Tennessee Plans ‘Talent Fee’ Ticketing to Fund Athlete Revenue-Sharing

The University of Tennessee has already announced a plan to fund the revenue-sharing agreement facilitated by the House v. NCAA settlement, should the agreement be approved.

The athletic department plans to add a 10% “talent fee” to all football tickets, athletic director Danny White told On3, in the hopes it will raise about $10 million. The money will go directly to the proposed revenue-sharing pool, which would start at around $22 million and be distributed in some fashion to all athletes. If approved, the settlement’s terms could begin as early as next season.

“It’s going to our student athletes as part of this new world order in college sports,” White reportedly said. “So I know our fans will embrace it.”

The settlement, however, still faces major hurdles. During a hearing on Sept. 5, Northern District of California Judge Claudia Wilken did not grant preliminary approval, expressing “concerns” about a key part of the deal related to NIL (name, image, and likeness) deal restrictions. The rule would allow a third party to prohibit any proposed deals over $600 if they could be seen as pay-for-play, rather than the fair market value of all athletes. She told attorneys to “go back to the drawing board” and present a new proposed settlement by Sept. 26. 

Attorneys told Yahoo Sports they intend to file briefs “clarifying” the language Wilken objected to—but it’s unclear whether that will be enough. 

And without it, the NCAA’s attorney suggested there may not be a deal at all.

If the settlement is approved at the end of the month, it won’t be eligible for final approval until the winter of 2025.