Kansas basketball will participate in the Players Era Festival for the first time this week. The second-year MTE has grown from eight teams in 2024 to 18 teams in its second year. KU will play three games in Las Vegas this week, with the first matchup being against Notre Dame and the second matchup being against Syracuse. KU will play a third game either on Wednesday or Thursday.
The Players Era is a different kind of MTE. There is no bracket and teams receive NIL money for participating in the event. Each team gets $1 million in NIL for player payments for participating. Then, there is prize money for the top four teams. According to reports, the winner gets an additional $1 million, with second place set to receive $500,000, third place set to receive $300,000 and fourth place receiving $200,000.
It’s much different than past tournaments — like the Maui Invitational — which did not have payouts and are expensive trips for athletic departments.
“I think it’s going to be a necessity to play in true NIL opportunities,” Self said. “Because with the rev share agreement and what schools can do, and each individual school has their own deal and how it’s set up within their department on what schools can get respectively in each sport. How important would it be to have true NIL, which is 100% permissible, to have opportunities through that that maybe you wouldn’t have if you didn’t play in events like this.”
MTEs like the Maui Invitation have seen their fields decline in overall quality and this season the Maui Invitational is headlined by Texas, NC Sate, USC and Arizona State.
Self believes some of the other MTEs might need to follow the Players Era lead.
“I would say that it would be up to the organizers and the event promoters, to see if they can do whatever the Players Era is doing,” Self said. “So I don’t think they’re in danger, unless maybe they don’t make some adjustments.”
