So if you're curious about more of what I learned while reporting, I'd be happy to answer questions/break it down further/recount the very long drives from Chicago to Urbana and back. And if not, please just click the link and tell all your friends to, too.

The story is on an NIL merchandise company thriving with a crazy concept: Giving more money to athletes through a progressive revenue-sharing model. Licensing, I've learned, is convoluted but pretty critical to ... a lot of things in college sports. www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/...

They're certainly not there in the public discourse, at least beyond Charlie Baker proposing that "football schools" - or at least ones that want to be or spend a certain amount on the sport - break off into this new subdivision, though not from the other sports entirely.

Some links ... A data analysis of the new super-duper elite subdivision the NCAA is proposing: www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/...www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/...

Analysis | The NCAA proposed an elite subdivision. What would it cost each school to join?

The Post analyzed rosters for every major athletics program to calculate the minimum cost for each school to enter the NCAA’s proposed subdivision.

And here's a link to the full newsletter: s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/...

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I'm glad! It's a weird thing that's evolving all the time, even if it's technically been around since July 2021. A ton of facets of it, too, which I hope to tackle in the weeks/months ahead.

I also imagine most people who initially followed me here came for Nationals + baseball. All good, of course. Hand to Shirtless Brian Dozier, I told my wife last night I would have hooked Zac Gallen before he gave up his first hit. Happy offseason.

Otherwise, along with working on a few other stories I hope drop relatively soon, I've spent the last couple weeks drinking from the NIL firehose, talking to anyone I can about this weird world. So I'd love to hear if there is anything you all are curious about when it comes to NIL.

And to that end, read these @washingtonpost.comwww.washingtonpost.com/history/2023...www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Opinion | What ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ taught my Oklahoma town

What do moviemakers owe a community that they use and profit from?

I was told everyone I'm covering in this new world is entirely rationale with zero ulterior motives behind what they say publicly and when a recorder is in their face. So should be a breeze.