By; Marcella Losso, Maiza Munn, Aleta Shephard, Thomas Fels

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Nov. 5, 2024)

College athletics has and continues to evolve as Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights have changed, giving athletes new opportunities to financially benefit from their talent, even those in less popular sports. Two Indiana University freshmen, Adrianna Lojewski and Claire Stuhlmacher, swim for the school and share their take on how NIL impacts their sports performance and teammates. Galen Clavio also shares how the ever-changing world of NIL has developed and functions through his press conference. 

Lojewski grew up in Florida surrounded by a family of swimmers. She competes as a girl’s sprinter swimmer here at IU. Lojewski chose IU because of its strong swimming program and uplifting environment. Stuhlmacher competes as a distance swimmer which was paved by her past experiences. She has moved countless times in her lifetime, one location being Hawaii, where she competed in open-water swimming starting at a young age. Stuhlmachers made her way to the Junior World Championships, which she says were major stepping stones in her swimming career.

Both Lojewski and Stuhlmacher have interacted with different opportunities regarding NIL. During Dr. Clavio’s press conference, he discussed how athletes have to do it all on their own,  he discussed how we as humans have the right to benefit from our names, looks, etc. New rights were not made for NIL. “The removal of restrictions that were being imposed by college athletic apartments upon college athletes,” Clavio says.  They find the process straightforward and easy. “It’s as easy as DMing companies or having them reach out to you,” Stuhlmacher said. With such an easy process they have been able to focus on creating a personal brand specifically through social media. Social media gives athletes a platform to present a good, positive image to gain more partnerships with brands. “You don’t have space limitations in social media,” Dr. Clavio says. 

Some people wonder if there is pressure for athletes to secure NIL deals within their sports. Both Lojewski and Stuhlmacher say it does not take away from their focus but it pushes them to a deeper commitment to swimming. “It just shows our dedication; nobody is trying to outdo each other,” Lojewski says. IU’s swimming community stays strong as each athlete supports one another in opportunities and successes. Including things like reposting one another’s social media and helping them film content. 

Oftentimes people question the fairness of NIL, considering there are less prominent sports such as swimming. Lojewski and Stuhlmacher both see this issue and acknowledge it because some sports are so popular. They still appreciate their opportunities and take advantage of them. “We understand that larger sports may attract more attention, but any chance to pursue NIL is a good one for us,” Stuhlmacher says. Dr. Clavio also discusses how certain schools do not have the financial stability to support NIL as much as others do. “There are too many teams in the mix who do not have the financial resources to compete,” Clavio says. The pool is so big and it all depends on the success of these schools’ athletics to gain these financial resources to compete. 

IU has invested a great amount of time and money into supporting its athletes and their NIL experiences. They have hosted NIL fairs and give athletes direction on how to navigate their opportunities and learn more about the topic. Lojewski and Stuhlmacher explained how appreciative they are of IU’s support because it has allowed them to feel confident in their decisions and feel well-educated on NIL. Dr. Clavio also expresses how important he thinks it is to educate student-athletes starting at the high school level when deals may start to come their way. 

The NIL world will continue to develop and athletes like Lojewski and Stuhlmacher believe that colleges should make it a point to educate their athletes to make sure they have a grasp on how to manage their NIL deals to their fullest advantage. These swimmers also believe that equality needs to come to fruition to make sure all athletes’ hard work can pay off through NIL. As athletes work their way through this new era with the support of their colleges they can benefit from their sports even those in less “popular” sports. The future holds many opportunities for Lojewski and Stuhlmacher along with all the other athletes looking to monetize from the NIL world.

BLOOMINGTON, IN – November 5, 2024 Voxpop interview on Indiana University campus and Kirkwood Avenue in Bloomington, Indiana to determine public opinion on college athletes receiving NIL benefits. Video taken/edited by Maiza Munn and Thomas Fels