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The Top 15 Softball Stories of 2022: #1… The Unstoppable, Indelible Impact of NIL

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We continue our list of the Top 15 Softball Stories of 2021, which will run through December 31st when we’ll present our No. 1 story of the year.

Here are the previous stories (clink on link to read):

Also, on New Year’s Day 2023, we’ll list all 15 of the top stories of the year as well as run 15 more that were considered.

We’ve surveyed the softball community and talked internally as well to come up with what were the most impactful and relevant stories of the year pertaining to the world of fastpitch softball.

Where applicable, we are providing the text to the original articles and/or references when the story first happened.

To provide comments, insights or thoughts, email: info@extrainningsoftball.com.

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Today’s Story of the Year: #1:

The Unstoppable, Indelible Impact of NIL

We’ve done it! We’ve reached #1 in our countdown.

When the NCAA regulations around Name, Image, and Likeness changed to allow college athletes to benefit, one of the first and loudest questions was whether or not the rule change would have any trickle-down effect. In simpler, more blunt terms, it was obvious that college football players and the best among men’s and women’s basketball stars would benefit, but would other college athletes be able to boast similar advantages?

Perhaps not en masse, but the answer to that question turned out to be a yes. College softball has seen a number of benefits and influences from the NIL regulations. Some of those same influences have mirrored other sports after all – NIL has become a consideration in the wooing of big-name transfers, for one thing. No longer is a program able to highlight simply their biggest attributes to win a player; now an NIL consideration is frequently part of the pitch, as well.

In addition to individual players’ success with NIL, team-wide NIL deals have also picked up some steam this year. Oklahoma softball is included as beneficiaries in the athletics collective in Norman, benefitting from the same pool as Sooner football and basketball stars. Other schools, including Oklahoma State; Texas Tech; and Arkansas have also seen their full rosters sign NIL agreements with different businesses and collectives.

Alabama pitcher Montana Fouts maintains her status as one of the most successful female athletes in terms of NIL. Fouts’ Cameo page, where she frequently sends personalized video messages to fans that order them, is just one of several projects within the Crimson Tide senior’s NIL portfolio.

NIL is here to say, that fact is sure. Whether or not you’re in favor of NIL’s advancements or still pine for the days before NIL existed, that we can discuss the rule’s effect on college softball is yet another in a long line of signs of the sport’s growth and mainstream emergence.

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“Five-Figure” Contracts Part of Texas Tech Team-Wide NIL Offer

Originally published September 29, 2022, on Extra Inning Softball

The Matador Club, an NIL collective supporting Texas Tech athletics, is extending a team-wide offer to members of the Red Raider softball program.

Announced on Wednesday evening, the deal is said to offer “five-figure” contracts to every member of the program’s active roster. Tech softball players will reportedly participate in community service projects and appearances at events for the Matador Club as part of the name, image, and likeness contract.

The deal is at least the third known team-wide NIL agreement for a softball program and the first known to originate from a “collective”; following the passing of new name, image, and likeness legislation by the NCAA, such collectives have sprung up across the country as donor-backed, crowdfunded sources funding NIL agreements of various shapes and sizes.

Earlier in September, Red Raider alumni John & Tracy Sellers announced a $1 million donation to the Texas Tech softball program, and the couple are also part of Wednesday’s announced initiative. John Sellers is one of six listed members of the Matador Club’s board; Tracy Sellers was a Red Raider softball player in the early 2000s.

Texas Tech enters the 2023 season in their first year under head coach Craig Snider. The squad finished the 2022 season with a 22-27 record, including a 5-13 record in Big 12 conference play.

New Arkansas NIL Deal the Latest Game-Changer for College Softball Players

Originally published April 29, 2022, on Extra Inning Softball

When the revised Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rules were released last year, there were two primary schools of thought within the softball world. Some thought that the rules would primarily benefit big-time players in big-time sports only – expecting college football and basketball’s stars to be the real beneficiaries. Another thought process was that some of softball’s biggest stars might see some benefit from the relaxed regulations, but that there wouldn’t be a large rippling effect within softball specifically.

In the time since then, NIL deals in softball have actually been somewhat frequent and have taken on many different looks. Whether social media-friendly endorsements, limited-edition merchandise lines, or true sponsorship deals, NIL has become an actual player in the softball space.

Just last week, it was announced that Oklahoma superstar Jocelyn Alo had signed an endorsement deal with a car dealership that put her in a new ride. This week’s announcement of a team-wide NIL deal for the Arkansas softball program is the latest game-changer.

Everett Buick GMC, an auto dealership in Bryant, Arkansas, announced they have signed every member of the Arkansas softball team to a sponsorship deal. All 27 members of the Arkansas roster are individually part of the agreement.

In a tweet announcing the deal, the dealership wrote, “Not just talking about it. We’re still committed to doing something about it.”

NIL deals of all shapes and sizes have appeared since the change in legislation, but there were three aspects of this one that stood out.

That every member of the team was both offered and agreed to sign on to a sponsorship agreement is a quality reward for both the stars of the team and the role players who might not see as much action between the lines. It’s also terrific timing for the star-studded Hogs’ senior class, who get to reap some benefits from their NIL opportunities before their college days are done.

But outside the direct implications of NIL, a third aspect of this newly-announced deal stood out in a different vein. The Everett family owns dealerships in four different towns across Arkansas, but none in Fayetteville directly. The group of dealerships represent the nation’s top GM dealer by sales volume, according to a press release. This NIL deal speaks both to the state-wide impact that the Arkansas softball team has had in the midst of such success the last few seasons as well as to the value that – shock and surprise! – sports that aren’t football and basketball, and the athletes that play them, can still bring to the table.

“There has never been a better time to be a female college student-athlete,” Arkansas head softball coach Courtney Deifel said. “With expanding opportunities made possible by NIL, our student-athletes have a chance to realize their dreams both on and off the field. We are so appreciative to Susie Everett and Everett Buick GMC for their continued advocacy for women and for championing the extraordinary young women on the Razorback Softball team.”

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