In a recent podcast episode, Lake Kick’s Josh Pate discussed the wild world of fundraising for NIL Collectives and mentioned that he’s only donated to one collective in his lifetime.
Despite being an Iowa State supporter, Pate sent a West Virginia collective $100 to support a grass routes fundraising campaign, which he spoke about in great detail.
“I contributed $100 because there was a grass routes campaign on West Virginia message boards, and they were trying to prove a point by raising money for the collective, and this is when that concept was brand new,” Pate said. “I thought it sounded cool, so I contributed like $100 I think. I still get emails from West Virginia, and I’m trying to opt out if anyone can help me.”
Pate openly mentioned that while he will not be spending money to support a program’s collective, if others feel inclined to do so, he’s not standing in the way of that. He did mention that the program’s responsibility is to field a competitive roster, and it is unfair that some of the blame is shifted by coaching staffs that don’t live up to their own expectations, masking the issue as strictly NIL-based.
“But other than that, if I were a fan of Wisconsin or a fan of Oklahoma State, there’s just no way,” Pate continued. “That’s me. If you feel a different way, by all means, spend your money however you want to, but this broad notion and this shaming campaign that a lot of athletic departments try and run as a psyop on the fanbase, the ball is in your court, and if you can’t play that game then get off the court.”
While the wild cycle of modern athletics continues to turn on a seemingly daily basis, NIL appears to be a conversation that will only continue to grow in the coming years.
