College basketball event with huge NIL payouts coming to Las Vegas

A name, image and likeness company plans to host a Thanksgiving week college basketball tournament in Las Vegas while providing the athletes with millions of dollars in earnings opportunities.

The Players Era Festival will be held Nov. 26, 27 and 30 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The eight schools taking part in the inaugural event are Houston, Alabama, Notre Dame, Oregon, San Diego State, Texas A&M, Creighton and Rutgers.

Players on each team will have the chance to take part in NIL opportunities worth more than $1 million, including autograph signings and community and charity service. Select top-tier players will have an opportunity to engage in additional NCAA-approved NIL activities. There is a total of $9 million available for the players on the eight teams.

Players Era is an entity that looks to provide collegiate athletes with NIL opportunities.

“Over the past decade, the MGM Grand Garden Arena has hosted some of the biggest programs in college basketball as well as the sport’s top student-athletes,” said Lance Evans, MGM Resorts International’s senior vice president of sports and sponsorships, in a statement. “We look forward to partnering with Players Era for this championship basketball event, and showcasing why we continue to be the leader in hosting live events in the entertainment and sports capital of the world.”

The eight participating teams will be broken up into two groups: The Impact Tournament (Alabama, Houston, Notre Dame, Rutgers) and the Power Tournament (Creighton, Oregon, San Diego State, Texas A&M).

The schools in each division will play each other once. The team with the best record in each tournament will be declared the winner.

The games will air on TNT, TBS and truTV and be available for streaming on Max. The event plans to expand to 18 teams in 2025.

Players Era Festival schedule

All games at MGM Grand Garden Arena

Nov. 26

San Diego State vs. Creighton — 11 a.m.

Oregon vs. Texas A&M — 1:30 p.m.

Houston vs. Alabama — 5 p.m.

Rutgers vs. Notre Dame — 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 27

Oregon vs. San Diego State — 1 p.m.

Texas A&M vs. Creighton — 3:30 p.m.

Rutgers vs. Alabama — 7 p.m.

Notre Dame vs. Houston — 9:30 p.m.

Nov. 30

Alabama vs. Notre Dame — 10 a.m.

Rutgers vs. Houston — 12:30 p.m.

San Diego State vs. Texas A&M — 4 p.m.

Oregon vs. Creighton — 6:30 p.m.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.