Florida Panthers are in an absolute free fall after being up 3-0 in the series. An epic collapse that would make Colorado blush.

Game seven is on Monday in Florida. Should be must watch television.

Read that here.

This post may open the Kimono a bit on what I have going on in the NIL world, but the opportunity to read y'all's thoughts on what I am about to say is more valuable than possibly revealing what I am involved in, or getting asked a bunch of questions who's answers would reveal it...

I've noticed that Lifetime Cardinal is an LLC, not a 501(c)3. This means no donations made to it are tax deductible. The benefit of this approach is that - as its website makes clear - 100% of donations made to it are going to athletes, and there is no obligation for athletes engaged with it to take on obligations promoting charitable causes that might take away from training/practicing and school work. The downside is this means there aren't going to be too many sponsors wanting to get involved, because their contribution is not tax-deductible, and the idea of paying Stanford athletes has marginal marketing value to businesses. There might be a few corporate sponsors to sign up, but it won't be many, and that loses opportunity to build a broad base of business community support. Unless exceptionally well-heeled, all donors get tired of donating. Collectives around the country are starting to realize this.

It is becoming more clear to me that "the unwashed masses" of universities not as blessed with as many high net worth donors as Stanford, need a business-based, sustainable model to generate revenue, and 501(c)3 collectives are going to have an easier time appealing to corporate sponsors to sign on. I personally believe that if Lifetime Cardinal were partnered with a non-profit, it could develop a sponsorship program that would have greater appeal to the regional (Mostly Peninsula and South Bay, but maybe San Francisco) business community. And if Stanford did get more broader business community support within a partnership between Lifetime Cardinal and the local business community, it could drive significantly more local interest in Stanford sports.

With all that as context, I get this feeling that Lifetime Cardinal making clear it is partnered with a non-profit, would in the minds of Stanford people, cheapen it, and compromise the elite, we don't need anyone else, brand on which Stanford identifies itself. Am I right to feel this way? Would you think if LifeTime Cardinal promoted an alliance with, I don't know, say United Way, it would be cheapening itself? Do you think other Stanford people would feel that way?

Reid Travis is currently playing for Levanga Hokkaido in Japan. Previously, he was in the Indiana Pacers organization. Signed with them in training camp for a day in October before then playing for their G-League affiliate Indiana Mad Ants.

If you want to see where other former Cardinal are playing globally, click here.

E.g. Isaac White is in Australia, Chasson Randle is in Greece, Anthony Brown is in Turkey, and Rosco Allen is also playing in Japan, but on a different team. Kinda interesting to see what all these guys are up to and how many different leagues there are.

I watched the Indiana Fever play at Chicago Sky yesterday and OMG were both Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese impressive!

It just never made sense to me why Reese was ranked like the #6 prospect. She should have been the #2 pick IMO.
Clark's vision and passing is Jason Kidd-like, and she knocked down 3-6 from 3pt line ar one point. Clark had 13 assists and should have had 15 if her teammates didn't blow some layups. She is going to be a great player for sure. But so to is Reese, who just dominated the glass and scored 25 points. She has to be right there in the ROY voting this season.

That was a well played and entertaining game as Chicago came back in the 4th quarter for a 1pt win.

Already mentioned in the recruiting notes thread by @boomboom2000, Stanford men’s basketball has officially signed 2024 shooting guard Anthony Batson, Jr. He was committed to Rice at one point. Out of Scottsdale, Arizona.

He was offered by Stanford in May of last year. I knew the name rang a bell and that’s why. I was had one who created his Rivals profile and added all of his offers.

So, he was a guy who the previous staff was on and Kyle Smith wisely continued to recruit knowing he was a guy they could get admitted.

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With spring sports over there is space to fill on The Farm Report.

My focus of interest presently is what do I say to my cable company to be able to view Stanford football?

I have the ACC channel and it is free.

Xfinity is my provider.

I know I'm early but please pass along anything relevant that you might hear.

Ben, could you poke the Department to get this info out? Thanks.

Anyone have any insight if Stanford intends to keep playing ND? I love the games and the record over the past 10 years is 5-5 so it’s not lopisided (USC is 3-7…).

@BenParker can you ask around and see if this series will continue? It seems like Stanford needs 2 more games for its schedule from 2025-2028.

2025 running back Tommy Lafayette has committed to Stanford as a preferred walk on. Out of the Peach Tree State.

He told me that while he is committed as a preferred walk-on, he is committed with NIL money guaranteed. Stanford told him they couldn’t offer him a scholarship spot since three running backs were signed as scholarship players for 2024, but he loved the campus, community, and program too much to turn down a preferred walk-on spot. He visited earlier this week and also in early February.

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Read and watch that here.

a Legend has passed... at age 93.

I grew up in NYC as a Brooklyn Dodgers fan... hated the Yankees, but always liked Willie as a rival Giant... who as a young player recently moved up to the majors, often out there playing stickball (broom stick handle bat, spalding rubber ball) having fun out there on the street with the neighborhood kids when not in the Polo grounds or on the road. A nice guy and a true gentleman. And I still remember that classic thing of pure beauty... his overhead/overshoullde 'Catch', his back to the path of the ball... while running deep, deep, into the depths of the polo grounds center field. I'll be watching for another replay of that catch... which I predict will be played sometime during the Thursday Rickwood field game between the Giants and Cardinals.

And of course when I came to the Bay Area, had to shift my loyalties to the Giants. He did play for the Mets in a late career return to New York.

Read and watch that here.

Lost 2 of their 3 5-star recruits and looking like JuJu (their prized 5-star QB) is next.

Couldn’t happen to a better fan base.
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This (from no less than the Utah School paper) explains why rumors are floating about Utah having wandering eyes. They apparently have signed on the dotted line, but will (uniquely) NOT have to pay an exit fee when they leave.

Hired by the Broncos as a senior personnel director. No doubt will scout for “real Bronco men”

My daughter’s significant other of 9 years was awarded his PhD in material sciences engineering. I just went to the diploma ceremony, not the stadium ceremony. The campus was beautiful, the weather was perfect, it was so … Stanford. Everything smelled good and looked good. Brought back so many good feelings. Both the grad students and undergrads were thrilled with making it through. The descriptions of the research projects were stunning. The families were so proud - in a good way. It was a reminder that athletics is a very small part of everything that is going on at Stanford, and the reason we all loved our time there was not based on whether or not the football team was winning. As alums the sports teams become a major face of the school that we interact with, but it was irrelevant on Sunday.

This was reported a week ago, but there isn't a better piece of reporting you can read that tells you what is really going on in the college sports business.


What's fascinating is just two years ago, Opendorse was in a strategic partnership with Learfield. Now, after just two years, Learfield wants the athletes of the schools it represents to be under its full control, so it can co-brand the athletes with the schools if possible, and be a broker of NIL deals alongside the largely sponsorship rights they already sell.

It is important to note Learfield's interest is only about what you might call "real NIL" deals, meaning, these are deals brokered by sales people with brands that want to be associated with athletes for their endorsement and influence. It has nothing to do with the "guaranteed NIL money" going to buy players for their on-field ability. That's a whole other much more complicated kettle of fish.

Read and watch that here.

2025 3-star defensive end Adam Shovlin has officially committed to Stanford.

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Condoleezza Rice, among our most stalwart supporters of Stanford's Athletics, writes on the significance of Juneteenth to her, and America

Stanford was in his final 6

Original source was someone from Louisville over the weekend.

But, Boston College AD tweeted out tonight "Big News".

No other scuttlebutt yet regarding what this could be about.

Read and watch that here.

Things are getting a little testy around here.

Time to go back to the crowd pleasing plays from the past to pick up the spirits.