Why is St. Joe’s opting in?
St. Joe's basketball programs are an enormous part of the history and tradition of the University, and enrich the experience of the entire student body, university community and alumni base. By opting in, we're ensuring that our men's and women's basketball programs can continue competing at the highest levels of the Atlantic 10 and Big 5 by recruiting, retaining and developing outstanding basketball student-athletes.
What exactly are these payments?
These payments are not “wages” and are not considered “pay for play.” Each Division I institution that opts in is handling these payments differently. At St. Joe’s, we are licensing the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) of our men’s and women’s basketball student-athletes. Meaning, we will provide payments in exchange for them serving as brand ambassadors for Saint Joseph’s University.
What are you doing to ensure that St. Joe’s basketball student-athletes are prepared for this new era?
One of the most important aspects of our culture and mission at St. Joe’s is that we care for and develop the whole person. I can assure you that we have and will continue to provide financial literacy, tax support, and other educational programs to help our basketball student-athletes prepare for this new era in college athletics.
Will St. Joe’s spend up to $20.5 million per year?
Absolutely not! $20.5 million per year is the maximum amount that a Division I institution can spend on all sports. At P4 institutions, most of this money will go to football student-athletes. St. Joe’s will spend a small percentage of the maximum amount for men’s and women’s basketball student-athletes only, in an amount necessary to stay competitive within the Atlantic 10 conference.
How will St. Joe’s fund these payments to our basketball student-athletes?
This is the single most challenging and important aspect of the new era of college sports. Although these direct payments are often referred to in the media and general public as “revenue sharing,” that moniker can be misleading to the extent that most institutions do not have revenue to share (annually, only 15-20 athletic departments in Division I turn a profit). St. Joe’s Athletics will fund these direct payments through donor support, special events like the Players Era tournament, and creative new revenue streams.
How can our fans best support St. Joe’s basketball in this new era?
Quite simply, our passionate donors and supporters will impact our basketball success like never before. Today, we are announcing the launch of the Saint Joseph’s University Basketball Excellence Fund for men’s and women’s basketball. All donations to the Basketball Excellence Fund are tax deductible
*.
Donors will designate their gift for either men’s or women’s basketball, but may not designate a specific student-athlete. All questions regarding the Basketball Excellence Fund should be directed to Director of Major Gifts (Athletics) Joe Logan at
jlogan@sju.edu.
Will the St. Joe’s collective, known as Hawk Hill Alliance, still exist?
In short, no. We will sunset the Hawk Hill Alliance and focus on contributions to the Basketball Excellence Fund to reduce donor confusion and ensure that all donations are tax deductible
*.
* Please consult your tax adviser
