Syracuse basketball is among the teams that will compete in a round-robin tournament in Las Vegas later this year where millions of dollars in name, image and likeness ("NIL") payments will be provided to participating schools.
Dubbed the Players Era Festival, the first version of this event was held in late November of 2024. Eight teams participated, with Big Ten Conference member Oregon winning the title. Per a recent media report from On3's Pete Nakos, $9 million was doled out to those eight squads.
As I've reported in the past, Syracuse basketball will play in the 2025 Players Era Festival, also to be held in Las Vegas. Nakos writes that for 2025, there is no cap on the number of participating teams, and the tournament "expects to spend north of $24 million in NIL payments in 2025 between its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments."
On the event's Web site, there are four women's teams announced, and they are Duke, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina. On the men's side, the 'Cuse will suit up in the Players Era Festival next season with a bunch of top-flight programs.
Syracuse basketball will compete in a lucrative, NIL-driven tournament in 2025.
Other groups expected to participate in the 2025 Players Era Festival include Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, Creighton, Gonzaga, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, San Diego State, Saint Joseph's, St. John's, Tennessee and Texas A&M, according to the event's Web site.
That's quite a list. Alabama, Auburn, Houston, Iowa State, Michigan, St. John's, Tennessee and Texas A&M are among the best teams in the country so far during the 2024-25 season. Baylor won the national championship in 2021, defeating Gonzaga in the title game. Kansas cut down the nets in 2022. Creighton, Oregon and San Diego State are quality programs.
Nakos added in his report: "A source said Players Era has plans to add more teams to its 2025 tournament in the near future."
It's unclear to me how much NIL money could ultimately head Syracuse basketball's way for competing in the Players Era Festival, but either way, it's a sizable amount. Previous reports, and Nakos' article, suggest that all teams will receive at least $1 million in payouts, with athletes being required to participate in NIL-related activities outside of the actual games themselves.
And it comes at a time where NIL is a hot-button topic among Orange fans, amid ongoing conference realignment, the transfer portal's explosion and future revenue-sharing that is on the horizon.
As I've reported in the past, the Atlanta-based Student Athlete NIL ("SANIL") helped facilitate the deal on behalf of Orange United and Syracuse for the 'Cuse to play in the 2025 Las Vegas event. Orange United is a commercial NIL collective supporting all 'Cuse sports, and it is operated by SANIL.