Passes, a company that gives college fans exclusive access to the daily lives of student-athletes, has partnered with Michigan in a new juncture where fans can directly contribute to Name, Image and Likeness funds in exchange for “direct-to-fan engagement.”

“Likeness value across 29 varsity sports, recruit and retain top student athletes, and create an ecosystem for unprecedented fan access,” Passes announced in a press release. “This multi-year partnership through Learfield empowers Michigan student athletes to sell exclusive content and merchandise and empowers fans to play a role in the retention and recruitment of athletic and academic talent through a new NIL fund.”

So here’s how Passes says this seven-figure deal will work:

• Once Learfield (aka Michigan) receives NIL contributions, a portion of those contributions will go directly to Michigan’s student-athletes.
• Student-athletes who fans donate to will be paid to be active on their Passes account, which appears to be a small social network consisting of student-athletes. Here’s an example of Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers’ page. It’s not clear exactly how these athletes would be active on this network, but Ewers has posted about what he is doing during a normal day. Think of those Day in the Life videos that often go viral on Tik Tok, but with student-athletes.
• For a varying dollar amount, fans will have to subscribe (aka pay) to the athletes’ accounts to see “behind the scenes” content. I’m interested to see how athletes get creative with this — is it them getting ready for game day? Is it them preparing for practice, or taking fans through their rigorous schedule? Is it more lighthearted stuff like hanging with friends? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

“This partnership with Passes aligns with our university’s commitment to innovation and student-athlete development,” said Danielle Davison, Assistant AD for NIL at the University of Michigan in the release. “It gives all our teams a powerful platform to showcase Michigan Athletics and connect with our passionate fanbase, while preparing our student-athletes for success in the evolving landscape of college sports.”

You can sign up to contribute to the fund by submitting your email at this link.

A few quick thoughts

On one hand, it sounds like a great idea and would give otherwise unprecedented access to the lives of student-athletes. I would also imagine this would help the most high-profile athletes cash in, while also helping athletes who don’t get as much playing time, but have an entertaining social media presence (think former Michigan basketball player Adrien Nunez, who didn’t play much but was very popular on social media).

In practice, I’m not sure how exactly this will be received, especially during a football season where optimism isn’t exactly high with a 5-5 squad. Will athletes on that struggling team want to post happy, optimistic content? And how exactly will this be perceived by a pissed off fanbase? Will a program that doesn’t let the media watch practice actually allow players to film portions of their game day prep? Not to sound like an old man yelling at clouds, but is this something that would distract student-athletes from not only their work on the field, but also their work in the classroom?

Also, why does all this NIL responsibility fall on the fans? The Big Ten has a $7 billion TV deal and Michigan is the most well-known schools in one of the top campuses in the country. Not to mention, it’s hard to get optimistic with NIL ventures after the failures of projects like The Leader. Plus, there is already another avenue exactly like Passes — it’s called the Ann Arbor NIL Club — that is only for U-M football players.

It has taken Michigan a long time to hop on board the NIL express, as both Jim Harbaugh and Juwan Howard criticized the university for their cautiousness early in the process. And for a university that loves to brag about being the “leaders and best” with an athletic donor and booster base wealthy enough to run a small country, going to yet another crowdfunded venture and asking fans to pay up and take the lead with NIL funding feels, at best, tone deaf and, at worst, hypocritical and irresponsible.

How do you feel about this latest NIL venture, and will you be contributing? Are you also frustrated by Michigian’s NIL struggles? Let us know in the comments and on social media

A beloved music director at a Michigan catholic church was fired after an unknown source informed church officials of his same-sex marriage — sparking outrage from parishioners, with many protesting and some renouncing their membership over the termination.

Fred Szczepanski was canned from his position at St. Francis Church in Traverse City on Oct. 18 after the church officials discovered he had a same-sex marriage ceremony to his longtime partner in Nevada in 2020, according to Traverse City Record-Eagle.  

Szczepanski, known by churchgoers as “Mr. Fred,” was confronted by Rev. Michael Lingaur after church leaders received a letter from an unnamed individual about his marriage.

When confronted, he confirmed the marriage and was informed by Lingaur that his services were no longer needed after serving as the church’s music director for 34 years. Szczepanski was also told he could no longer take communion during worship services.

Following his termination, the Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan, wrote in a statement that Szczepanski’s marriage violates the ministerial agreement condition of his employment.

“A public act of same-sex marriage is a formal recognition that a relationship is more than friendship, and thereby jeopardizes a ministerial agreement for employment,” the Diocese said.

“Marriage is a permanent, faithful and exclusive covenant between one man and one woman.”

However, the firing outraged parishioners, leading to multiple shows of protest in support of Szczepanski.

Choir members wore black, left their seats empty, and refused to sing during mass on Oct. 20.

Then, on Oct. 27, supporters of the longtime music director picketed outside the church in protest before carrying signs reading: “Love Not Hate,” “God Includes, Not Excludes,” and “Fired Not Retired.”

“People are hurt, people are sad, in a time where there is so much controversy in the world, the church needs to be a place of peace, and instead its turmoil after turmoil,” churchgoer Toni Stanfield told the outlet.

Some parishioners and choir members even renounced their St. Francis church membership or planned to, according to the outlet.

A former church choir member, Liz Yarch, said she resigned over the firing and that “some people were told” Szczepanski retired and wasn’t fired.

“Last I checked, people who have served for over 30 years get a retirement party,” Yarch told the outlet.

“Fred was fired for his personal life and I find that cruel.”

Szczepanski had announced earlier this year that he planned to retire in January, which further outraged many parishioners and choir members who believed he should have been allowed to retire.

“He got fired because he’s gay,” choir member Bob Holden said.

“He’s extremely talented, he’s perfect on the piano, he has perfect pitch and because of him, I look forward to going to church every week. I’m divorced. Do I get thrown out next?”

Dave Martin, a member of the church’s pastoral council, said he was one of the church officials who received the letter, which he said had an out-of-state postmark and was written by a person “who had a seasonal connection to St. Francis,” according to the outlet.

Martin and Rev. Lingaur referred to a statement issued by the Diocese when further asked about the firing, according to the outlet.

“Somebody got wind of that and did some digging,” choir member Sherry Koenig told the outlet.

“It’s despicable what has happened and how it has happened. Mr. Fred is kind, honorable, and caring.”

The longtime music director’s husband, Bill Thompson, has set up a GoFundMe to help cover the costs of insurance, legal fees, and bills.

The Traverse City Record-Eagle reported that Szczepanski declined to comment on whether he planned to file a wrongful termination lawsuit.

To worship, however, Szczepanski has been welcomed with open arms at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Grand Traverse.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation said over 245 people attended its service on Nov. 3 to “affirm and stand with Mr. Fred Szczepanski.”

The recruiting battle for five-star Belleville (Mich.) quarterback Bryce Underwood has heated up in recent weeks, as Michigan football puts on a full-court press in an attempt to flip the No. 1 player in the 2025 class from his commitment to LSU.

However, after visiting Baton Rouge for the Tigers’ home game against Alabama this past weekend, the latest report on Underwood’s leanings is not good news for the Wolverines.

“There is a strong sense that Bryce Underwood will sign with LSU in a few weeks,” Rivals’ national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman reported on Monday. “After returning to Baton Rouge this weekend, the expectations is that Underwood will be a Tiger.”

Michigan has gone all-in on its attempt to sway Underwood away from LSU, with reports suggesting the five-star is in for an NIL deal approaching $10 million from whichever school he signs with during the early signing period in December.

Fresh off his visit to LSU, it appears as if Underwood’s commitment to the Tigers remains firm. Time will tell is the Wolverines are able to make any headway in their efforts with the five-star prior to his decision day on Dec. 4.

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