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Florida State NIL Collective Earns Massive Investment After CFP Snub

The Battle’s End adds 900 members after undefeated Seminoles miss College Football Playoff

Noah Henderson

Florida State NIL Collective Earns Massive Investment After CFP Snub
Florida State NIL Collective Earns Massive Investment After CFP Snub /
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Over the weekend, Florida State fans experienced pain that no other Power 5 fanbase has ever experienced. While undefeated programs from Group of 5 conferences have been previously snubbed of the opportunity to compete in the College Football Playoff, this Sunday, the CFP selection committee made history by not including an undefeated Power 5 conference champion in Florida State – instead opting to place one-loss conference champion teams in Alabama (SEC) and Texas (Big 12) in the four-team tournament.

College football is the only sport where you can have an undefeated season and not be crowned the national champion. Florida State fans were rightfully heartbroken by their historical exclusion from college sports' most challenging post-season tournament to make. While this frustration should be abated next season, as the CFP will expand its field to twelve teams, this change does little to subside anger in Seminole fans.

Florida State fans have done a phenomenal job at turning this frustration into actionable change. Forty-eight hours after their historic snub, the Florida State NIL Collective, The Battle’s End, has added over nine hundred new subscribers to their platform. In the wake of frustration, FSU fans have injected capital into NIL resources for continued success. Using the capabilities of their NIL collective, donors are helping to increase their ability to pay, retain, and attract student-athletes from both the transfer portal and high school ranks.

In a statement by the Battle’s End, they resonate with fans’ frustration and extend an invitation to use this moment only to grow stronger:

“With your support we are going to build a juggernaut. We are fully committed in continuing to support Coach Norvell and his staff to build a program that can never again be cheated by outside forces.”

Florida State illustrates a fascinating case study of when schools and collectives are most successful in soliciting donor support for NIL. While it comes as little surprise, NIL collectives have been most success during times of heightened emotions for fan bases.

Exceptional success is a great time to push forward a message to fans to continue the trajectory of an NIL program. Collectives leverage the satisfaction of fans and point to NIL capabilities as a reason for on-field success.  When fans have smiles on their faces, it is easy to pull money from their pocketbooks by promising them that with their money, the good times will continue to roll.

Last week, Saint Joseph’s University won on the road against arch-rival Villanova for the first time since 2004; immediately after a cathartic win, the SJU Basketball Twitter account posted asking for continued support of the NIL fund. On Saturday, they were crowned champions of the Big 5 Classic Championship, being crowned over all rival Philadelphia schools – they doubled down on messaging.

Negative performance is also a pathway to successful solicitation of NIL funding. Donors looking to turn a program around are willing to open up their wallets to kickstart a new era of a program.

Under new head coach Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State put up an abysmal 3-9 record (2-7 in conference) during the 2023 campaign. After the poor finish to the season – and the subsequent retirement of long-tenured athletic director Ray Anderson – ASU was able to solicit significant funding for their NIL collective, Sun Angel Collective. This fundraising was spearheaded by coach Dillingham who publicly urged fans and boosters to donate, stating the importance of a robust NIL collective during recruiting.

In the case of Florida State’s Battle’s End collective, their campaign has been successful because they have leveraged both the positive momentum of an undefeated team and the frustration of a team that underperformed. 

 Tapping into the positive emotions of fans toward the Seminole team and negative emotions towards the CFP selection committee, FSU fans have channeled their feelings toward boosting NIL capabilities. This perfect storm has hit Tallahassee, and fans of the Seminoles will make sure that every college football program this offseason will feel it.

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Noah Henderson
NOAH HENDERSON

Professor Noah Henderson teaches in the sport management department at Loyola University Chicago. Outside the classroom, he advises companies, schools, and collectives on Name, Image, and Likeness best practices. His academic research focuses on the intersection of law, economics, and social consequences regarding college athletics, NIL, and sports gambling. Before teaching, Prof. Henderson was part of a team that amended Illinois NIL legislation and managed NIL collectives at the nation’s most prominent athletic institutions while working for industry leader Student Athlete NIL. He holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law in Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Economics from Saint Joseph’s University, where he was a four-year letter winner on the golf team. Prof. Henderson is a native of San Diego, California, and a former golf CIF state champion with Torrey Pines High School. Outside of athletics, he enjoys playing guitar, hanging out with dogs, and eating California burritos. You can follow him on Twitter: @NoahImgLikeness. 

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