In the NIL era, there's still room for fun and charity in the Marquette-Wisconsin rivalry

OCONOMOWOC – The NCAA's allowing name, image and likeness deals for athletes has disrupted college sports.

There's been a lot of howling by critics over the last three years about the loss of traditions and individuals choosing themselves over teams as players enter the transfer portal to shop for the best deals.

But in this new era there is still space to have something like the Wisconsin vs. Marquette Celebrity Softball Slam on Sunday evening at Wisconsin Brewing Company Park. A time-tested rivalry was honored, money was raised for several charities and, yes, current college athletes got paid to make appearances.

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The event was the brainchild of Brian Lammi, the CEO and founder of sports marketing agency Team Lammi . He has deep connections to athletes on both sides of the state's biggest college rivalry. Lammi has known former UW basketball star Brian Butch for years, and Lammi helps with ex-MU sharpshooter Steve Novak's growing " 2sFrees3s " shooting competition. Lammi and Golden Eagles legend Travis Diener coach each other's kids.

Novak and Diener are closely involved with MU-related NIL collective Be The Difference . That spurred UW's Varsity Collective to help bolster their side, and soon the game was set at the ballpark of the American Association of Professional Baseball's Lake Country Dockhounds.

"They have a platform now," said Butch, who also works as a hoops broadcaster. "You got to teach these younger guys that even though the NIL is part of it, your longevity in how you can help a community is much bigger than the four years that you play or five years that you play. So I think teaching the younger guys a little bit about, hey, it’s about giving back and finding time."

The hundreds of spectators got to see a fun show. MU basketball star Kam Jones showed off his cannon arm at third base, while teammate Chase Ross tracked down several deep flies in right field. UW wide receiver Bryson Green beat Ross in a footrace while both wore large, inflatable Lake Louie beer cans. Badgers softball player Molly Schlosser won a dizzy-bat competition.

There was plenty of light-hearted banter between the sides. Former UW tight end Travis Beckum got on a microphone to say that only good thing about Marquette is the Marquette Interchange so people in Milwaukee can get to UW sporting events in Madison. Novak reminded Beckum that MU hasn't lost a football game since 1960 .

Novak hit a walk-off, two-run home run and took off his shirt while sprinting around the bases. That came after some shenanigans in which Diener, who had already hit two home runs, batted out of order in a last-ditch strategic ploy. Butch chided Diener about the value of a MU education, and then Beckum walked Diener to set the stage for Novak's heroics.

“Ultimately it’s friendly competition," Diener said. "We want to win. We all want to win. They want to win as well."

Travis Diener and Steve Novak like way Be The Difference collective works

Diener and Novak have been involved with the Be The Difference NIL from the start.

Novak said they looked at how other schools were setting up their collectives, but they decided to connect their athlete compensation with charity appearances.

"Jesuits call it 'men for others,'" Novak said. "I feel like we owe it to our donors to honor that."

Proceeds from the softball game went to charities that include the LC DockHounds Foundation, Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame Foundation, Kai Lermer Memorial Fund and the Nicole Ellis Foundation .

The Be the Difference NIL collective has previously partnered with groups such as Children's Wisconsin hospital and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee.

"I think you can tell by the way they carry themselves, if you watch the four men’s players and the four women’s players, just how much they enjoyed it," Diener said. "So they’re coming back and giving back and being involved in all these different charities that the collective is a part of. It’s not just here, it’s the Boys and Girls Club, all the things that we do as a collective.

"But I think if you go and watch these kids and how they interact with, whether it’s a sick child or a kid that maybe comes from an impoverished area, and how they treat them and how they brighten their day. I think that’s something the collective, that was the vision to start with. I think our athletes kind of carry out that vision to the highest degree."

Butch, Diener and Novak were all college athletes before NIL deals were allowed by the NCAA.

"I think it’s totally different than it was 18-24 months ago," said Diener, who did not disclose what the MU athletes were paid for their appearances. "I think we’re doing it the best way possible.

"We’re partnering with non-profits. We’re getting these student-athletes out in the community. Showing kind of the character of them. Obviously they’re getting compensated for it, but in order for teams or schools to remain competitive nationally, we have to have something in place. I think we’re doing it the right way by having these athletes in the community and kind of showcase who they are as people."

Butch doesn't like the way some schools are using NIL deals to lure athletes, but he also knows how quickly things can shift in this new world.

"It’s now a pay-for-play situation," Butch said. "And it will change more. I think it will get back to where it should be.

"Having kids that can use their names to run a camp or do whatever it might be. That’s what it was supposed to be. Right now, we’re not there. I think we will at some point."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: In the NIL era, there's still room for fun and charity in the Marquette-Wisconsin rivalry