The Players Era Championship (née Festival) is back in Las Vegas this week for its second edition, this time featuring 18 men’s basketball teams, including top-25 programs Houston, Michigan, St. John’s and Auburn. Since crash-landing onto the college basketball scene last season, the private equity-backed tournament, co-created by AND1 founder Seth Berger and RedBird IMI-supported EverWonder Studio, has upended financial expectations for schools participating in multi-team events (MTEs). In its debut year, Players Era made a splash by guaranteeing $1 million in NIL money to each of its participating teams. This year, the financial ground has shifted, and Players Era has subtly massaged its messaging around its promised payouts for the current event, saying it “will feature over $20 million in guaranteed sponsor NIL activities” for the teams participating in both its men’s and women’s tourneys.
Sportico
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: The Players Era Championship (née Festival) is back in …
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