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The Crowdfunded Future of College Football
QR codes, microtransactions, and the relentless greed of big time college football
UPDATE: The NCAA has ruled that the use of QR codes violates its rules around advertising. Oklahoma State has complied with the ruling but will still prominently feature the QR codes for its NIL fund throughout its stadium
The Oklahoma State Cowboys football team is ranked in the top 25 heading into this season and are one of the favorites to win the Big 12 conference championship. On the field, the Cowboys’ helmets will look a bit different than in previous years. Along the helmet stripe, there will be a new QR code. When scanned, it will redirect users to a webpage entitled “Pokes with a Purpose”. This is a portal for the school’s name, image, and likeness fund (NIL), where fans will have the opportunity to donate to the school to pay its football players.
The Cowboys aren’t stopping at helmets, as these QR codes will be present on the team bus and on player bags. The approach is a new one for a college football program and is just another instance of the wild and unpredictable nature of a sport that lacks guardrails around the injection of finances at the college level. Although it has been mocked in online circles, Oklahoma State crowdfunding its NIL program seems to be an untapped avenue where teams can capitalize on rabid fans and…
