OSU Unveils New Donation Method via QR Code Helmets
Oklahoma State University (OSU) is set to debut new QR code helmets for its players in a bid to revolutionize the NIL landscape.
NIL, which means Name, Image, and Likeness, refers to the use of a player’s name, image, and appearance in marketing and promotional activities.
The QR codes will cover 1.5 square inches of the helmets and will link football fans to a “general team fund” meant for student-athletes.
To scan them, football fans must wait for close-up shots during broadcasts or postgame photos to be posted on social media.
Player helmets won’t be the only places to find these QR codes. Fans looking to donate can also find them on the players’ bag tags, coasters, the team’s equipment truck, and various signs throughout the Boone Pickens Stadium.
Fans won’t have to worry about missing out on making donations to the fund, either. According to OSU, a link to the fund will also be promoted on all of their official social media channels.
The announcement came after head coach Mike Gundy lamented over NIL negotiations with players. These negotiations are necessary to convince student-athletes to play for OSU through the NCAA transfer portal.
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QR code leads to OSU NIL collective
Fans of college football should note that donations don’t go to the players themselves. Instead, it will go to a non-profit collective called Pokes With A Purpose (PWAP). In fact, the QR code program is part of the “Saddle Up Campaign” organized by the NIL collective.
PWAP was launched by Steve and Tracy Reibert, Joe Eastin, and other OSU alumni back in June 2022. The collective partners OSU student-athletes with other non-profit organizations in the state of Oklahoma to help them take advantage of NIL opportunities.
Aside from engaging with charitable organizations, student-athletes also take part in other activities, including leading sports clinics, social media marketing, and autograph signings.
The team fund was also created to help players who are less likely to get brand deals on their own. As reported by USA Today, college football stars earn more through NIL opportunities than offensive and defensive linemen do.
With a pooled team fund, lesser-known players can get money from contactless donations distributed to them.
A new milestone for athletes and their NIL rights
The introduction of this general fund is a big step in helping student-athletes and their rights to their NIL. However, it is one of many milestones in the struggle for student-athlete compensation.
This huge shift started in 2014 when former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon filed an antitrust class action lawsuit against the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association).
The suit argued that former student-athletes should be entitled to financial compensation for the organization's commercial use of their image upon graduating. The resulting ruling declared that the NCAA’s concept of amateurism in sports was an unlawful restraint of trade.
Due to this, schools were allowed to offer full cost-of-attendance scholarships to their student-athletes. The NCAA also had to place up to $5,000 into a trust for each athlete every year.
In the aftermath of this case, several lawsuits soon followed, intent on challenging other NCAA restrictions on educational funds.
These suits were then combined into a single lawsuit known as NCAA v. Alston at the Northern District Court of California. This resulted in the organization allowing students to obtain other non-cash scholarships, internships, and other non-monetary benefits in 2019.
The NCAA would appeal this ruling to the Ninth Circuit in 2020. In May of that year, the Ninth Circuit upheld the District Court’s decision.
The association then tried to appeal to the Supreme Court in October of 2020. On June 21, 2021, the Supreme Court affirmed the ruling made by the Ninth Circuit judges, maintaining the outcome of NCAA v. Alston.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision, the NCAA implemented an interim policy on July 1, 2021. This policy allowed student-athletes to earn money from their name, image, and likeness without penalty.
QR code helmets spark skepticism
2D barcodes from a QR code generator have become popular in recent years. With how easy they are to make and use, it only made sense that they would find their way into collegiate sports.
However, the introduction of QR codes in the helmets of OSU’s Cowboys was met with skepticism from many in the sports world, even by the NCAA itself.
When the QR codes initiative was announced, many netizens criticized the implementation of QR codes for donation purposes.
Some claimed that this would turn college athletes into paid professional athletes. Others were amused that viewers would have to pause or rewind the footage to find a scannable angle of a QR code just to donate.
Donny “RightSide” Seymour, co-host of 'The Early Line' on the SportsGrid streaming network, gave the execution of the QR code program an ‘F’ stating that viewers should be able to donate directly to individual players instead of a general fund.
Additionally, there is a risk of QR code fraud when they are printed on physical objects. In a post sharing the news of OSU’s new QR codes on the “r/CFB” subreddit, Reddit user “02meepmeep” commented, “How long before a player prints out their own QR sticker to put over it?”
While there are risks in using just any QR code, codes made with the best QR code generators online are guaranteed to be reliable and secure. Trustworthy platforms strictly comply with GDPR and CCPA guidelines and are ISO-27001 certified.
The NCAA, on the other hand, has another take on this initiative: the organization considers the QR code stickers on the helmets as advertising and, therefore, prohibits OSU from implementing it.
While the team disagrees with the organization's interpretation, it has decided to follow the rules and make the necessary changes. The QR codes are still expected to show up on video boards, merchandise, and the players' bag tags as the team faces South Dakota State on its home turf.
