By Ben Westler, Megan Liebhaber and Eve Tinsley

BLOOMINGTON, IN (Nov. 5, 2024)

Between sunrise workouts, demanding class schedules, and late-night study sessions, IU cheerleader Emma Lenzini juggles a full course load and intense athletic commitments, all while navigating newfound opportunities under the name, image, and likeness (NIL) rules. Emma not only has to focus on her role as a student but also as a social media personality.

Student athletes like Emma deal with this balance daily, forming a focus not just on a rigorous athletic schedule and academic commitments, but balancing and representing themselves and their program online and on social media. With the presence of NIL deals in college athletics, a question of fairness is raised: Should young athletes with a growing social media presence influence the recruiting process in college sports?

The debate centers on whether the trend of college athletes being recruited for their social media presence is fair. This trend can place athletes with smaller followings or less marketable personas at a disadvantage, even if they have superior athletic abilities. High school and college athletes now must face added pressure to manage their image and grow a following on top of their time-consuming academic and athletic schedule. Critics have begun to argue that the emphasis on social media presence threatens the fairness and integrity of college athletic recruitment. Some argue that these recruiting tactics aren’t about money alone, but rather exploitative efforts to promote athletic programs and drive revenue and popularity among the media, fans and viewers.

College athletes such as Caitlin Clark and Livvy Dunn exemplify athletes who have built brands around their NIL. During Clark’s time playing basketball for the Iowa Hawkeyes, she boosted their revenue by upwards of $14 million dollars annually and nearly tripled the regular season viewership, benefiting the Hawkeyes’ entire program and business as a whole.

Livvy Dunn has done similar promotional work for the Louisiana State University gymnastics program. With almost 13 million followers across TikTok and Instagram, she has generated close to $10 million dollars in NIL deals, significantly boosting the viewership of college gymnastics, similar to Caitlin Clark. Both athletes represent the potential these deals hold as well as the importance of NIL in college sports today. Due to the increased visibility Clark and Dunn have brought to their teams, they have provided substantial benefits to their programs that may hold more weight in an organization’s eyes.

While these athletes illustrate why a program might recruit an athlete based on their following, the question of its fairness remains controversial. Galen Clavio, an Indiana University Sports Media Professor, has researched NIL deals extensively and provides valuable insight on the topic. When asked about the fairness of these NIL deals, Clavio said, “Whatever small positive affect an athlete might have from a really popular high school athlete coming in is going to be a drop in the bucket compared to the effects of having a winning team,” noting that no singular athlete can truly elevate a program’s success compared to the team’s collective achievements. Clavio’s claim is backed by the success of major football programs, which drive hundreds of millions in revenue during a successful season. Yet, does this apply equally to recruiting practices across every sport?

Noah Szik, a former Emory swimmer, makes a similar point that NIL deals are one of the lesser concerns for athletes. “You will make a lot more money as a successful NFL athlete,” he says. “That money is temporary”. Noah emphasizes the importance of focusing on an athlete’s sport rather than prioritizing NIL income as a college athlete. Emma Lenzini, an Indiana University cheerleader agrees, “It’s important to take advantage of NIL but not in the way that it gets in the way of many athletes’ main goal, professional sports,” emphasizing the need for a focus on athletic performance while using NIL to promote one’s skills rather primarily to make money. “I’ve definitely seen athletes with a strong social media following getting approached by brands, even if they’re not the biggest names on their teams,” she says, “ but athletic achievements still matter a lot”.

Both Noah and Emma express the importance of maintaining a strong athletic presence in order to truly find success. Whether an athlete’s goal is to make a profit or not, hard work is the common thread among those achieving success in both areas.

Professor Clavio, Emma Lenzini and Noah Szik all provide valuable insights yet conclude to the same point. While building a brand for oneself can provide an income, true individual profit and success comes from the success of a program on the field, court or even in the pool. NIL deals have transformed the world of college athletics from purely sport-focused to a business venture as well. Does this affect recruitment processes? It is too early to tell, but for now, skill remains the top priority. 

Name, Image, and Likeness, or NIL, has been a hot news topic since the 2021 Supreme Court decision allowing student athletes to profit on their individual brands. This series of “on the street” interviews explores local Bloomington residents and visitors opinions on the matter.

###