University of Houston basketball coach Kelvin Sampson has watched college athletics evolve in ways he never imagined.
Name, Image and Likeness – also known as NIL – has become the biggest game-changer so far because it opened up the chance for college athletes to make money off their personal brand. An old-school and definite throwback coach, Sampson is adapting to the new way of doing things, which next year will allow college athletes to be paid to compete by their universities.
Sampson drew on an experience and a sign he encountered years ago while visiting military troops in the Middle East to relate to how he is dealing with the current changes in college athletics. The sign read “Adapt and Overcome.”
“That’s how I would tell you that I’m adjusting to this,” Sampson said to the Defender on June 13. “I adapt and I overcome and I move forward.
“This is not something that you agree with or don’t agree with. It has nothing to do with it. As a matter of fact, that would be a very ignorant take on it. You’d better understand it. It’s here to stay.
“The good old days are gone. You can sit around and talk about them all you want.”
This was all a conversation because of Thursday’s announcement that the UH Cougars will participate in a first-of-its-kind NIL-generating tournament that proposes to give each of the participating teams at least $1 million in name, image and likeness opportunities outside of the competition. The tournament is called the Players Era Festival and it will be played in Las Vegas during Thanksgiving this upcoming season.
When asked if he ever thought such a tournament would be allowed under NCAA guidelines, Sampson said no. But last November when organizers approached him from the Players Era Festival, some who are lifelong friends of Sampson’s and one even being a one-time opponent, Sampson was immediately open to the opportunity.
He just had to step back and allow the UH compliance department and administrators to work out the details.
“Of course, I had a lot of questions that I had to ask, and then once we got all of the details hammered out,” said Sampson, whose Cougars will take on Alabama in the first round. “I think we were one of the first schools they approached. Right away, I said yes.
“NIL has created a whole new level of crossing T’s and dotting I’s. We are all new to this. We are not 10-year vets in NIL. Every month somethings comes out and we have to ask questions to make sure we are doing it the right way.”
EverWonder Studio is putting on the Players Era Festival, which guarantees each team at least three games. In addition to UH and Alabama, the tournament’s opening round will feature Rutgers vs. Notre Dame, San Diego State vs. Texas A&M and Oregon vs. Creighton.
Players will have a chance to participate in unique NIL activities.
“This is an opportunity for us to play against some of the best teams in the country early in the season,” Sampson said. “The Players Era Festival has great teams, great coaches and great players, and we appreciate the chance to compete in its first year. It will be a great way for our program to test itself.”
