Famous Comedian Highlights NIL Issues That Plague Sport in Notre Dame Efforts

Longtime Notre Dame Fighting Irish fan and famous comedian Shane Gillis is envisioning ways to raise NIL funds for the team to return to the college football playoffs and win the championship.

Gillis' commentary about raising NIL for the program on his latest episode of Nate and Shane's Secret podcast illustrates the absurdity of the NCAA landscape with respect to fundraising.

"I was looking at the confetti, watching Ohio State, and just sitting there," Gillis said. "I called my agent immediately. I was like, 'Let's book a show and give all the money to Notre Dame!"

Gillis continued, saying that he woke up the next morning and found that to be a regrettable amount of money to concede. He joked about funds for an upcoming show intended to raise money for the wildfires in California.

"Notre Dame needs a defensive tackle," Gillis said. "I need to give that to an 18-year-old!"

Obviously Gillis' comments are in jest, given that he's a literal comedian. But at the heart of them, the truth rings through: Is NIL fundraising more about the luck of public figures and boosters behind a program?

Famous rocker Bon Jovi chimed in on a social media comment under the video clip, writing, "I'm in…Go Irish."

Both celebrities might be entirely serious about putting forth a fundraiser for NIL and Notre Dame in some fashion. That's almost beside the point.

No one is deluded that NIL has much to do with name, image, and likeness when it comes to what college athletes are being paid for. While revenue-sharing and direct compensation from universities are on the horizon, it's currently the responsibility of school NIL collectives and corporate partners to fund championship programs.

Remember when it was all about the right head coach? That's almost secondary to who the famous alumni are behind a program and a willingness to continue donating. To attract elite talent, the leadership and coaching must meet a certain standard, but frankly, they are no longer effectively selling a vision they control.

They're selling the opportunities afforded to them by fundraising, which has no rhyme or reason. Those efforts are an amalgamation of partnerships with massive corporations, a wealthy alumni base, and NIL collectives and fans who are asked to pick up the slack.

Gillis can absolutely put on a fundraiser where his bottom line is not affected at a remotely comparable level to most fans who are pleaded with to donate to NIL for athletes no longer likely to stay.

In that case, does it come down to your school being lucky enough to have a Shane Gillis?

While it's unwise to make serious declarations off comments made by comedians, they often reveal underlying truths. Gillis' certainly illustrates the ridiculousness of raising NIL in college football as things stand.