Ep 5. The Bag Man

As NCAA regulations around recruiting inducements slowly crumble in the NIL era, the big money underpinning college sports steps out of the shadows. Amidst a nation-wide arms race for young athletic talent, LSU's booster collective, Bayou Traditions, hosts a glamorous fundraiser for wealthy donors to ensure the school has the cash it needs to compete. While rules still prohibit direct payments from schools to athletes, collectives find legal means to skirt these rules at every turn. In a competitive funding race with rich boosters across the country, LSU's donor class pony up the dough to ensure their teams can compete. Meanwhile, as big money flows into high revenue sports (football and men's basketball), true NIL endorsement deals provide an edge to female athletes who have long been in need. With significant pay disparities in their pro leagues compared to men, female student athletes have even more pressure to earn now. And brands have gravitated towards women, who have leveraged t