The transfer portal opened March 18 for men’s and women’s basketball, which meant Rachael Bacchus was having anything but a normal day.
Normal days barely exist for Bacchus, the general manager for NIL at Arizona State. Her job is to stay on top of policy changes, court rulings, portal windows and everything else that goes into the ever-changing world of name, image and likeness. When a season ends and the portal opens, the bidding begins. For Bacchus, that means having in-depth conversations with coaches and players about what the athlete is earning, what’s being offered and what Arizona State can do to retain its players.
“We’re understanding how collectives on the outside are operating, making sure our coaches know our starting forward is being reached out to and DM’ed and having conversations from other collectives,” Bacchus said. “‘Here’s what we’re up against. Here’s what he made last year in NIL through his disclosures.’ In your exit interviews with him, if he says, ‘Hey, coach, I want more NIL,’ here’s how you know what ‘more’ is.”
Bacchus is an employee of Altius Sports Partners, a consulting firm that advises athletic departments on NIL. Altius has general managers overseeing NIL programs at 18 schools, with Michigan soon to become…
