Why It's Time to Show Up 🏈⏰

• 🏈 A KU Fan Call to Action 

• 📝 One important link

• 🔒 A secret five-star hoops visitor this week

Support The Hearings by sending this to KU friends and fam. Was this forwarded to you? Subscribe here.

EVERYTHING IN THIS NEWSLETTER IS BASED UPON WHAT I AM HEARING FROM PEOPLE I TRUST. PLEASE DO NOT MISTAKE THIS FOR FACT OR FOR ACTUAL JOURNALISM, WHICH HAS VERIFICATION STANDARDS THAT I HAVE NOT ADHERED TO. I DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT.

An alarm went off in my mind about football when news broke about college basketball coach Dan Hurley considering the Lakers job (which he ultimately didn’t take).

It’s always about football. And it’s a good example of why KU fans need to show up for the team this year.

NIL Landscape Changes

• Colleges will likely start paying NIL directly to athletes in 2025, according to Yahoo Sports.

• The report suggests there will likely be a salary cap of $22M annually per school.

  • I’ve Heard NIL Collectives will likely help pay athletes who are limited by the cap/help a school go over $22M.

• Days before news broke of Hurley considering the Lakers job, UConn’s AD said, “We don’t generate enough money to spend up to the cap.”

  • I’m sure Hurley got whatever assurances he needed re: NIL to stay competitive for now.

And here’s where football comes into play.

• The Big East is in the final year of a TV deal that reportedly pays out around $4M per school annually.

• The Big 12’s new deal is expected to pay $50M per school. The B1G’s deal is up to ~$60M per school.

• The salary cap is expected to be equal across the conferences. But it’s not hard to see a future in which the SEC and B1G expand, increase their TV revenue, and create a higher salary cap than other leagues.

  • IF this happens, KU and other Big 12 schools will be at an immediate competitive disadvantage (like UConn is facing right now).

  • Even if they keep the salary cap equal, it will be harder than ever for KU to stay competitive.

    • This new world will impact football AND it will impact basketball.

Realignment and Ticket Revenue

• I’ve written before that there may be some SEC interest in KU. And the B1G could certainly make sense as well.

  • Either way, the gap is growing between the SEC, B1G and everybody else.

• I’ve Heard the following matters for realignment: success, spending, investment, viewership, and fan support.

  • Viewership and fan support may be the two most critical pieces to KU’s realignment positioning.

• Travis Goff recently said KU broke a ticket revenue record this year at “just under $26M.”

• Look at revenue figures from like-minded Universities. Even in its best year, KU is playing from behind.

• From 2018-2023, Kansas increased its football spending by 8%, while the Big 12 median saw a 25% increase (according to the Knight Commission).

  • Kentucky increased its football spending by 40%.

    • Granted, these numbers are before KU’s stadium renovations, etc. I’m curious to see where football stacks up in 2024.

    • Either way, KU is playing catchup.

A Call to Action

• If Kansas wants to land in the SEC or B1G — or even stay competitive in the upcoming NIL environment — its fans must show up for football.

• And they need to show up this year when the team has given them every reason to buy in.

Football is driving everything, even when it may not be obvious.

Show up now, or risk getting left behind.

KU fans should know about this. Spread the news and help support my work!

You can forward this Hearing via the button below or text this link to your friends.

One Important Link

🏀 Brian Hanni’s Rock Chalk Roundball Classic is still taking donations through the end of the month. The contributions go directly to families facing medical diagnoses like cancer.

The charity is on track for a record-breaking campaign. I just donated $250 myself to this fantastic cause.

You can donate here.

And you can watch Aqib Talib throw an alley-oop to Devonte Graham here.

Become a paying subscriber of Premium to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content.

Already a paying subscriber? Sign In.

A subscription gets you:

• • Real-Time Text Alerts – Never Miss a Breaking KU Story
• • Exclusive Scoops – Content Only for VIP Members
• • VIP-Only Newsletters – In-Depth Analysis and Insights
• • Direct Access – Text 1:1 with Mike
• • Secret Discord – Join the Exclusive Jayhawks Community