Ohio State football sees second NIL collective launch
Gary Marcinick has spent decades around Ohio State football.
He was a walk-on wide receiver for the Buckeyes in the mid-1980s before becoming a loyal donor to the athletic department.
About 15 years ago, Marcinick and Blue Jackets star Rick Nash provided the funding for an endowed scholarship for the football program. It’s known as the “86/61 Athletic Scholarship Fund,” a reference to their respective uniform numbers.
Now Marcinick is running the latest collective to help Ohio State players secure name, image and likeness deals.
He founded the Cohesion Foundation, a nonprofit organization that will pay athletes for working with partner charities.
It launched last week on the heels of the formation of THE Foundation, a group co-founded by booster and real estate developer Brian Schottenstein and former Buckeyes quarterback Cardale Jones that also offers compensation in exchange for charitable appearances.
In the burgeoning NIL marketplace, collectives are the latest trend. Operating independently from schools, the booster-run groups pool money together to facilitate deals for athletes.
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“This is almost like a new spoke in the wheel of what college athletes are expecting,” Marcinick said, “so you better have some culture around NIL opportunities once they enroll. If not, it’s going to be hard to effectively attract people.”
Marcinick, an executive at Budros, Ruhlin & Roe, a wealth management firm in Columbus, believes the market for collectives backing Ohio State is large enough to support at least a couple of them, pointing to the popularity of college sports around central Ohio and the potential for corporate and fan donations.
Though he didn’t cite a specific fundraising goal, he is hopeful the Cohesion Foundation can raise several million dollars.
One of the reasons for Marcinick’s optimism is a sponsorship agreement with Ohio State Sports Properties, a locally based arm of Learfield IMG College that manages all multimedia rights for the university’s athletic department.
The deal opens the door for advertising spots for the foundation that could increase visibility.
“Truly, it’s all about eyeballs,” Marcinick said, “people who are passionate about Ohio State sports and Ohio State football. That’s our prime-target audience.”
During the Buckeyes’ spring game on Saturday, banner ads promoting the foundation scrolled across display boards situated atop Ohio Stadium’s south end-zone tunnels.
Marcinick mentioned other possibilities, including promotions airing during the weekly radio shows for football coach Ryan Day and men’s basketball coach Chris Holtmann.
As a sponsor, the Cohesion Foundation is also able to use Ohio State’s trademarked athletics logos.
Its website and social media accounts feature its own logo alongside the school’s block “O” mark.
Marcinick believes all of this could help the foundation gain credibility among prospective donors who are navigating a new NIL world.
“There’s a lot of confusion out there in terms of NIL and collectives,” he said. “I just think it puts us at the forefront of our charitable foundation being properly vetted.”
In a further attempt to boost its standing during its launch last week, the group issued a press release that included support from Jack Nicklaus, the legendary golfer from Upper Arlington, and Archie Griffin, the Buckeyes’ former two-time Heisman Trophy-winning running back.
Neither is working with the foundation in an official capacity. Instead, Marcinick referred to their comments as endorsements.
Their sons, Gary Nicklaus and Adam Griffin, are on the board, a group of 10 members that includes other prominent figures such as Robert Schottenstein, a university trustee.
None of the board members will be paid, Marcinick said. Its funds will be dedicated to the athletes and operational costs.
The Cohesion Foundation will start out by offering deals only to football players, a slight contrast to THE Foundation that has also partnered with men’s basketball players since its launch last month.
But down the line, Marcinick also aims to broaden the range of athletes to include those participating in the school’s other 35 varsity sports.
“The football engine pulls the other 35 cars,” Marcinick said. “As Ohio State football goes, so goes the other 35 cars to a certain extent. So we’ve got to build a culture of opportunity for football, and there will be a tremendous trickle-down effect to the other sports.
“But aspirationally, if we can achieve our fundraising goals, I would like to impact all athletes. It would be a tremendous thing for us to provide something for all thousand athletes. That’s truly our long-term goal.”
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter @joeyrkaufman.
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