Our guys are getting sponsors already

[aubiefifty 17,488]

Why Milo’s Sweet Tea chose Bo Nix

By Joseph Goodman | jgoodman@al.com

6-7 minutes

---

Milo’s Sweet Tea loves Auburn quarterback Bo Nix because Bo Nix loves Milo’s Sweet Tea, but Milo’s Sweet Tea has a very important message for everyone who drinks the cool, refreshing, lovely liquid that is Milo’s Sweet Tea.

Milo’s Sweet Tea loves the University of Alabama football team, too. Roll Tide.

And Milo’s Sweet Tea loves Troy, South Alabama and UAB.

And Magic City Classic rivals Alabama State and Alabama A&M.

And Oklahoma, Baylor, Texas and Texas A&M.

And Milo’s Sweet Tea even loves Georgia, Clemson and South Carolina equally, hard as that is to be believed.

Milo’s Sweet Tea, sold in 45 beautiful American states, including Alaska and Hawaii, probably has more love for college football teams everywhere than Milo’s Sweet Tea has grams of pure cane sugar in every soluble ounce of its nationally beloved beverage, hard as that is to be believed. That’s what Milo’s Sweet Tea really wanted to let everyone know. That’s the greater message that Milo’s Sweet Tea was hoping would be conveyed on Thursday, July 1, 2021, the first day the NCAA allowed college athletes to endorse products and make money off their fame.

Milo’s Sweet Tea, the proud Birmingham-based company, chose Auburn quarterback Bo Nix to bring their tasty drink to the celebration because bringing a gallon (or two) of Milo’s Sweet Tea to every party is always the polite and proper thing to do. Everyone knows this already, but stuff got a little confusing.

Milo’s Sweet Tea is giving Bo Nix money. OK, but what about Alabama?

What about the Iron Bowl rivalry, which is more important than pretty much all things in the state of Alabama?

GOODMAN: Paid college athletes will improve, reform the NCAA

GOODMAN: SCOTUS decision signals the inevitable, Dabo’s early retirement

“Bo had reached out to us because Bo loves our tea,” said Milo’s Sweet Tea brand director Alison Pierce. “We loved to hear that, and Bo is from Birmingham and we’re from Birmingham and we’re both national brands.

“It felt like a natural fit. Our brand stands for authenticity, and it felt very authentic that Bo was already a fan.”

And that’s the God’s honest truth of how the endorsement deal between Milo’s Sweet Tea and Auburn quarterback Bo Nix became the biggest story nationally on one of the biggest mornings in the history of college athletics. Scouts honor. Pinky swear. Nix announced his endorsement deal with Milo’s Sweet Tea on InstaGram at 12:02 a.m. and it was trending nationally faster than he could drink that first cup of Milo’s on a hot summer’s day.

What a win for Nix. What a victory for college football. What a touchdown for Milo’s Sweet Tea, right?

But then the tea might have steeped a little too long, so to speak.

Because college football is insane, it all turned into some version of this for the tea makers: Oh, Dear Lord, please don’t let this nice thing that we did blow up in our faces.

It didn’t because here’s the great thing about college football fans in Alabama: we’re all rational, logical thinkers who know, without anyone having to tell us, that just because Milo’s Sweet Tea loves Auburn’s starting quarterback that doesn’t mean that Milo’s Sweet Tea wants Auburn to beat Alabama in the Iron Bowl.

“Having a busy day?”

That’s the first thing I asked the kind and hard-working brand director of Milo’s Sweet Tea when we spoke over the phone.

“You have no idea,” Pierce said.

Look, I said, this is a fun story. It just shows how much people love college football and Milo’s Sweet Tea.

“People have the same passion for Milo’s Sweet Tea as they have for college football,” Pierce said.

Oh, I know. We all know. Everyone loves Milo’s Sweet Tea.

“Where did the CEO of Milo’s Sweet Tea go to school?” I asked. “This is a question everyone is going to ask.”

Pierce didn’t want to get it wrong, she said. She didn’t want to tell me the wrong thing.

Oh, I know. We all know.

GOODMAN: Andy Kennedy’s bold transformation of UAB hoops is here

GOODMAN: The wild and glorious possibilities of a new CFP

Tricia Wallwork, the granddaughter of Milo, the CEO of Milo’s Sweet Tea, went to Auburn University for her undergraduate studies. Gulp.

But, seriously, why Auburn and not Alabama for the endorsement?

“I don’t know how many times I’ve been asked that,” Pierce said.

Gulp.

“We’re willing to partner with anyone within reason who is a good fit,” Pierce said.

Gulp.

“We didn’t anticipate how much attention it would garner,” Pierce said. “We’re just getting so much.”

Gulp.

Think Milo’s Sweet Tea pairs well with Bo Nix, national brand ambassador? Did I ever tell y’all that Milo’s Sweet Tea really pairs well with grapefruit juice and vodka? We call that a Firefly down yonder way.

Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.

By lunchtime on Thursday, after most Auburn fans had already consumed at least seven glasses of Milo’s Sweet Tea (because pick-six plus one), the wackiness of college football brewed itself into the historic day. The Iron Bowl of sweet tea, in the first hours of the NIL era, was on like Donkey Kong.

“We will drink Red Diamond until Bryce Young gets a Milo’s deal,” one popular Alabama fan, Cody Kirk, wrote to me on Twitter.

“If you spend any money at Milo’s, you’re a Barner,” wrote Kaylor Hodges, another Alabama fan. “I don’t make the rules.”

They were joking.

Me thinks.

I know this for sure, though. The NIL era for college athletics is going to be fun, and it’s going to make these sports we love so much sweeter one cup of sweet tea at a time. The adventures of Milo’s Sweet Tea on Day One were funny, yes, but here’s the long drink of sweet tea for a really great story. Tricia Wallwork, granddaughter of Milo, proud and talented CEO of the family business, went to Auburn — no fire-flying lie — but then attended law school at the University of Alabama.

Joseph Goodman is a columnist for the Alabama Media Group. He’s on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr.

[toddc 13,195]

Proud to see V8 getting some great publicity and money! @Momma Worm you must be really proud of your son. I’m glad this is going well for him!

[JTFazz 386]

I just wonder what the less marketable kids from the non-glory positions feel like to be left out. Because they are always left out, even at the pro level. I remember former Auburn RB William Andrews always appreciate his linemen at Atlanta and would buy all them expensive gifts to send them a little love. This is going to create an "us and them" division on some teams.

[Momma Worm 2,844]

1 hour ago, toddc said:

Proud to see V8 getting some great publicity and money! @Momma Worm you must be really proud of your son. I’m glad this is going well for him!

Thank you so much! He has a lot of things coming under way so I am very very proud❗️ #WarEagle🦅

[Mikey 16,781]

13 hours ago, DAG said:

I am pretty sure the average intellectual individual understood my post. I won’t go back to it, everyone has seem my examples and how worm is already playing it out by acting like a plug.

Interesting couple of sentences.

[cbo 8,113]

Video games have to be the next thing, right? Has anyone heard any news about college football video games with the players' NIL? Fans would love it and every player would make some money. Seems like a win-win. 

[CoffeeTiger 5,383]

On 7/5/2021 at 11:22 PM, cbo said:

Video games have to be the next thing, right? Has anyone heard any news about college football video games with the players' NIL? Fans would love it and every player would make some money. Seems like a win-win. 

EA is making the next College Football game right now. Last rumor I heard was it's set for a 2023 release. Don't know if they'll be making any deals with players or not. 

[W.E.D 11,070]

30 minutes ago, CoffeeTiger said:

EA is making the next College Football game right now. Last rumor I heard was it's set for a 2023 release. Don't know if they'll be making any deals with players or not. 

They kind of have to if they plan on using their number/likeness

[CoffeeTiger 5,383]

5 minutes ago, W.E.D said:

They kind of have to if they plan on using their number/likeness

True, the other option would be to have randomized rosters with the better teams getting better rated players, and then hoping people would still want to play a college game without authentic rosters. 

But I do believe they have a plan to try and get players into the game. I don't know how they'll do it since there isn't an official process set up and I can't imagine they'd be able to set up deals with each individual player in the game. 

 

I guess theoretically, EA could make likeness deals with a few of the top players from each team and then have the rest of the roster be random. 

[Mims44 1,946]

1 hour ago, CoffeeTiger said:

True, the other option would be to have randomized rosters with the better teams getting better rated players, and then hoping people would still want to play a college game without authentic rosters. 

But I do believe they have a plan to try and get players into the game. I don't know how they'll do it since there isn't an official process set up and I can't imagine they'd be able to set up deals with each individual player in the game. 

 

I guess theoretically, EA could make likeness deals with a few of the top players from each team and then have the rest of the roster be random. 

It should still be a matter of making that deal with the NCAA, and then the NCAA divvying up a once a year check for each football player in the 130 teams presented in the game. Same way EA has deals with the NFL, NBA, NHL, etc. They don't have to reach out to every single individuals agent. It won't be a large check, but the amount of money was never the real point.

 

Madden averages around 5M sells/year at a 60$ selling point. So before you take into account salaries, distributers, advertisements, etc. They are making 300M. That would make a 50M per year payment to players feasible, and roughly half of what is paid to NFL players per year by EA right now.

 

130 NCAA teams that average 105 players per roster. 13,650 players to be paid.

If that's the way it goes, each player could expect a once a year check for a little under 4,000 dollars. Which I'm sure for the more popular players won't be anywhere near the amounts they'll make from other sources. But they will be paid for their likeness, which was the point the whole time.

 

Excited to see it happen however it goes, but if it's released where they don't do a deal with the NCAA as a whole and instead it's Bo Nix and Tank and then a roster of made up fake players... I'm gonna be disappointed. 

 

 

EDIT: to add a quick thanks Coffee for mentioning the NCAA game and giving me a reason to post in here for the first time in 6 months lmao.  

Edited July 9, 2021 by Mims44

[CoffeeTiger 5,383]

8 minutes ago, Mims44 said:

It should still be a matter of making that deal with the NCAA, and then the NCAA divvying up a once a year check for each football player in the 130 teams presented in the game. Same way EA has deals with the NFL, NBA, NHL, etc. They don't have to reach out to every single individuals agent. It won't be a large check, but the amount of money was never the real point.

 

Madden averages around 5M sells/year at a 60$ selling point. So before you take into account salaries, distributers, advertisements, etc. They are making 300M. That would make a 50M per year payment to players feasible, and roughly half of what is paid to NFL players per year by EA right now.

 

130 NCAA teams that average 105 players per roster. 13,650 players to be paid.

If that's the way it goes, each player could expect a once a year check for a little under 4,000 dollars. Which I'm sure for the more popular players won't be anywhere near the amounts they'll make from other sources. But they will be paid for their likeness, which was the point the whole time.

 

Excited to see it happen however it goes, but if it's released where they don't do a deal with the NCAA as a whole and instead it's Bo Nix and Tank and then a roster of made up fake players... I'm gonna be disappointed. 

With the pro leagues don't they usually manage player rights through the player unions? I'm actually not too familiar with the process, but I do know the madden games usually have the 'NFLPA' logo on them which I assumed is who they go through for player rights 

The problem right now is that the NCAA isn't set up to represent or make deals for any of the players, and if I was a player I sure wouldn't trust the NCAA to have my best interest at heart. 

[Mims44 1,946]

1 minute ago, CoffeeTiger said:

With the pro leagues don't they usually manage player rights through the player unions? I'm actually not too familiar with the process, but I do know the madden games usually have the 'NFLPA' logo on them which I assumed is who they go through for player rights 

The problem right now is that the NCAA isn't set up to represent or make deals for any of the players, and if I was a player I sure wouldn't trust the NCAA to have my best interest at heart. 

If it hasn't changed since the original ones, The deals would be made with the NFL, who has a deal with the NFLPA. So if a 1.5B dollar 5 year deal is reached, the NFL players would be 500M over that 5 year deal. (I believe that was the numbers for the 2021-2026 deal)

And you are right, if the NCAA has done nothing to set itself up for paying the players like the NFL has the NFLPA to work with it's gonna make it rough. That may be the driving reason why that 2023 release date is there, since anyone who knows EA knows they'll throw out a crap game as long as all their ducks are in a row legally/distribution wise.

 

I would expect to see something a bit different than the NFLPA just due to the short timespans of player careers in college football. But creating an organization of former players/lawyers to represent current players in reaching a % point on any likeness deals seems like it'd be the 1st course of action.

[W.E.D 11,070]

1 hour ago, CoffeeTiger said:

With the pro leagues don't they usually manage player rights through the player unions? I'm actually not too familiar with the process, but I do know the madden games usually have the 'NFLPA' logo on them which I assumed is who they go through for player rights 

The problem right now is that the NCAA isn't set up to represent or make deals for any of the players, and if I was a player I sure wouldn't trust the NCAA to have my best interest at heart. 

They do usually do it through the NFLPA, the problem is the NCAA doesn't represent players.

I honestly don't think it is that much money NFL players get from Madden

[Mims44 1,946]

2 hours ago, W.E.D said:

They do usually do it through the NFLPA, the problem is the NCAA doesn't represent players.

I honestly don't think it is that much money NFL players get from Madden

This info is a few years dated, but in 2017 everyone on an active roster got a check for 17,000 dollars. Practice squad players and free agent players got 1k.

Which yeah.... I'd love an extra 17k check, but for people on an active roster it's a miniscule amount added even to the league minimum.

However, while I couldn't find any exact figures, there is a large sum (hundreds of millions) that EA pays for advertisements, being on the cover and being their 'spokesperson' of the year for the release is thought to pay very well.

[W.E.D 11,070]

4 hours ago, Mims44 said:

This info is a few years dated, but in 2017 everyone on an active roster got a check for 17,000 dollars. Practice squad players and free agent players got 1k.

Which yeah.... I'd love an extra 17k check, but for people on an active roster it's a miniscule amount added even to the league minimum.

However, while I couldn't find any exact figures, there is a large sum (hundreds of millions) that EA pays for advertisements, being on the cover and being their 'spokesperson' of the year for the release is thought to pay very well.

I guess you're right....

I swore I remember some player complaining about it and it being only a few hundred dollars.

 

[toddc 13,195]

 

[augolf1716 21,576]

37 minutes ago, toddc said:

 

Couldn't happen to a greater guy..he's been thru hell and back especially for someone so young

[abw0004 10,144]

48 minutes ago, toddc said:

 

Man... I didn't know he lost his child.  I really hate to hear that.

[DAG 34,126]

This why I laugh when I hear the NCAA is fair. Unfortunately, they won't get that back.

[augolf1716 21,576]

26 minutes ago, DAG said:

This why I laugh when I hear the NCAA is fair. Unfortunately, they won't get that back.

I actually think they will and should especially Terrelle......maybe not ASAP but eventually. 

[LKEEL75 2,567]

1 hour ago, augolf1716 said:

I actually think they will and should especially Terrelle......maybe not ASAP but eventually. 

No way.  That was the rule of the time.  Just like, one day weed may be legal but that is not going to let all the kids who have been pushed out of programs back in.

 

Or the kid from a couple years ago who was making big money on his youtube and was no longer allowed to play.

Edited July 13, 2021 by LKEEL75

[augolf1716 21,576]

4 minutes ago, LKEEL75 said:

No way.  That was the rule of the time. 

Want to bet

[doc4aday 1,887]

I wonder if Apple Computers will have any NIL for Auburn athletes?  Same goes for Yellow Wood. Lot of $$$$$ there folks.  

[LKEEL75 2,567]

17 hours ago, augolf1716 said:

Want to bet

6 pack PBR?

 

And to further that point.  So what they lost a few games.  SMU got destroyed by penalties for the same thing.  If they open this can of worms for OSU, then where does it start?  USC '04?

 

Edited July 14, 2021 by LKEEL75