Money is one of three things.

Money is good. Money is manipulative. Money is powerful.

Dave Ramsey, founder of Ramsey Solutions, once said, “We’re blessed to be a blessing, to bring light to a dark world… I want to find how many ways a $20 bill or $100 bill or more can become a generosity butterfly.”

Money is good.

Jordan Belfort was one of the most successful people in all of America in the 90’s. Belfort was not born into wealth but rather created it himself through his company Stratton Oakmont, a stock brokerage firm. Belfort was eventually arrested and convicted on charges of fraud and money laundering. Years later when he was asked about why he did it, Belfort said, “I got greedy.” A man who came from nothing got the taste of money and lost everything because of greed.

Money is manipulative.

When President Donald Trump was running for election in 2016 a lot was asked about his business and specifically what he did with his money. He made one remark saying when he was a businessman, he would give to both republicans and democrats. Why they asked, “because when I needed a favor, I knew who to call,” said Trump.

Money is Powerful.

Knowing the strong impacts of money makes the topic of name, image, and likeliness (NIL) so interesting, and specifically the impacts it has on recruiting. Can it all get chalked up to being a good thing that college athletes are being paid or is there more to it. Is money manipulating kids into making decisions on where to attend school or giving universities power over young adults?

During this current football season, the quarterback from UNLV sat out of games and ultimately transferred due to not receiving a payment he was promised during recruiting. Dr Galen Clavio, an expert on NIL, said, “If he was promised all of that money and it wasn’t delivered (then) why should he stay.”

UNLV was undefeated and ranked prior to the quarterback’s decision to transfer out. Knowing this must make one ask, was going to UNLV only about the money and not the school or quality of the team? Also, Did UNLV use the incentive of money as power to get a recruit?  It would not be outrageous to assume so, considering how it all played out. And if this is going down at UNLV, a Group of 5 school that wouldn’t nearly have the source of revenue and donor money a Power 4 school would have, is this happening at a much larger level elsewhere?

We interviewed three different Division I athletes and asked them all the same questions. First what NIL deals do they have, was money brought up during recruiting and if so, what impact did that have. Finally, what made them decide to go to school where they did?

Drew Thompson, a freshman that plays soccer here at Indiana University, said, “My only NIL deal is through the school with the Indiana NIL Store, but nothing with outside companies or anything like that.” He then said, “Money was never brought up in recruiting and had no impact. I landed on IU because of the coaches and the success of the program. But also, it’s close to home and I’ve always been a fan.”

Spencer Porath, the starting football kicker at Purdue University, had a similar response to Thompson on the first question, saying, “My NIL deals come through the school at our (NIL) store. I don’t have any other deals with companies but some of my teammates do.” When asked about how they go about getting those deals, Porath said, “It just depends on person to person.” I then asked him about his thoughts on NIL impact on recruits, Porath said, “I can only really speak on my own recruiting process but I’m sure that it might affect more people than others, personally though it didn’t even really come to my mind.” I then asked him if NIL was brought up during recruiting and he responded, “No I didn’t even know how it would work until I was signed.” Finally, I asked what made him choose Purdue. “I liked the kicking coach a lot and it came down to scholarships and play time. The rules for offering kickers scholarships are different [from] other positions so Purdue could offer me a full ride and I could start as a freshman.”

Our final interviewee chose to stay anonymous. He is a football player at a Power 4 school now after transferring in from a Group of 5 after two seasons there. “Here, I have one through the school and two with local companies on campus.” When asked how that compared to his previous school, he said, “There really wasn’t NIL where I came from.” We then asked what impact that had on his decision to leave, he said, “It was one factor but not everything. I wanted to leave because I could play at a higher level of football and that would help with my ultimate goal of making it to the NFL.” Ultimately, when asked why he chose the school he did over other schools he had offers from to transfer to, he said, “Coaching was a factor for sure, so was money. I was promised some money to come here which was obviously appealing but also just the goal of getting to the next level, I thought that was most obtainable here.”

As a new generation of athletes, many of which have had the influence of social media and the internet around their entire lives, become more and more involved in different schools’ programs, it’s clear that while NIL is certainly a factor students are paying more and more attention to. However, it seems that lately it still remains only one factor taken into consideration along with things like scholarships and coaching, as these athletes work to reach their goals.

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By Reagan Wilmot, Margaret Kirkpatrick and Olivia Gee

BLOOMINGTON, IN (Nov. 5, 2024)

An international student says goodbye to their family and friends, steps onto the plane and touches down in a foreign country unknown to them. They try to adjust to a new place, navigating school, friends and an intense schedule as a D1 athlete and cannot help but notice the differences between them and their teammates who have lived here forever. For decades college athletes have dedicated their lives playing a sport on the collegiate level and received little in return, but for many athletes this is changing.

NIL has become the rising question within the college athletics community. This rise has created questions from audiences and participants of its qualifications, restrictions, growth and more. With these varying questions, many are faced with the main question of “What is it?” NIL, Name, Image and Likeness, describes the means of how students participating in collegiate athletics are able to receive compensation for themselves. The main reward being financial opportunities. Overall, this new ruling allows for college athletes to receive financial compensation, brand building, engagement with audiences and a jump start on developing a career. The introduction of NIL into collegiate athletics has opened hundreds of opportunities for college students who have devoted time to competing in their sports. This new ruling has not only created benefits for athletes but the sports industry as a whole. Several jobs have been created in the athletic departments to help athletes with managing brand deals, jobs, media status and more. 

There’s no doubt that NIL has opened doors for collegiate athletes, the question is to what extent? NIL has benefited the lives of thousands of student athletes, giving them the opportunity to profit off of their names, images and likeness. Caitlin Clark, former Iowa women’s basketball player made an estimated $3 million during her time at Iowa. Arch Manning, current UT Austin football player, has a valuation of $3.1 million. The benefits of NIL have changed both college athletic programs and collegiate athletes’ lives, as Dr. Clavio, associate Dean for Undergraduate Education for The Media School explains, “athletes capitalized almost immediately off of publicity”, but what about the athletes who cannot benefit from NIL?

 

 

 

 

As colleges begin to grow their numbers, the influx of international students expands as well. This influx then allows collegiate sports to increase their diversity in athletes. However, with NIL, these international students are experiencing issues that their teammates may not be. Due to federal regulations, any individual who does own a visa cannot work to earn money while in the United States. Federal visa laws control this regulation rather than individual universities or separate organizations. This means that any United States citizen that is participating in a collegiate sport can benefit from their name, image and likeness while non-citizens cannot. This creates conflicts for international students as they continue to perform in their sport while their teammates earn money, a larger media presence and overall more opportunities.

Kristina Vicnic, member of the IU track and field team, has faced unique challenges in pursuing NIL deals due to her international status. Vicnic, who came to Indiana University from Ontario, Canada, described how she was recently approached by two local companies in Bloomington to help promote their businesses and receive gift card credit for her posts. Vicnic was excited to receive the opportunity to benefit from her image, but due to her international status she says she “had to decline those offers” as she is not able to “be paid” nor post for these companies while residing in the United States. Vicnic is on an I-20 student visa. This only allows her to work up to 20 hours and because she is a student-athlete for 20 hours, she essentially is prohibited from working at all. Kristina Vicnic and all other international athletes are dedicating their lives to play a sport at the collegiate level and on top of this, they are leaving behind their families and friends. When asked if she thinks the NIL landscape will change in the future to accommodate international athletes better, Vicnic expressed her hopes saying “I would hope it does, as an international student-athlete, I would love the opportunity to be involved with my college community just like my peers. I think it would be a great networking opportunity and open doors for us”. Vicnic and thousands of other international athletes recognize the opportunity that NIL brings for collegiate athletes. 

The introduction of NIL into collegiate level athletics has transformed college athletics entirely. NIL has and will continue to make a lasting impact on college athletic programs and athletes’ lives. International athletes devote their lives to play on a collegiate level in a country entirely new to them. They are putting in the same amount of time and effort as domestic athletes, but lack the same opportunities their teammates are receiving. As Dr. Clavio expressed, NIL is a “deep and complicated topic”. This lack of opportunity for international athletes is one of the aspects that makes NIL so complex. It’s important to acknowledge that there’s room for improvement within the concept of NIL in college athletics. Why shouldn’t international athletes be receiving the same opportunities to benefit from NIL like their teammates?

Bloomington residents give their opinion on NIL concerning international students within collegiate athletics.

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The Volatile Future of NIL and its Effect on Young Athletes

By Finley Bisch, Zach Sherman, and Courtney Holland

In June of 2021, the Supreme court ruled that college athletes could make money off their name, image and likeness or NIL. This ruling quickly became one of the more confusing and controversial court rulings on college sports in a long time.  

With these new laws evolving so rapidly, fans and athletes alike got confused, taking the enjoyment out of watching college sports.  

NIL has been confusing since the start. Dr. Galen Clavio, sports media professor at Indiana University, spoke at a press conference about the history and the details of NIL.  

Speaking on the confusion at its inception he said, “instead of coming up with a plan, the NCAA essentially punted and left it up to the states.” 

Dr. Clavio also spoke on the futures of student athletes and NIL. He noted that “amateur college sports are over” due to the fact that schools are spending $15-20 million in NIL deals to keep players on their rosters, essentially paying them for playing sports. 

This pay-for-play model is something that NIL has tried to avoid and is something that Clavio warned against.  

While he’s very informed, Dr. Clavio can only provide an academic view on NIL. To get a real look from athletes, we interviewed Joran Rayford and Brody Marcet. 

Jordan Rayford is an IU basketball team member. Rayford is in his second year of playing for the Indiana basketball team.  

He has experienced NIL and profits off of it. When asked about what NIL means, Rayford said, “to me it means the opportunity to profit off my name and then get a share of the revenue that college sports make.”  

 

However, since he is new to the entirety of NIL, he continues to say, “I can’t name any specific laws about it.”  

Rayford, despite the fact that he has experience and profited from NIL, is one of the many athletes who is confused about what it all means.  

Moreover, he says, “I guess they’re changing the rules a little bit, it’s more like revenue sharing and the collectives…you can’t pay players an outrageous amount of money for doing something basic. The collectives are going to be controlled more,” he says.  

Rayford is just one of many athletes who are confused by the laws, and don’t feel as though the confusion is worth it.  

Brody Marcet, a swimmer from Ohio State is in his first year of eligibility. He echoed the confusion that Rayford experienced, especially because of the way that NIL laws in Ohio,  

“Theres like zero regulation, besides what’s regulated,” said Marcet, “You can basically do whatever you want until you can’t.” 

This confusion can be stressful for athletes, who are all attempting to do good in school, perform at their top levels while also not breaking any laws that will ban them from their sports and their schools.  

Despite the confusion, Marcet spoke of one benefit that he found, and that is the Chipotle Card, wherein student athletes get free Chipotle once a week for the entirety of their season. This is due to NIL.  

Unlike Rayford, Marcet is in a sport that isn’t as popular as basketball or football. He says that this is difficult because he has many friends that are on other, more recognized teams who benefit more from NIL deals.  

“The entire Utah football team got Ford trucks a couple of years ago, and that sucks because I just got a chipotle card and a couple free shorts from brands. Obviously, I’m grateful and very lucky to be getting anything at all.” said Marcet. He wanted it reiterated that he does feel lucky because many college students do not get this opportunity.  

However, there was a time before NIL when thousands of “regular” college students were given the ability to profit off of themselves, but athletes were not.  

Dr. Clavio noted this, saying that “[NIL] is not new rights, but the removal of restrictions”. It was after this statement that he also noted that there needs to be some sort of codified take on NIL, in order to prevent empty promises for athletes.  

In the future, that code would also likely persuade athletes to go into professional sports after college. As Dr. Clavio stated previously, NIL is destroying amateur sports.  

This was echoed by Marcet who said, “Athletes aren’t going pro out of college anymore; they’re making way more money in college with NIL.” 

He is not wrong, pointing to Caitlyn Clark making millions of dollars in her senior year at the University of Iowa.  

After talking with these two athletes and listening to Dr. Clavio, it is evident that there needs to be much more regulation and clarity of laws regarding NIL and the deals that these athletes should be allowed to make. 

 

IU students and staff weigh in on NIL, giving their opinions on how it involves members of the Indiana University community.

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By: Charlotte Young, Ava Burgio, Orli Gluzman

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Nov. 5, 2024) – In the wake of the 2021 Supreme Court ruling that allowed NCAA athletes to profit from their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), college athletics has undergone a transformation, specifically for female athletes this change brings opportunity (or some argue lack thereof). As athletes either embrace or question these new opportunities, questions arise about the impact on their attitudes, choices, and dynamic as teams. Our investigation delves into whether the NIL Supreme Court ruling is shaping the motivations and decisions of student-athletes today.

Across college campuses, opinions differ among athletes across different sports. Whether NIL is benefiting them or causing problems, is a tossup based on the athlete you talk to. Among those athletes, Abigail McDonald, a previous Division III diver from Wittenberg University reflects on the negatives of NIL, saying, “smaller universities don’t care about specific teams… leaving some athletes unable to profit while others are making lots of money.” She also spoke about the differing treatment based on gender, “women in sports are not treated the same”. For many young athletes, the promise of financial support can influence their choices, making them more selective about where to commit, leaving these smaller schools with less applicants, but it becomes an issue when athletes are left confused why some are given opportunities others aren’t. 

The advantages of NIL are not universally felt. During a recent interview, Jeremy Gray, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Strategic Communications at Indiana University, highlighted the disparities in support between male and female athletes. “Women often receive less visibility and fewer resources,” he said, adding that they are not featured as prominently in promotional materials. “It’s a challenge for female athletes to compete for attention and sponsorships compared to their male counterparts.” Gray emphasized that while NIL can provide opportunities, it also presents hurdles. “If a player knows they can secure more money at another school, it can skew their decision-making,” he said. This financial pressure may lead to an environment where talent is overshadowed by financial incentives, complicating the recruiting landscape.

In a differing opinion, some argue that NIL can have a positive impact on individuals, including females. Dr. Glen Clavio, a professor who specializes in sports media said, “NIL has opened the door for many female athletes”. This opinion comes from the platforms that have blown up of some now influencers who started their social media journeys while on sports teams. “All 18 year olds that are students at Indiana University have the right to publicity”, said Dr. Clavio when providing more reasoning for his stance on the equality that NIL can provide student-athletes.

To capture the community’s sentiments about NIL, we conducted “person on the street” interviews, gathering opinions of people walking down Kirkwood avenue. An Indiana University student who works for the athletic department on campus, Lily Basil, said: “They (student-athletes) can use (NIL) to put themselves and their personalities in the world.” Her indifferent opinion grows from being surrounded by sports, and seeing how it can negatively and positively affect college athletics. Athletes are able to grow their social media presence because of their talent (or lack thereof) and gain followers to make a larger platform for themselves, how they use that platform is up to their own discretion. In a supporting view of NIL, an alumni of the University, Chris Sizemore, voiced his opinion saying, “They spend a lot of time in the gym and in the classroom and put a big effort onto the field or court- and the University makes quite a bit of money on that, and I think it’s fair that they do too.”

As athletes and their families navigate this evolving environment, the impact of NIL on recruitment cannot be understated. In states like Indiana, where specific NIL regulations are lacking, potential recruits must carefully consider their options. “It’s a new factor in the decision-making process,” said Gray. “High school athletes are now looking at not just the program, but the financial opportunities that come with it.”

Whether or not people agree on the positive or negative impacts of NIL, it is important to acknowledge the changes that come and will continue to come with the new attitudes and motives that have taken over student-athletes. The recent changes brought about by the NIL ruling are reshaping the college sports landscape, influencing how young athletes view their futures. As they prepare for potential financial opportunities, the underlying values of sportsmanship and dedication may be tested. With institutions and athletes adjusting to these changes, the dialogue around NIL is just beginning, one that will undoubtedly continue to evolve in the coming years.

Voxpop Video

By Alexandra Cutka, Jack Tofanelli, Quentin Gilbert and Ruby Nelson

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Nov. 5, 2024) –  At just eight years old, Lucca Okeley was already dreaming about her future. She aspired to make her parents proud and transform her hard work into something valuable. After years of dedication, all of her time and commitment playing in local clubs and high school sports paid off when she received an athletic scholarship from Texas A&M Corpus-Christi. Now at eighteen years old and a starting freshman, she questions the future of her upcoming years.

On Oct. 20, 2024, the song Solo by Future blasts in Okeley’s ears to help her focus on the game ahead. Stress and excitement amplify in her body, but she remembers how thankful she is to have the opportunity to play Division I college soccer. With a brand new coach on the team, the girls have already made history in the 2024 season. Since changes were implemented by Coach Daniel Clitnovici, the Islanders remain undefeated in their conference, something that hasn’t been done before.

Located on an island, Texas A&M Corpus-Christi rests along the Gulf of Mexico surrounded by sprawling beaches and swaying palm trees, but it is only home to a student population around 7,000. “It’s so beautiful, but it’s really small. It feels like high school all over again. You see people you know everywhere,” said Okeley.

As a small university and Division I program, NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals create a struggle to compete with larger universities due to resource limitations. The 2021 Supreme Court ruling made athletes eligible for compensation to profit based on NIL, but it was not intended that they could earn money from simply being an athlete. Large programs with collectives and other monetary resources have been established as more appealing to athletes since they can get paid beyond their scholarships. Galen Clavio, who is an associate professor in the Media School at Indiana University and runs the Sports Media program, labels these actions as “pay-for-play.” 

“Every major athletic department has an NIL collective that’s doing a lot of heavy lifting in terms of going out and getting donations, and then working unofficially with athletic departments to make sure money goes where it’s supposed to go,” said Clavio.

 Okeley applauds athletes that attend larger programs but is concerned with the effects ahead. “Those people still worked hard for what they got, so it’s not a huge deal,” said Okeley. “But it definitely does make it harder for smaller schools. It’s definitely different and not equal.” Although the Islanders have prevailed success thus far, Okeley doesn’t quite know what the future holds for the competition and upcoming recruits.

Division I track and field athlete, Tyler Verschure, who is committed to run for Lehigh University has similar thoughts on the matter. Verschure is partnered with Honey Stinger, a brand who focuses on gluten free and organic nutrition, but he understands that these NIL opportunities do not affect the team directly. Verschure and his teammates do not receive any additional monetary incentives coming from another small university with a student population of just over 7,000.

“I played football with a guy in high school. He committed to Missouri knowing that he would never actually play there, but they would essentially pay him yearly to go there, instead of some of the other offers he had. Let’s say he went to Lehigh, he would probably be an all conference player here versus going to Missouri,” said Verschure. “It definitely hurts smaller schools that don’t have as much money because they are not able to acquire the talent that they would’ve before NIL.”

Looking on opposite sides of the competition, Donovan Hamilton, one of Purdue University’s wide receivers expresses the need for NCAA regulation to make competition reasonable and balanced. “I think in the future, college football shouldn’t stop NIL because people need to be paid, but maybe put a cap on how much they can pay players depending on the school,” said Hamilton. 

The NCAA attempts to place legal protections, but Clavio insists that this action would not survive the court. This leaves athletes wondering what will happen to them and their teams. In order to fight back, these athletes believe their programs should approach this battle in an alternative manner. Okeley considers that smaller universities would seem more appealing to incoming athletes if current players and coaches actively reached out to their prospects. In addition, Verschure shares that even though small programs cannot provide the same amount of money, they can still provide unique incentives that attract athletes.

“Here we have an athlete dining hall, and my friend who plays football at Toledo doesn’t have that, even though they have larger NIL opportunities. Things like that differ between the schools that might not be straight up cash from NIL. This gives them more perks of being an athlete, which is how some of these smaller schools may be able to compete. Also, a lot of these schools like Lehigh don’t have booster programs so starting those would also be helpful,” said Verschure.

Implementing some changes may result in a stronger future for the universities that have been affected by NIL deals. Okeley is not intimidated or discouraged, but driven to work even harder. The little girl deep down would want her to persevere. “Yeah I can see a divide happening, but it’s motivation for us smaller schools to become more successful,” said Okeley.

Bloomington residents answer questions regarding the competition between universities of different sizes. They provided significant insight on how they view the current situation.

By Ty Horvath, Tessa Hoffman and Jillian Bamberger

BLOOMINGTON, IN (Nov. 5, 2024)

NIL – Name, image, and likeness. These are three words that have taken college athletic viewpoints by storm. College athletes making millions from their names have sparked a new conversation about college athletics in the coming years.

Starting in 2021, NIL has given student-athletes that extra leap to embrace their full potential and make a name for themselves. The impact these players can make might change the world of college sports forever. Is NIL changing college sports in a good way, or is this changing in a way that starts the downfall of college athletics? Giving student-athletes so many opportunities to grasp their childhood dreams is possible through NIL. The name on a fan’s back, the image of who they are, and the athlete’s likeness. That’s the goal. Some goals have ups, and most goals have downs. Is NIL taking a toll on athletes? Does NIL play a massive role in choosing a college? NIL has a goal, and with goals come all sorts of conversations and views on whether this goal is achievable.

Building brand relationships through NIL is one of the more significant components of achieving the name, image, and likeness goal for college athletes. Speaking with Matt Bergman, a social media and brand partnership analyst for college athletes through NIL, “Most athletes during the season are pretty hard to stay on top of consistently, some of them take more of an interest towards NIL, but most of them are locking in on the season.” Bergman said. College students can make a name for themselves at such a young age, and money is a part of it. Some athletes may discover a greedy side in them and let money determine the path they decide to take.

NIL itself has made a significant impact on college sports and academics. Whether or not a school offers more money, credible sources make it known that the money aspect of NIL might not be as crucial to the athlete as the entire public thinks. The name, image, and likeness are possible through an athlete’s skill level and how they succeed in the sports realm. While putting NIL opportunities into question for athletes, the money can only happen with that work ethic and person that an athlete would build themselves up to be. Athletes choosing to go based on money more than the academic and athletic part in a university could quickly find themselves in the wrong university and possibly ruin their chances in a career in doing what they love.

Love of the sport is a massive part of the NIL discussion. Dylan Zouber, an offensive line intern for the University of Minnesota football team, also discussed this: “If you’re doing it (playing college sports), why not do it at the highest level that you possibly can?” Zouber said. Playing sports at the Division One level takes a certain amount of passion to achieve a position on a college sports team. Zouber believes that the sport develops the player, and NIL develops the person. Both combined to develop a career. “NIL is the least thing that they (college athletes) are worried about. They love the game and money isn’t really something that they are looking for (at the University of Minnesota).” Zouber said.

As of 2024, compared to 2021, college athletes have different viewpoints of NIL, whether they choose a college based on best fit or simply…money.

This leads to the point of NIL as a whole. Dr. Galen Clavio, a sports media professor at Indiana University, finds it easy to conclude that he knows the name of the game. “Name, image, and likeness is rapidly becoming more and more misunderstood,” Clavio said. This gives the impression that NIL is still new and hard to understand. Society has so many different viewpoints on it, and if it’s as good as everyone claims, it to be. “Its always presented as an either-or. We can either be in practice or focusing on NIL. That’s not really how it works.” Clavio said. Student-athletes that are connected to NIL learn to balance both. The public views that athletes aren’t ready to manage money along with what they contribute to a sport. Clavio backs this up by saying that everyone thinks athletes are incapable of doing these things when simply that’s not true. NIL opportunities affect college athletes, just not as much as the public might think.

Higher-level athletic programs, such as Alabama, Ohio State, and Georgia, are very attractive universities to student-athletes during recruitment. With NIL introduced, the student might have a new way of thinking when choosing schools. Is money a factor? Is playing time a factor? Students may ask themselves, “Is this school for me?” These are all new questions that NIL has brought student-athletes while making their college decision.

Athletes are now ready to make big plays throughout their careers. With it being so new, new conversations change about it every day, and so does NIL. Name, image, and likeness might change the course of the recruitment process, but college athletics have adapted to many things before. Athletes are ready to take NIL head-on and see what it has to offer.

Real people share their views on NIL. In Downtown Bloomington, multiple voices speak their mind. 

 

 

 

 

 

By Deshna Venkatachalam, Caroline McCarthy and Jack Hite

BLOOMINGTON, IN (Nov. 5, 2024) –  A solid rubber ball gets passed around, getting caught in the head of a long stick. Eventually, it lands with a soft thud into the loose netting of Grace Winkler’s crosse. Specifically, a Cascade Maverik brand lacrosse stick, something that Winkler is obligated to use after accepting their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deal. 

These deals have emerged as a transformation in the world of sports. Redefining both the financial realities and experience of these athletes. As players work to navigate the countless opportunities that arise from a Name, Image and Likeness deal, challenges may come from these agreements and the implications may extend far beyond their bank accounts. Signing puts a college athlete on a pedestal in front of society and could affect the athlete’s motivation, performance and team dynamics.

In the late 2000s, a class action antitrust lawsuit was filed by a University of California, Los Angeles athlete arguing that college athletes should be paid. In 2021, the National Collegiate Athletics Association allowed athletes to monetize their personal brands through sponsors and other commercially driven deals, resulting in over $900 million dollars distributed to NIL athletes. Three years later, student athletes are being offered deals ahead of the season. For Winkler, Cascade Maverik reached out to her the summer before her senior year, months after committing to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

“After I was signed to the company, I had a photo shoot and business trip with the other Maverik athletes, who are all pro players,” Winkler said. “I was then informed that I was their first high school athlete they had signed.”

While certain states prohibit high school athletes from profiting from NIL, Connecticut is not one of them, allowing Winkler to engage with Cascade Maverik directly. 

Her contract requires her to make monthly social media posts, wear their merchandise and participate in marketing campaigns. Jeremy Gray, associate athletic director for strategic communications/director of the Cuban Center, emphasizes the importance of understanding these obligations. 

“Understanding the terms of those contracts are really important,” Gray said. “‘Are you asking me to make five Instagram posts in order to get the money? I think I can manage that.’”

Winkler does not let these responsibilities change the way she carries herself. Being the youngest in the Cascade Maverik team dynamic makes her feel empowered. 

“I felt very honored and special that I was a part of history for the company,” Winkler said. “Especially now that they are focusing more on the women’s side of the brand.”

Her familiarity with the age gap does not begin at the athletic level as she is also the youngest daughter in a family of three children. This opportunity spoke to her on a personal level. 

“Being the youngest, I was always on the sidelines of my siblings’ games or practices until I was able to play myself,” Winkler said. “Now, it is special to me that I can be a role model for younger girls.”

Although her NIL status sets her apart from her peers, her relationship with them remains unchanged. 

“I am acknowledged by my teammates and classmates for having an NIL contract, but their behavior towards me has not changed,” Winkler said. “I am still viewed as the same teammate and friend that they have always known.”

However, Gray explains that pay discrepancies in any setting has the potential to change dynamics amongst people.

“I have heard cross sport resenting, like ‘He’s terrible. Why is he getting twice as much in his NIL deal than I am,’” Gray said. 

Comparing oneself to others can lead to a range of different emotions, one in particular being jealousy. Gray emphasizes the importance of forming relationships with the coaches, that way they can comfortably address problems when they are starting out, rather than when they have gone too far. Part of what the Cuban Center does is give athletes the opportunity to state any issues they have had within their industry. 

“We send, quarterly, a survey to all student athletes so they can report anonymously about challenges that they’re having within their own programs,” Gray said. “We have also invested in full time sports psychologists that are assigned to teams.”

An athlete’s performance can be affected by many factors such as team dynamics and mental health, but prioritizing these factors can help boost the players morale, something that the Cuban Center takes pride in. However, factors that cannot be changed would be things like having an NIL deal. Winkler explains the effect signing a contract has had on her athleticism. 

“I always have the motivation to try my hardest when playing, but I found that having the label of an NIL partnership has raised expectations for me even further,” Winkler said. 

Director of the National Sports Journalism Center at Indiana University, Galen Clavio, states his opinion on what having the responsibilities of an NIL deal will do to an athletes performance on the field or court. 

“It is always presented as ‘I can either be at practice’ or ‘I can focus on NIL,’” Clavio said. “That is not really how it works. Professional athletes, who, in many cases, are like a year older than college athletes, are able to effectively balance these things.”

For Winkler, a non-professional athlete, this balance between athletics and her commitment to Cascade Maverik has been fairly easy. While her life has been transformed, it has been transformed for the better. Her contract with Cascade Maverik will end in the spring, but she is hopeful for her future,

“This NIL deal can lead to more opportunities for me in the future, whether that’s partnering with other brands or signing an even more serious contract with Maverik as my lacrosse career grows,” Winkler said.

On Thursday, October  17,  residents of Bloomington, Indiana were asked about their perspectives on how NIL contracts have transformed the lives of college athletes. From a non-athlete point of view, taking advantage of name, image and likeness can have both positive and negative impacts on college athletics. 

By Jaymi Curtis, Spencer Meyer and Jacob Fessler

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Nov. 5, 2024) – It’s late at night, May 31, 2024, and round after round of football recruits are walking onto the field of Memorial Stadium. Their objective? To get their pictures taken with a light blue Indy Car, the Indiana Hoosiers’ recruiting team has rented for the night. Each of the 13 high school athletes will make this one of many photo stops to end a long day of events carefully curated to convince these players to commit to the Indiana University football program. This is not a unique night, however. Multiple nights just like this go on every few weeks of the summer for the IU football program alone. These elaborate attempts to sign young athletes have always been around in one form or another, but with the 2021 ruling in favor of athletes being able to profit off of their name, image, and likeness, as well as subsequent rulings and new initiatives from athletics programs nationwide, spending on the recruiting process has skyrocketed. 

When asked about the changes in recruiting due to name, image, and likeness, the Assistant Director of Strategic Initiatives for Indiana Athletics, Jason Gandhi, said,

“Every year since, there’s been a ton of changes to recruiting and how it’s done.”

With these changes, recruiters have had to adjust their process for recruiting athletes.

“We all know those numbers that get thrown around,” Gandhi added, referring to the excessive amounts of money offered to athletes; money that is now legally being given to athletes.

“There are some kids that get paid two mil from NIL just for signing,” said IU Women’s Soccer player Hope Paredes.

Paredes, being an IU athlete, knows many of the school’s biggest stars personally, giving her a front-row seat to the conversation of NIL deals all across the country. 

This comes with a caveat, though, as Gandhi points out,

“There’s no way to fact-check it right now,” then saying, “It’s the wild wild west out here.”

This is a sentiment shared across the sports media world. 

“What is that player worth for our particular circumstances,” the director of the National Sports Journalism Center at IU, Dr. Galen Clavio, said during a press conference, the statement was regarding the mindset of athletics programs when settling on amounts that will be offered to athletes. He then adds,

“Allegedly, IU Men’s Basketball spent almost $4 million in NIL money bringing in players this off-season.” 

This raises yet another question: How will schools keep up with one another? Going forward, schools will have the ability to opt into $22 million in NIL money that will go towards paying athletes. As Dr. Clavio states,

“All of the big schools will opt into it because if they don’t, their competition will.”

This raises concerns for the athletic departments that are going to have to come up with this money that, as Dr. Clavio says,

“Already spoken for.” “There’s going to be a lot of people who don’t have jobs,” Clavio said.

Ethical questions have also been raised, as this will disproportionately affect smaller schools that don’t have the same budgets as schools such as IU or Alabama.

According to Gandhi, “It’s never really been all that equal,” 

but this is not a helpless case, in his opinion. Gandhi brought up Gonzaga, a team that, whilst never having won a championship title, their basketball team did advance to the national championship game in both 2017 and 2021.

“Nobody knew who Gonzaga Basketball was 25 years ago, and now they are always in the conversation.” 

 

There have also been concerns raised over the possibility of schools recruiting athletes based on their potential as brand ambassadors under NIL as faces of their brand. When confronted with this concern, however, Dr. Clavio declared,

“I’ve yet to see a case where it’s happened.” Dr. Clavio added, “These coaches want to win.”

That being said, these coaches are, in turn, willing to shell out lots of money to the best athletes in their respective sports. This then leads to bidding wars where the athletes can be the ultimate benefactor, and as Paredes puts it,

“I think a lot are going to choose a place who is offering the most money.”

Bloomington residents reflect on the impacts of NIL on high school athletes. They believe that NIL shapes the way that college recruiters recruit high school athletes.

The downside to these bidding wars is that some athletes, namely Matthew Sluka and Jaden Rashada, have been given verbal offers that convince them to commit to a team, which they are then allegedly not paid for. Many of these students make these deals while still in high school, meaning they often have a lack of intricate knowledge of the laws surrounding business deals, leaving them susceptible to relying on verbal agreements to come to fruition. 

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Writers: Ryan Raimondo, Bailey Hawkesby-Mullins, Katie Stein

Ever since the NCAA had given the privilege of letting college athletes make money based on their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), athletes have had the blessing to have some money in their pocket. College athletes have been able to make thousands, even millions of dollars through NIL. But it also has driven athletes to now only look at universities for the money and popularity, distracting them from the importance of loyalty. Athletes also are driving more brand deals in, due to the sport they play, which questions the fairness of NIL. This raises the big question “Is NIL beneficial or detrimental to college athletics?”

In June 2021, The NCAA finally allowed student athletes to benefit financially from NIL, without fear of losing their eligibility and it remains consistent with state laws. NIL has now flooded the internet, with athletes signing wild brand deals from companies like Nike, Adidas, Under Armour and many others. NIL has been able to compensate athletes for all of the hard work they put into balancing both school work and sports, because of all of the sacrifices athletes make. Sacrifices include learning and academic resources, social life, physical and mental toll and others like career limitation and missed opportunities. 

An occurring conflict has taken over the NIL scene by constantly questioning whether the NIL is fair across all sports. Often we see athletes, specifically male athletes, being a part of the football and basketball program. Those athletes become more recognizable leaving other sports and athletes without the opportunity to become involved in NIL. However, by using athletes as a part of such programs. Those athletes often attract more lucrative deals among companies as opposed to lesser seen sports such as soccer, track and field, field hockey, and many more. 

Women’s soccer player, Mary Kate Sullivan, explains her side on NIL. Mary Kate, involved in NIL, has been able to build connections and use her deals to expand her network. She explains that NIL has been incredibly beneficial to not only herself, but to other athletes. She says “NIL has opened doors for many opportunities”, and goes into detail by emphasizing all of the time and effort athletes put into their sports. Thus leaving little to no time to herself which can put a strain on her physical and mental well being. Mary Kate then goes into saying, “it is definitely beneficial especially for the work athletes put into their sports and they can benefit off of their name”. Mary Kate says that she is being compensated for her strengths by balancing both school and sports, and NIL helps athletes as they are dedicating most, if not, all of athlete’s time to their sports. 

 

Indiana University track sprinter, Dezmone Starks, also had a lot to say about NIL. Dezmone has received many NIL deals from companies like Liquid IV, Amazon Music and Postgame. Starks says, “For me as a student athlete, I run short on money, so when I promote a business, I’m able to get money in my pocket.” Athletes use NIL to provide them wealth as most college kids need a way to make money. He believes no matter the amount to get offered from a brand, it still promotes the athlete and gives them some money that they can use in the future. As a track athlete, Starks doesn’t get the benefits of big brand deals like football and basketball players do, but he understands that football and basketball somewhat “run” universities in a way since they make the most ticket sales, revenue, and popularity on a college campus. Even though he could see NIL turning into a problem in the future, he says “I see more on the beneficial side because money is money and that’s what college athletes want.” Looks like Starks is running on the track and running up his brand deals to collect revenue. 

Lastly, Galen Clavio, the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, professor, and Director of the National Sports Journalism Center at Indiana University, spoke at a press conference held by Professor Steve Layton during a class lecture. Clavio was able to share his knowledge and perspective on NIL while addressing the history, current policies, and where it is headed in the future. Clavio began by mentioning the changes that NIL has brought to college athletes and said “This is not a case of new rights being granted to college athletes, it is instead, the removal of restrictions that were being imposed by college athletic departments upon College athletes”. This emphasizes the remake of NIL and how recent alterations have opened up new opportunities that can be beneficial for college athletes. However, Clavio then further explained that NIL can also be detrimental to college athletes. Furthermore, he went in depth on how NIL is not always fair to everyone and said ”Whether we want to acknowledge it, the market value of a men’s golf team member is generally going to be significantly less at the college level than it would be for a comparable basketball player or football player. This is simply because of the sheer amount of money through television contracts, ticket sales, and other items that come through basketball and football that don’t come through golf”. This scenario Clavio provided is a prime example of some of the drawbacks to NIL. Not all athletes have the same opportunities to receive NIL deals or payments due to the different circumstances that come with each sport or the level of popularity between each individual athlete. Overall, NIL can be both a positive and negative experience for college athletes and many factors contribute to what an athlete can get out of it.

College Athletes, popular or not, still seek NIL deals that not only make them money, but also gives them the recognition that they deserve and the NCAA is still making changes to make sure that NIL is beneficial and fair to all college athletes. 

https://youtu.be/Xt-mYP4zpPA

Even though most college athletes think that NIL is beneficial, the rest of the world may not feel the same way.

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