared Minshew’s mustache to Uncle Rico’s.
“We figured Uncle Rico would be a good representation,” store manager Craig Laprath said. His store sold out of mustaches last week before ordering more.
In the Colfax case, Minshew and WSU broke no rules and weren’t involved in planning the event. The rules compliance staff for WSU also didn’t mean to spoil any fun, but the rule in this case required the player or the school to “take steps to stop such an activity in order to retain his or her eligibility for intercollegiate athletics.”
The letter met that requirement. Asked for comment, the NCAA referred USA TODAY to WSU.
“As long as Gardner didn’t have knowledge, which he didn’t, and we do our due diligence, which we have, we are covered,” WSU athletics spokesman Bill Stevens said.
If not for NCAA rules, the chamber could have gotten permission from Minshew, who has embraced the mustache movement at large. This rule just doesn’t give him a choice. It helps prevent outside commercial enterprises from exploiting or making money off the names and likenesses of athletes while the athletes themselves are not allowed to do the same.
At the same time, the rule helps NCAA members keep control of their assets and uphold the system of amateurism, whose rules generally cap the compensation of athletes at no more than the cost of attending college.
By contrast, NCAA schools and conferences are allowed to make as much as they can in TV revenue, ticket sales and shoe and apparel deals, all of which rely on showcasing players such as Minshew.
Not that he’s complaining. He appreciates the love.
“I had no clue that was going to be part of it,” he told USA TODAY this month when asked about his celebrity status. “That is just kind of a testament to how these fans are up here. They love some good football.”