Written By: Dan Thompson
Over the past few years, a major controversy has clouded the world of college sports. As of July 1, 2021, the NCAA approved the name, image, and likeness (NIL) policy. A student athlete being able to sign NIL deals means they can enter into contracts to endorse products and make money off their personal brand. They can do commercials for TV, post branded ads on their social media channels, and have companies do the same. With this, many controversies arise. A lot of people are attached to the idea of college being for academics, and alongside came the sports, where the athletes played for their school pride and love for the game. As NCAA Division 1 sports grew, the topic of NIL became more and more of a pressing issue. If you sit and think about it, it is clear why. Schools such as Texas A&M, Duke University, and University of Florida make millions of dollars off one extremely popular, college sensations, such as Johnny Manziel, Zion Williamson, and Tim Tebow, just to name a few. When the school gains national attention from these generational athletes, the school becomes a hotspot, a place where rising college students want to attend. More people attend, and the school makes much more off of admissions. To many people, it did not seem fair that these athletes were not able to receive any money for all the revenue they were helping to generate.
Over these past few days, I was able to interview a few people about this pressing controversy. The first person I interviewed was my friend who goes to Louisiana State University. When asked about NIL, and if they are threatening the integrity behind college sports, he responded with, “When I was applying for college, I knew I was not going to go to a small school, and I knew a big school with a large sports program is something I wanted. Watching guys like Joe Burrow and Justin Jefferson tear it up at LSU made me realize just how awesome that atmosphere looked, and it was the type of college experience I wanted. The thought of those guys just being out there playing for free while producing a crowd of over 100,000 always seemed a little unfair to me, so I do not mind the big-time guys earning themselves some money if they are going to go right to the pros anyway”. That is another point a lot of people who support NIL have, is that a lot of these players are using college as a steppingstone to go to the pros, so if they do not get any sort of money, they will just go a different route that is not college in route to playing professionally. A big problem we saw arise before NIL deals were high school basketball players going to the Gatorade League (G-League), where they were able to earn $500,000 on their way to going to the NBA. In this sense, it keeps college sports in the mix. I also asked him if NIL deals affect his engagement with college sports and athletes. He replied with, “one big issue I do see with it is that the big-time schools have the big-time money. A school like LSU, we can drop a large sum of money on a big prospect. A smaller, less-known school may not be able to do so. So, in terms of my engagement, I feel as though I am continuously watching the same handful of teams being competitive within each other, then there is a fall off”. This is also a big concern within the business of NIL. If NIL deals are a top recruiting incentive, it is going to be difficult for a small school to keep up with a bidding war with a powerhouse program, such as Alabama or Georgia. Kids are also now going to be tempted by the money, and potentially not make the best decision on a school because of the dollar sign. Finally, I asked him how he believes NIL deals will evolve in the next five to ten years. He answered, “I believe the deals are going to get more and more drastic. Schools will start bidding wars with each other, and these athletes will have too much power. Hopefully, the NCAA can regulate it to an extent where it does not get out of hand”.
Regarding this same topic, I was also able to interview a friend of mine’s father, who shared a slightly different opinion. When asked if NIL is ruining the integrity of college sports, he replied, “Oh absolutely. Do you think guys like Barry Sanders and Michael Jordan went to their schools to get paid? They went for education and to play their sport. They both happened to be great at what they did and made careers out of it, but they did not exploit college to earn money. College is for learning, and unfortunately, it is turning into something else”. He fits a demographic of people who share very similar opinions. NIL deals also negatively affect a recruit’s decision-making process, as most choose the money over the proper school for them. The NCAA needs to structure the deals more like the NFL and have these deals be strictly brand-related and not school-related. When asked if any changes should be made, he mentioned how the NCAA needs to structure the deals more like the NFL and have these deals be strictly brand-related and not school-related. If NIL deals are formatted this way, it will still get the athletes their money without compromising the competitiveness of the sport and their college decision-making process. I asked him the same question as my friend, wondering if NIL deals are going to affect his engagement with college sports and athletes, he replied, “I will certainly still watch the big games, and stay loyal to my teams. Kudos to these kids, it is not their fault, if they can earn the money, they should. I just get bummed out sometimes seeing my team get crushed by 70 to a team filled with future NFL players”. When questioned about the evolution of NIL within the next decade, he believes it will get regulated and hopefully fine-tuned. It is a work in progress, and the amount of spotlight NIL has received will inevitably receive a call for action.
As for me, I agree with pieces of both. It felt unfair to watch Zion Williamson get national attention every night and not get a cent for it, but at the same time, he was going to college for free. What I believe most is the statement my friend’s father made. I believe college athletes should be able to make money from their name and likeness through brand deals, commercials, etc. I don’t think colleges should be bribing them with money to get them to their school as a recruiting tactic. It leads to an unfair power dynamic and decisions driven by money. College is a place that is supposed to help you lead the rest of your life, not an impulse decision made by a big money sign.
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