The Players Era Festival has quickly become one of the most talked-about additions to college basketball’s early-season calendar, not just because of its high-profile matchups but because of its unconventional structure. Built around marquee matchups and athlete empowerment through NIL, the event has now taken place for two consecutive years during Thanksgiving week in Las Vegas.
In 2024, there were only eight teams, but this year, 18 teams competed for a spot in the championship game. The women’s tournament featured four teams in the pool: South Carolina, Duke, Texas, and UCLA.
How Does the Players Era Festival Work?
When it comes to the competition itself, the format diverges from the traditional, single-elimination bracket most fans are accustomed to.
The Players Era Festival tournament begins with a pool play phase, where teams play two predetermined, high-profile games. This structure is excellent for broadcasters and fans because it guarantees those must-watch matchups right from the start, regardless of early outcomes.
A strict hierarchy is followed to determine the matchups of the final day games. First comes the head-to-head record, then the total point differential, making every single possession of the first two games absolutely critical. The margin of victory decides who will play for the title, the third-place match, and the consolation games.
The order is determined by:
- Win/loss record
- Head-to-head record
- Point differential (capped at 20 points per game)
- Total points scored
- Total points allowed
- Associated Press ranking as of the beginning of the tournament
However, Seth Berger, the event’s founder and CEO, recently hinted at reconsidering the current setup in a conversation with ESPN after facing online backlash this past week due to late announcements of matchups. As the final day matchups cannot be scheduled unless all teams have played their first two games, maintaining the current format could prove challenging, especially if the event expands to 32 teams next year.
Origin of the Players Era Festival Tournament
Berger founded the Players Era Festival to make a difference in the lives of young basketball players and to offer something for college hoops fans to look forward to in November, he said to CBS Sports.
But the final push came after a middleman contacted his son with a questionable offer.
“A couple of years ago, this opportunity came up because one of my sons, then playing Division I basketball, was hit up by an NIL agent, who said, ‘Let me get your rights for free,’” Berger told “Field of 68: After Dark” podcast’s Jeff Goodman. “And I immediately thought, in this new economy–credit to Charlie Baker–there are so many people who are going to try to take advantage of the kids.”
Berger decided to start a company “to do right by the kids” and “meaningfully compensate them for the NILs.”
NIL Payouts and Prize Money
A guaranteed, substantial NIL payout that is funneled directly to the participating teams’ NIL collectives for the benefit of the players. Each team will receive a minimum of $1 million, along with additional millions in potential prize money for the champion.
Berger revealed in the interview that their goal is to meet the fair market value for all the competing teams.
“They perform NIL activities, they post on social media, and in the first two years alone, we’ve put $30 million in the pockets of college basketball players. Next year, there’ll atleast be $30 million more.”
According to ESPN, the winner of the championship game between Michigan and Gonzaga will receive an additional $1 million in NIL compensation, whereas the losing team will earn $500,000. The winner of the third-place contestants, Tennessee and Kansas, will take home $300,000, and the loser will get $200,000.
When top-tier programs have to decide where to spend their holiday week, that kind of guaranteed cash immediately moves the Players Era Festival to the top of the list, often pulling them away from traditional, but financially less rewarding, tournaments.
