Teams making a deep run in Fox’s inaugural College Basketball Crown tournament stand to benefit financially. According to Sports Business Journal reported on Tuesday, the tournament boasts a $500,000 NIL prize pool that will be allocated across the top four finishers: the winner will receive $300,000, the runner-up $100,000, and both third and fourth place teams will take home $50,000 each. Ticketing company Vivid Seats is backing the NIL funds, and while the exact distribution among players remains unclear, athletes will act as “brand ambassadors” for Vivid Seats through various marketing campaigns, including social media promotions, as noted by SBJ.
The College Basketball Crown, a collaboration between Fox and event presenter AEG, features a competitive field of 16 teams, primarily from the Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East—the conferences tied to Fox through media rights agreements—who did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The event, taking place after the Elite Eight round this weekend, will culminate in the championship game scheduled for Sunday, April 6, just a day before the NCAA Tournament crowns its champion.
Before even tipping off, Fox’s new tournament has already impacted the landscape of college basketball, effectively relegating the NIT to a mid-major tournament, with only three power conference schools included this year. Whether the Crown can establish itself as a true “best of the rest” tournament is yet to be determined, but the NIL component will certainly add an element of intrigue for the players and teams involved.
