Noah Gross

I am an exploratory major and I am trying out media school to see if I like it. I enjoy taking photos and learning how to edit videos.



Projects by Noah Gross

News Story

NIL Affects Athletes of All Kinds Years Later

By Sienna Lyst, Skye Murrell and Noah Gross

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Nov. 5th, 2024)

On July 1, 2021, the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) approved the Name Image and Likeness (NIL) policy. This policy would allow college athletes to profit off of their personal Name Image and Likeness. This opened up several opportunities for brand deals and partnerships. This was a long awaited policy, but how is it affecting athletes and coaches now?

It has now been over three years since the NIL ruling was approved. Over the years, several athletes and schools have been affected in many different ways. NIL deals are now a part of the recruitment process for most sports. Even after three years, it is still a hot debate topic within the college athlete community. 

“Not technically, I have a scholarship but that doesn’t really make me a profit,” Purdue Fort Wayne Track and Field athlete Makenna Dommer said when asked if she gets paid to play her sport. This is one of the indirect ways that colleges and universities will pay their athletes to go to their school. According to Dr. Galen Clavio, a professor at Indiana University Bloomington, “The NCAA is desperately trying to enforce rules.” One of these rules being that they can’t “pay-to-play”. This means that schools could not openly come out and pay their student athletes a salary for choosing their specific school and playing for their sports teams. “No, I don’t think so,” Dommer also said when asked if she thinks she should be paid. 

Makenna Dommer practices disc throwing outside on a sunny day.
Makenna Dommer practices her disc throwing out in the field on a sunny day. She works hard on her team in college, finding reward in such a difficult sport. Photo courtesy of Makenna Dommer.

NIL deals are a big reason why a lot of athletes choose their school. “With a school that has a good NIL program you have a lot more opportunities to be able to pay for school,” Dommer said.  This is one of things that changed the most with the NIL ruling. “Only the big mainstream sports are guaranteed full scholarships, like I said I ran track, so I only got books,” Bruce Stephens, a coach at New Haven High School and former Purdue Track and Field Athlete, said. Before NIL deals were legal, most athletes were only getting small scholarships that barely covered any of their schooling. When Stephens was competing at Purdue, he did not have an NIL deal. It wasn’t until his Junior or Senior year that NIL deals started.

NIL deals affect coaches more than some assume. “I don’t think that necessarily, for me as a coach. NIL is something that I will push for them to focus on during the recruitment process,” Stephens said when asked if he has spoken to his athletes about NIL deals, “There are, however, many college student athletes and there’s like less than 0.1% that go pro.” Most coaches of smaller and less followed sports will not push NIL onto their athletes.

Bruce Stephens leaps over a hurdle in the Purdue gym.
Bruce Stephens leaps over a hurdle in his college days at Purdue. He spent his college in track and field and used his experience to coach track and field for high school students. Photo courtesy of Bruce Stephens.

“Yes, we had a whole meeting about it at the beginning of the year and it showed us how it was set up, how you can get the store out there, and how people can buy your merch,” Dommer said when asked if she was spoken to about NIL by any of her coaches. This was helpful to her because, as a track athlete, she does not get an automatic NIL deal. “Our basketball team all have automatic NIL deals through the school,” Dommer said. This goes along with what Stephens said about how only big names and mainstream sports get offered NIL deals. “For a guy that goes to a big school, I don’t think it’s hard at all,” Dommer said when asked if she believes it is hard to get an NIL deal.

Dr. Galen Clavio speaks to a classroom at a "press conference."
Dr. Galen Clavio speaks to the C250 class on the subject of NIL during a mock press conference. Students were able to ask any questions related to NIL for their projects. Photo courtesy of Emma Pearce.

Most college athletes do not end up getting brand deals or partnerships because they are not a big enough name. “I would highly recommend that we start teaching social media branding at the high school level,” Dr. Galen Clavio, Director of the National Sports Journalism Center at IU, said while speaking to a class on the topic of NIL. This would make it easier for athletes to engage with companies and brands that could be potential partners. This would also give athletes an opportunity to learn more advanced media literacy skills which could help them later in their careers.

Most college athletes and coaches believe that the NIL ruling was a good decision. It allows athletes to pay for their schooling and it allows coaches to fund their sport and athletes.

 

Individuals weigh in on the effects of NIL on IU students. Many different opinions exist across campus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Public Relations Story

Tim Cook Unveils Apple Watch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tim Cook Unveils Apple Watch

Media Contacts
Amy Hansen
Noah Gross
Jordan Campbell

 

CUPERTINO, California (Sept. 9, 2014) — Today, Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, introduced the new Apple Watch. The revolutionary creation of the watch is a shocker to all because of its incredible new features.

The Apple Watch has extensive innovative features such as its ability to tell accurate time and set timers, along with a clean appearance with stainless steel wrist straps that can fit any size. It also has the ability to work seamlessly with the iPhone, making it easier to connect with others through your watch. The watch itself is “extremely customizable” according to Cook, so the details of the watch can match your personality. Not only is the watch able to tell time like a normal wristwatch can, it can also track your health and fitness. It tracks your heartbeat, calories, and steps to ensure the user’s accurate workout information. Cook’s product is exceedingly simple to navigate, the watch is a touch screen and has a crown on the side of it making zooming and selecting easier

Professor Joe Glennon, uses his apple watch to check the time before his next class starts. The apple watch is convenient for him because it is easy access and always on standby rather than a cellphone.

It can sense when the wearer raises their wrist activating the home screen, ready for the user to select anything that is needed through the extensive apps it has access to. If the user needs to make a quick call all they have to do is click the button below the crown which switches the screen to their contacts. Through the watch, you can talk to others and also send texts through your voice or automated responses made for efficiency. On top of those features, the user can also listen to music.

Student, Sylvia Sasse, uses her watch to track her fitness and steps. The apple watch is a useful way for an athlete to stay on top of their exercise.

The watch’s structure is very sturdy, being made out of sapphire crystal which is the second strongest transparent element after diamond. The watch is able to identify clicks and presses, each of them having a different effect on what pops up. To charge the device all one has to do is simply connect the charger which automatically will attach. The personalization of the tool varies, the background for the watch is completely customizable. Users can add the time, reminders, moving backgrounds, weather, and when the sun is going to rise or set. The user also has the choice to pick different colors, materials, and textures of their wrist straps. There is a sweatband strap that is made for working out and, according to Jony Ive Apple Senior VP, is “…made from a tough, durable, sweat, and chemical resistant high-performance elastomer”. Each strap has a different function for everyday life, their variation is up to six uniquely styled bands that perform differently from each other. The option of a smaller watch is also available just in case the wrist size does not match the screen size.

The customizable features continue on past the appearance of the watch and goes into how the watch is used. For example, in your messages you can send custom made emoji’s that match whatever text your are replying to. The user also has the option to send drawings or certain beats that alerts the person they are texting. The beats are completely silent and only the wearer can notice them. Another new feature is the fitness and workout app that were added specifically for wearer’s to set workout goals. Within the fitness app you can track your activity throughout the day, whether you are moving, excersizing, or standing still the watch is able to tell you the exact amount of time you spend doing each task. The moving portion of the app shows how many calories you burned which gives an accurate showing of how active you are. The exercising portion shows how much time you were spending exercising, they track this by measuring heartbeat which is managed by the sensors on the back of the watch. The stand portion is put into minutes and shows how much time the person has been sitting. The main purpose of this app is to help keep watch users healthy. In the workout app users can set daily goals they would like to accomplish. With these goals in place the watch can then monitor and keep track to see if those targets are complete. The future of Apple is emphasized by Cook “Apple builds great products that enriches peoples lives and arguably we can take that to a whole new level with Apple Watch”, with these new features the health, comfort, and general needs for a person’s everyday life will be greatly improved.

Ceo of apple, Tim Cook, showing people the new product apple watch for the first. Everyone in the room has high energy and is excited about Apple’s new product. 

Ceo of apple, Time Cook, is explaining and showing all the different new unique features the new apple watch has. And what it has to offer. 

###