Michigan State University trustees discussed potentially voting on increasing transparency for the for-profit athletics enterprise Spartan Media Ventures, but the proposal was shot down by a majority of the body, Trustee Mike Balow said during Friday’s board meeting.
The proposal, Balow said, would have dictated that Spartan Media Ventures be subject to Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act law and allowed trustees to view organizational documents without signing nondisclosure agreements. In February, Balow told The State News that he and Trustee Dennis Denno could only view those documents if they signed such agreements, which they both declined.
In his 11-minute closing statement to the board, Balow said he, Denno and Trustee Rema Vassar advocated for the vote to be added to the meeting agenda the day before the meeting, but the other five trustees refused to hold vote.
Public disagreements within the university’s governing body have become common since the board voted in December to allow MSU to enter into a brand management agreement with the nonprofit Spartan Ventures, which subsequently spun off the for-profit Spartan Media Ventures. The for-profit company is meant to maximize revenue generation within the athletics department and support Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals for student athletes.
Despite his concerns over transparency, Balow described both the initiatives as “huge watershed, innovative change” that will “forever change our athletic department” and reiterated his trust in Athletics Director J. Batt Friday.
Board Chair Brianna Scott addressed Balow’s concerns in her own closing comments, noting that Spartan Media Ventures is not the first instance of the board not having oversight of for-profit entities. She pointed to the MSU Research Foundation, a non-profit entity that administers grants and supports startups, as being founded the same principles as Spartan Media Ventures.
“We are not doing anything unethical,” Scott said. “We are doing things within the confines of the law. And more than 50 years ago, as I have stated, the research foundation was established within a similar affiliation agreement.”
In January, Spartan Ventures’ board was announced to include Guskiewicz, Scott and Vice President and Director of Athletics J. Batt.
Guskiewicz has said that Spartan Ventures is aiming for a July 1, 2026 launch.
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