New Episode of BBOC: Clemson University Director of Athletics Graham Neff
On the latest episode of JohnWallStreet Presents: Big Business on Campus, a college sports podcast powered by Playfly Sports, JohnWallStreet Founder Corey Leff and Playfly Sports Chairman Michael Schreiber sit down with Clemson University Vice President and Director of Athletics Graham Neff.
In this 50-minute conversation, the trio discuss:
Connecting Athletics, Campus, and Commerce
Clemson launched Clemson Ventures in 2024, before the House settlement was even finalized, to give the athletic department more control over its commercial future. But the standalone affiliated organization does more than sell sponsorships and multimedia rights.
“Yes, that's the core business and largest tentpole from a revenue standpoint, [but all] our commercial revenue functions [are now connected under that one umbrella]. Licensing, a lot of our contracts, e-commerce, merchandise, apparel, Clemson Plus, which is our content production [platform]...and then lastly, the campus component,” Neff said. “At Clemson, we have 28,000-plus [people on campus between the] student body, staff, [and] faculty and [partners] get the [association with] the Tiger Paw etc. So, [considering their] presentation and connectivity throughout campus [and providing them with access] to key leaders [allows us to build partnerships that extend beyond game day].”
Turning Content into Long-Term Loyalty
Clemson Plus gives Clemson Athletics a home for original programming, highlights, and classic games. From the outside, it might resemble a traditional direct-to-consumer media platform. But its strategic value resides further down the funnel.
“35%, 40% of Clemson's [alumni base] has graduated within the past 12 years—the implication being they're by and large 30, 35 and under. How that demographic consumes content, interacts with your platforms, [and] engages with your brand is different [than] older demographics,” Neff said. “So, the Clemson Plus strategy was not an immediate revenue generation [opportunity. The idea wasn’t to] create a new business unit and [see what we] can squeeze out of this. [In fact,] we actually tucked [membership in as] a benefit of joining IPTAY, which is our annual [philanthropic] fund…We want you to join IPTAY because now we're going to engage with you in a lot of other different ways; with emails, ticket offers, welcome packages, all kinds of different things. And then we're betting on you, [the donor], as a 30-something, for the lifetime connectivity and lifetime value [he or she] will bring wanting to be connected to Clemson and Clemson Athletics.”
Private Capital with a Donor-Backed Twist
The University of Utah has shown how private capital could enter college athletics through an affiliated commercial entity. Clemson Ventures’ setup provides for similar structural flexibility. However, the school is far less interested in taking on institutional capital than exploring ways to turn existing donor and alumni affinity into investment-minded support.
“I've come to be intrigued by [the idea of creating] a vehicle [that can] capture donor private capital so to speak. So, in a different way than philanthropic support from our [donors who want to] name a brick and mortar [building] or give a [scholarship or] endowment…Funds that can be contributed with an investment approach versus just a contribution approach,” Neff said. “We haven't consummated that and we're not imminently going to do that, but I've come to be curious about how that could look…. I could see structures, like [Project Northstar], in college athletics because there is unique donor and philanthropic alumni support that doesn't exist per se in professional sports... [Maybe] there are ways to capture that interest and those dollars, but [to] do it in a different donor-supported type fund.”
📺Watch the full video on JohnWallStreet’s YouTube Page.
🎧Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
We’ll be back with the next episode of JohnWallStreet Presents: Big Business on Campus in two weeks. Rutgers Director of Athletics Keli Zinn and Scarlet Knight Enterprises Chairman Oliver Luck will be our guests.
Previous episodes of BBOC, including sit-downs with Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman, Arizona AD Desiree Reed-Francois, Maryland AD Jim Smith, American Commissioner Tim Pernetti, Pittsburgh AD Allen Greene, Wake Forest AD John Currie, Kansas AD Travis Goff, Ivy League Executive Director Robin Harris, Big Sky Conference Commissioner Tom Wistrcill, SMU AD Damon Evans, Ohio State AD Ross Bjork, West Virginia President Michael Benson, and Weatherford Capital Founding Partner Drew Weatherford, IMG Academy CEO Brent Richard and USA Fencing CEO Phil Andrews on the Enrollment Cliff, Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez, Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould, St. John’s AD Ed Kull, Army AD Tom Theodorakis, and Alabama AD Greg Byrne can be found on JohnWallStreet’s YouTube channel.
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