Happy NIL Day

NCAA athletes are finally able to profit off their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL).

Today is the day. July 1 is a day that many in college athletics have circled on their calendar for quite some time, except the NCAA of course for various reasons. The NCAA’s death grip on amateurism is finally slipping away, courtesy of the recent Supreme Court decision and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) legislation on the NCAA and state level.

As of 06/29 (via RossDellenger/Twitter)

via RossDellenger/Twitter

For most (read: a large majority of) college athletes, their college years represent the peak of their stardom. Look no further than a recent example — former Texas A&M gunslinger Johnny Manziel, who won the Heisman Trophy in [year] and completely flamed out in the NFL. And because it is the peak of their stardom, their earning capacity may never be higher, at least for the foreseeable future. Will some athletes that never play professionally eventually earn $100k+ per year? It is certainly possible, but it probably won’t happen any time soon.

One beauty of college athletes finally being able to cash in on their NIL, is that there are so many ways for them to make money. They can sign an endorsement deal, like Jackson State defensive end Antwan Owens did with Three Kings Grooming, “a black-owned hair product business.” They can engage with a company to be an ambassador, like University of Tennessee walk-on offensive lineman Parker Ball did with Extra Points, a college sports newsletter. They can sign autographs at a local business, like Iowa basketball star Jordan Bohannon is planning on doing. They can sell their own merchandise. They can publish sponsored social media posts. (I hope they properly disclose it in accordance with FTC guidelines.) They can be a guest on a local sports radio show and be compensated for it, potentially up to $25,000 a year. The list goes on and on.

Another beauty of college athletes finally being able to cash in on their NIL is that practically every single athlete has the opportunity to make money, no matter whether they play in a sport that generates money for their institution or whether they are recognizable to the masses.

Sure, Oklahoma star quarterback and Heisman hopeful Spencer Rattler has the potential to earn a significant amount of money, who has roughly 440,000 followers across Twitter and Instagram. The same sentiment applies toward Gonzaga center Chet Holmgren, the 2021 №1 overall basketball recruit, and frankly any other athlete that will be highly drafted in the four major North American professional leagues. But do not think for a second that Olivia Dunne, a female gymnast at LSU, will not bring in a significant amount of money. Why? She has 5 million (!!) followers across TikTok and Instagram and is the only college athlete to have more than 1 million followers on both TikTok and Instagram, per Action Network. In fact, Action Network’s Darren Rovell recently reported that Dunne could earn more than $1 million in the not-too-distant future.

Haley and Hanna Cavinder of Fresno State women’s basketball won’t be far behind, either, in terms of their earning potential. They each have over 250k followers on Instagram and their joint TikTok account has 3.3 million followers.

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For further reference, the Action Network compiled a list of 20 athletes that will lead the way in capitalizing on their NIL. While I recognized some, I did not recognize all of them, and I’m sure you won’t, either.

Beyond the names cited above and in the linked article, don’t you think that a college athlete at a Division-1 institution, whether they are a walk-on or on scholarship, can return to his or her hometown, a place where they are probably a local legend, and sign autographs and take photos in exchange for money, and/or publish a social media post sponsored by one of their local eateries? I do. Look no further than the Tennessee walk-on football player (Parker Ball) or the Jackson State football player (Antwan Owens) referenced above, and that’s on a national level. Heck, if a college athlete, regardless of whether they make front-page headlines or don’t even make the box score, has an outgoing personality and some creativity, they can monetize a YouTube channel. Newsflash: this is already being done, sans the monetary aspect of it.

Alternatively, consider the Mississippi State baseball players that won the College Baseball World Series last night. I reckon that they have an opportunity, at least in the interim, to strike while the iron is hot and make some decent coin on either the local or national level.

Altogether, the possibilities are endless.

Now, such an opportunity for the lesser-known athletes will most likely not allow them to retire early by any means nor will it increase their bank account 100x. But, and I cannot stress this enough, it is extra money in their pocket that was not previously available to them.

It’s about damn time.