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Oklahoma State Cowboys Announce Helmet QR Codes Inviting Mid-Game Donations

The Oklahoma State Cowboys are ushering in a unique way to encourage fans to donate to the team's NIL fund.

Dylan Sanders

Photo Courtesy of Oklahoma State Athletics
Photo Courtesy of Oklahoma State Athletics /
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The Oklahoma State Cowboys are once again making waves in the world of NIL as they announced a new way for fans to donate.

Cowboys players will be the first in the country to sport a QR code on the back of their helmets that will lead to a link to the general team fund, which goes to helping out every student-athlete on their roster.

"This is a revolutionary step forward to help keep Oklahoma State football ahead of the game," said head coach Mike Gundy. "It gives a chance for everyday fans across the world to have a real impact when it comes to supporting the NIL efforts for Cowboy football. I'm thrilled about this opportunity for our players."

The QR codes will also be present on players' equipment bags, coasters around Boone Pickens Stadium, signage and the team's equipment truck.

It will be interesting to see how well the new QR code initiative does and could likely rely on how well the team performs. A code shown after a big touchdown play is more likely to get someone to be willing to open up their pockets, so this could also be a bit more motivation for the players.

With it being such a new approach, some pushback was very predictable. Fans poked fun at the new idea on social media.

Teams are continuing to get more creative in their approach to NIL, with this just being the latest new invention. If it works, expect more teams to find a way to implement something similar for their program.

"Here at Oklahoma State, there's nothing more important to us than the student-athlete experience, " said Athletic Director Chad Weiberg in a statement on their website in regards to their approach. "We're excited to bring the best tools in NIL education and opportunities to the Cowboys and Cowgirls, because our goal will always be to remain on the cutting edge both in NIL as well as on the field of play."

This comes just a few days after Gundy made the by telling his players to 'tell your agents to quit calling us and asking for more money.'

The new business side of the sport can be hard to manage for anyone, but can probably be even harder to adjust to for a coach that has been at the same spot going on 19 years.

Now that football is here, though, he won't be able to escape it even on game days thanks to the new QR code system.

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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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