CLEMSON, SC – What started as a lunch between friends has become an idea that is likely to help Clemson’s athletic students in the future.
“We started talking about different things happening in college football, and I kind of commented on what will happen and what NIL will do with college football and really sport in general,” said Clemson’s business owner Jason Beatty.
Name, image and likeness marked the beginning of a new era in college athletics. And in the process, that changed the game. That’s why local businessmen Beatty and Robert McRae have launched Dear Old Clemson, a NIL team that will not only support Clemson University athlete students, but also bring together local businesses, fans and athletes.
“My first initial thought was that someone there should take care of it, right?” “Someone’s making sure Clemson is covered,” McRae said. “It just wasn’t happening at the time.”
Clemson’s two alumni did their homework. They spoke with local business and community leaders. They met with Clemson employees for compliance.
Initially, they had a few ideas and considered different concepts, but eventually Dear Old Clemson was born.
“We want to do it the right way,” McRae said. “We are not interested in playing all these games that other people play. We want to do things the way Clemson did. Let’s do it the right way. Let’s make sure Clemson is competitive (with NIL). “
Dear Old Clemson is the second team to support Clemson’s student-athletes. TigerImpact launched in April.
“Our hope is to put the platform in place and hope that the business of Clemson and Clemson fans, because most of it will come from fans, that they do what they usually do,” McRae said. “We hope they step up and say, ‘Hey, I’ve been waiting a while to figure out how to get involved.’
“So we give them another way to do that. They have one way to do it now and that is with TigerImpact. This is a great way and a great thing to work with all these charities. We’ll just give them another way to do some things that we hope they enjoy. “
what are these things
For businesses and fans who just want to contribute to football, they can get on the ROY Bus and their contribution goes straight to football. There will be other options for the club – Clemson Athletic Club and Lady Tiger Club.
The contributions from the Lady Tiger Club subscriptions will go exclusively to support Clemson’s women’s athletes. Athletic Club Clemson will support football, men’s and women’s basketball and other sports.
“But if a fan or business wants to donate a certain amount of money to a certain sport, we will make sure that these student athletes get that money,” McRae said.
Scroll to Continue
Club members have access to exclusive events with student-athletes, receive early access and discounts on collectibles and other benefits. Dear Old Clemson has many benefits planned for club members to continue to add value to their membership.
What does Dear Old Clemson get out of this?
Beaty owns Clemson Variety & Frame in downtown Clemson, while MacRae is CEO of MacRae Consulting Corporation and owner of Clemson Insider Media Group.
“In the eyes of the IRS, we are making a profit, but we are not making a penny of it,” Beatty said. “All the money that comes, except for all the overheads (expenses) we may have, goes to the student-athletes. I don’t take a penny or anything in my pocket for profit. Neither does Robert.
“It simply came to our notice then. I put my own money into this effort because that’s how important the success of Clemson Athletics is to my business and this community. So I’m making this investment. “
Dear Old Clemson’s goal is to help the Clemson business community. Part of the funds raised will be used to compensate student-athletes in exchange for performances in Clemson-area-business. Dear Old Clemson will donate portions of funds from local companies that pay student athletes to help promote their business.
“When Clemson is successful in athletics, it certainly helps my business. I know it helps the other business, “Beatty said. “Clemson is a tourist town. People come here to see their tigers and when they are here, they visit the center, shop in our shops, eat in our restaurants and sleep in our hotels.
“When Clemson plays well on the athletic fields, it benefits the whole community.”
A number of former Clemson athletes will serve as advisors to Dear Old Clemson. Former student athletes will determine the best way to raise and distribute funds for the sports they have played at Clemson.
Former football players Kyle Parker, Adam Humphreys and Shaq Lawson have joined, and softball star Sam Russ is also an advisor. Parker will also be a baseball advisor.
“We have some other people that we are almost certain will get on board. They just didn’t give us permission to announce, “McRae said. “But to have the players we already have and why we want to participate is because they have experience in their particular sport.
“They will help us decide what good events to have. What is a good way to attract former athletes? In addition, they will be very important on how to allocate funds for this particular sport. They will have a big impact on how to do that. “
About Dear Old Clemson
Dear Old Clemson, LLC was established in April 2022. The team compensates Clemson student athletes for attending events, promoting business, signing collectibles, selling collectibles, and interacting with members in person and virtually. Dear Old Clemson is fully compatible. The only athletes compensated for the use of their name, image and likeness are those currently enrolled at Clemson University.
Clemson fans and businesses are encouraged to visit DearOldClemson.com for more information.