Former Gonzaga guard Matt Santeglo joins Gonzaga Nation to talk about the Zags Collective initiative that's helping Bulldogs players connect with the Spokane community
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Zag fans, Dan Dickehoe and Gonzaga Nation
00:10 is back for another episode.
00:11 Today we're joined by a familiar face
00:14 and name to Gonzaga fans.
00:16 He is currently the director of athlete engagement
00:20 with the Zags Collective,
00:21 here to share a little bit more
00:23 about how things are going in regards to NIL.
00:26 So first off, Matt Santangelo, thank you for joining.
00:28 - Yeah, thank you for having me on.
00:30 - So you and I have had conversations in the past
00:33 about NIL and about the Zags Collective
00:35 and how people can get involved
00:37 and kind of be a benefit
00:39 to the athletic program at Gonzaga.
00:41 Any updates that are worth noting right now?
00:44 - Well, our partnership.
00:46 - Yes.
00:47 - I mean, this is pretty worth noting, notable.
00:50 No, our partnership with you is fantastic
00:52 because it allows us to create some really unique
00:55 and exclusive content with the student athletes
00:58 that just continues to provide value to all the members
01:02 who subscribe to the Zags Collective.
01:05 And those funds go right back into creating
01:07 more opportunities for the athletes.
01:09 So it's, you know, the update is just,
01:12 the word is getting out there, you know,
01:14 not name, image and likeness as a dirty three-letter acronym,
01:19 - Yeah.
01:20 - But more like, hey, this is an opportunity.
01:22 You know, the access to athletes we've never had before,
01:25 athletes out in the community doing a variety of things
01:30 we've never had before.
01:31 And so all this is more of an opportunity
01:34 than like a, oh my gosh, this is super scary.
01:37 - Yeah.
01:38 - And the more we get to tell that story
01:39 and the more we get that word out there,
01:40 the more people want to support understanding
01:43 the importance of it to keep Gonzaga at the level
01:47 that we've come to expect and love and enjoy.
01:50 - You mentioned NIL and it's kind of used
01:53 as a dirty term at times.
01:55 And it's funny because, you know,
01:56 I think there's going to be a ebb and flow
01:59 to figure out exactly where everything's going to fall
02:02 in a couple of years.
02:03 There's been highs and lows for many different programs,
02:07 but I think what I've seen is you guys are trying to build
02:09 it from the ground up and do it the correct way.
02:13 And I think a big part is having a former player
02:15 like yourself that had a ton of success
02:17 and has name recognition in Spokane
02:20 and with the school that's kind of helping drive it forward.
02:23 What are some of the challenges up till now
02:26 and how have you overcome those?
02:28 - Well, I think, you know, 'cause Gonzaga has done it
02:30 the Zag way for so long.
02:32 I mean, year over year, they do it with tremendous effort
02:37 and attention to compliance, to playing inside the rules
02:42 of what was, you know, the evolving change in rules.
02:46 Well, this is no different.
02:47 So you go from really, from our time, 25 years ago,
02:50 I hate to say it.
02:51 - Dating us there, geez.
02:52 - Uh-huh, I hate to say it.
02:54 But where you had no access to the athletes,
02:57 where the benefactors and supporters and fans
03:00 who loved Gonzaga basketball couldn't really interact
03:05 with you and I.
03:06 For 25 years, that's been the mantra.
03:09 Athletes are separate, they're inaccessible.
03:13 All of a sudden, flip that whole thing,
03:15 the paradigm shift of NIL.
03:16 Now athletes are accessible.
03:18 You can have them, you know, over for events.
03:21 You can have them show up and do camps and clinics
03:24 and coach.
03:25 You can have them be spokespeople for your businesses.
03:28 Completely different.
03:29 So that's been a huge challenge, just educating people
03:32 on like, hey, this is possible and it's a benefit to you
03:37 and it's necessary for the program.
03:39 So that whole educational piece has been a big challenge.
03:42 And then the shifting dynamic of the rules.
03:45 You know, what can be done, we're all learning it
03:47 on the fly because the plane's flying,
03:50 it's not fully built yet.
03:52 And so we're trying to figure that out.
03:54 So that's been a huge challenge as well.
03:56 And then really trying to understand the critical nature
04:00 of how this plays out for coaches
04:03 who are recruiting athletes.
04:05 'Cause NIL isn't involved.
04:06 Like Zeg's Collective is not involved in that piece.
04:09 So the coaches have to navigate that landscape
04:12 or that conversation with families and athletes
04:14 and now agents in order to kind of build out the roster
04:18 of athletes that end up at GU.
04:20 So it's a really dynamic, challenging place.
04:23 And as we're trying to do it the right way,
04:26 we want athletes that are out in the community,
04:28 you know, Community Cancer Fund, Hoop Fest,
04:32 Children's Hospital.
04:33 Like this is not just about the commercialization
04:36 of student athletes, name, image, and likeness.
04:38 This is a way for athletes to really engage
04:41 in our community in a way that they haven't done before.
04:44 - And that kind of led me into the next thing
04:46 I wanted to ask you about.
04:47 And the fact that, you know, Coach Few,
04:49 and I'm sure other coaches in other sports at Gonzaga
04:51 have done a really nice job of kind of setting the table
04:55 for student athletes to understand and know
04:56 there's things outside of their particular sports.
04:58 I know Coach Few would have us go to Children's Hospital,
05:01 Shriners, and different places over the years
05:03 that Camp Good Times, I think,
05:06 is something that's become important in recent years.
05:09 But now because of NIL, players do make some money
05:13 or have opportunities to go do more of those events.
05:17 But I think what's been unique from what I've seen is
05:20 there's been a nice mix of being involved
05:23 in community events to help people.
05:25 And then there's obviously the capitalist side where,
05:28 you know, hey, the business just wants me to hire me
05:30 for a commercial.
05:32 It's a win-win for both.
05:34 How do you delicately walk that line
05:36 in helping student athletes figure out
05:38 what exactly it is they want to do,
05:41 whether it's make money and give back,
05:43 or a combination of the two?
05:44 - Well, the nice thing about this,
05:46 and challenging too, 'cause you go to each athlete
05:48 for each thing, like, hey, Dan, do you want to do this?
05:51 Well, you're like, I don't know about that,
05:53 but I'll do this over here.
05:55 So it is kind of that back and forth negotiation
05:58 with the athlete, what they're willing to do.
06:00 Some people, like you and I, we don't mind speaking
06:02 in front of cameras and people.
06:04 Other people, that's like one of the greatest fears.
06:06 Like they wake up in cold sweats, you know,
06:08 having a nightmare of having to speak in front of people.
06:10 So it's trying to understand where the athlete,
06:12 you know, some on the non-profit or on the cause side,
06:16 you know, trying to understand
06:17 what the athlete's passionate about.
06:19 You know, Razier Bolton last year was fantastic
06:21 with giving backpacks and Rick Clark, you know,
06:23 but he was doing that because he wanted to do that.
06:27 So then you get into the commercialization of it,
06:29 are these athletes being paid?
06:31 It's like, how can we take this NIL engagement
06:35 and leverage it for greater success for the organization?
06:39 And how do we raise more money for Community Cancer Fund,
06:42 or all these ones, Camp Good Times,
06:45 or Children's Hospital?
06:47 So that's the idea, is like, hey, yeah,
06:49 these athletes are now, you know,
06:52 they're getting paid to show up
06:53 and lend their name, image, and likeness,
06:55 but this organization can leverage that,
06:58 and hopefully that return on investment
06:59 makes it all worthwhile, everyone wins.
07:02 That's the Zag way.
07:03 I mean, we're still, we, and I say this we,
07:05 collect, you know, us as Zags,
07:07 we're still involved in the community.
07:09 We're learning where needs are, we're helping people.
07:12 Now they're lending their, you know,
07:14 giving their name, image, and likeness to an organization,
07:17 and that organization is still able to market that
07:20 to help promote whatever their cause is.
07:23 And so I think that that's where it kind of starts to
07:27 even out and feel good because of there's, you know,
07:30 there is money changing hands,
07:31 and that's not necessarily a bad thing
07:32 'cause there's value there.
07:34 - That's a great update, I appreciate that.
07:36 If anybody wants to get more involved,
07:39 whether on an individual level or in the business level,
07:43 tell us how people can go find out more information.
07:45 - Yeah, zagscollective.com.
07:47 I mean, we got the whole social media thing,
07:49 so you can follow and support us there,
07:51 support us in spirit.
07:52 Certainly you can support with your resource too,
07:54 if that's an option.
07:57 So zagscollective.com, my contact information's there.
08:01 I have a partner, Nate Brown,
08:02 you'll see and hear from as well.
08:04 His contact information is there.
08:06 You know, you can become a member
08:08 and support us that way.
08:09 So there's a lot of different ways.
08:10 And I would encourage people,
08:13 there's not one cookie cutter thing to do.
08:16 Like if you're in a marketing department
08:18 or associated with a business,
08:21 there's a lot of creative things that we can do
08:22 to help support your messaging and your cause
08:25 and your growth and your reach
08:27 by utilizing name, image, and likeness as well.
08:29 So it really is one-off conversations
08:31 to try to find exactly where that good fit is,
08:35 but it all kind of starts at zagscollective.com.
08:38 - There you have it.
08:39 Zag Legend, Director of Athlete Engagement
08:42 with the Zags Collective, Matt Santangelo,
08:44 breaking down a lot of updates within the world of NIL.
08:48 Thanks for joining.
08:49 Gonzaga Nation will be back again soon with more updates.
08:53 Don't forget to check us out.
08:55 (upbeat music)
08:57 (upbeat music)