NIL. Name, Image and Likeness. Put simply, college athletes can earn money utilizing their N,I and L in the general marketplace. I think it is quite straightforward when we think of Bronny James, Caitlin Clark, & Shedeur Sanders. These athletes have multi-million dollar valuations on their N,I, and L and have deals with Under Armour, Nike, and Gatorade among other large Fortune 500 companies. But how is this effecting the rest of college athletics?
I was "soccer player" at a D1 university in the late 90's and coached at a D1 school for a number of years and spent many a recruiting trip with many coaches, parents and athletes who lived in the old world of college athletics. Scholarship athletes did not, should not, and would not get paid for anything. There were times that you couldn't have an actual JOB where you earned an simple, hourly wage for fear that it could be influenced by boosters willing to pay my half decent, goalkeeper self more than market value for slinging sporting goods at weekend warriors. But I digress.
How has NIL changed the experience of the average college athlete? What are the benefits, drawbacks, and risks to college sports in this current environment? If you are a University Athletic Director, a High School Guidance counselor, a local sporting goods store owner in a university town - how has your job changed? How would you approach your role?
At Sports Business United, this space is not to have all the answers. The NIL environment is evolving and morphing almost daily. It is a great topic to encourage thought, discussion, reflection, and analysis to help drive understanding of business concepts like Sports Marketing, Promotion, Events, Public Relations, Finance, and Ethics.
NIL is another area that could be its own Sports Business United course and help unlock some key Business lessons and energize the students around a living, breathing topic that is evolving before our eyes every day.
Want to learn more? Sports Business United is your place.
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