Georgia White, Sarah Park, Kyiah Johnston

Bloomington, Ind (November 5, 2024)—3 years ago, partnering with local businesses like Bloomington Bagel Company would have seemed beyond reach for Indiana University swimmer Anna Peplowski. Now, thanks to NIL, she’s doing just that.

Women’s sports have struggled with media attention and financial opportunities compared to their male counterparts, but NIL might bridge these gender inequality gaps.

In 2021, the NCAA included college students in NIL, or Name, Image, and Likeness, allowing college athletes to earn money from endorsements, sponsorships and personal branding. It has transformed college sports, giving athletes financial opportunities while still in school. This is changing how they navigate their athletic and academic careers.

“As an 18-year-old adult, you have the right to control the use of your name, image, and likeness, and to profit from them in any form of media, advertising, or business.” Galen Clavio, Director of the National Sports Journalism Center at Indiana University, states.

From Germantown Hills, Illinois, Anna Peplowski is on track to an impressive swimming career. Her best events at IU are her 500-meter freestyle and 200- meter backstroke. She was one of 25 Indiana representatives to attend the 2021 Olympic trials and then went on to compete in the 2025 Paris Olympics to win the silver medal in the 800-free relay. With these accomplishments, Peplowski is using NIL opportunities to promote her brand and strengthen her image. Before scrolling down on her Instagram page to see pictures of her smiling with friends and highlights of her swimming events, the first thing that catches the eye is the link in her bio. This link is to her NIL store, where she collaborates with IU to sell her custom-designed IU gear.

Historically, women athletes have had to work harder to gain visibility. But in the digital age, social media aids in amplifying these athletes’ stories and talents, making it a crucial tool for women athletes to build personal brands and secure endorsements. For athletes like Peplowski, marketing herself through platforms like Instagram has proven to be a necessity in drawing attention to her accomplishments.

Female athletes are emerging as top earners in the NIL space. CNBC reports that women athletes capture a significant share of endorsement deals due to social media’s accessibility and reach. Athletes like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have made headlines for their brand deals. NIL is elevating female athletes’ visibility in ways traditional media has never been able to. 

This increased visibility for women’s sports is changing public perception by normalizing the success of female athletes. Furthermore, NIL allows these athletes to financially sustain their careers while still in college. This is particularly important for women athletes who often face fewer professional opportunities post-college than their male counterparts.

https://youtu.be/blvbFRLBnb8?si=o7ZlTfwm1gY9aRTJ

Indiana University students share their thoughts on NIL and its impact on women’s sports.

Yet, challenges remain. While women athletes find success in social media, securing sponsorships is less likely due to lower engagement in their sports. Peplowski highlights that there are unique challenges in securing streaming and revenue opportunities in a sport that doesn’t receive much coverage. Sometimes, she has had to go out of her way to secure NIL instead of them coming to her first. In such cases, social media is crucial for women athletes in order to actively pursue NIL partnerships and maintain a presence in the public eye.

“Since NIL has started, so many opportunities have been presented since there wasn’t a lot of recognition in the past. Media attention is very beneficial,” Peplowski states. “People can see what I’m posting, especially locally. It brings more awareness to the company I’m working with.” 

The impact of NIL on women athletes goes beyond financial gains—it’s about representation and empowerment in sports. By providing female athletes the platforms to share their achievements and stories, NIL is paving the way for a more inclusive sports culture. As Peplowski continues training at Indiana University, she’s serving as a role model in the evolving world of college sports and inspiring the next generation of women athletes. As her heart is set on the next Olympics,  she will continue to leverage NIL to benefit her athletic career.

By Addie Parker, Lauren Miranda and Goldi Baranovsky

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Nov. 5, 2024)     The crowd fills the football stadium weekly, Mia Fox and the Indiana University RedStepper dancers take the field for a performance. An exhilarating moment supporting Hoosiers’ best football program in history. 

Withstanding the pressure from fans to maintain a standard of talent and polished presentation as a dance team, athletes that find social media and apps hold increasing opportunities. In interview, Fox an IU Junior on the team, revealed the developments of the 2021 NCAA v. Alston Supreme Court ruling allowing name, image, and likeness (NIL) benefits for college athletes, has had minimal effects for her and teammates. “They don’t allow our team, even though it is funded by the athletics department, to receive NIL directly,” Fox said, “any NIL type deals that we might get have been from like a private NIL company that has nothing to do with Indiana University.” 

College dancers train regularly to perform technical, entertaining choreography to thousands of people who may not understand the dedication it takes. “Dance teams right now, in just the cultural context, nationwide not really included in athletics departments because of simply closed-mindedness,” Fox explained. While many dance teams are not being recognized and have yet to directly benefit from NIL, college football players face saturated social media competition. Denzel Dorn, Florida International University football player, is also working towards direct gains since the ruling, but highlighted how strategic social media NIL deals are to get. “I’d say, though, that with that saturation, you have to be unique and kind of stand out. So, you need your own way, your own skills to navigate yourself through social media.” Dorn said, adding that he is learning unique posting skills from teammates who post consistently on social media platforms on Instagram and TikTok. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously against the NCAA, deciding its restrictions on education benefits for student-athletes were unfair under antitrust laws. Although Indiana University dancers cannot gain the same benefits with these social media platforms, third party NIL collectives do hold optimism.

Dr. Galen Clavio, director of the National Sports Journalism Center at Indiana University, held an insightful “news conference” about the developments of NIL opportunities, since the 2021 Supreme Court ruling. He discussed that every University could set up direct and indirect NIL collectives while adhering to NCAA regulations and university polices. Fox, highlighted third-party NIL promotional opportunities that she has taken advantage of to collect donations from friends and family. She feels that these private deals, independent of Indiana University, offer minimal benefits for the RedSteppers. Being under the Jacobs School of Music and partially funded by athletics, the dancers do not get recognized as athletes. “The NCAA, dealing with financial control over college athletics, has been desperately trying to fight against external parties, like that, being able to make direct payments to players…” Clavio said. The NCAA can no longer restrict these gains for athletes, however the challenge of stabilizing income through third-party NIL collectives and social media remains unknown for dancers. 

As Fox and Dorn navigate managing their time as a student-athlete, they supported avoiding NIL as a distraction. “I get really stressed out, any free time that I have outside of dance, I’m mainly dedicating it to my schoolwork,” Fox said, describing her challenges balancing love for dance and her hobbies. “…so it’s definitely hard, because I’m not given any of the academic opportunities athletes are, like the tutoring sessions that they have and career coaching appointments through the football academic center.” This lack of opportunities makes it difficult for IU RedSteppers to work towards NIL deals because of stress. “It’s the added pressure, obviously, but you just have to manage your time more carefully. And since I haven’t gotten that many NIL opportunities yet, I haven’t let it distract me too much, I’d say, but some teammates do struggle.” Dorn said, not allowing himself to focus more on NIL than working towards being the best teammate. He hopes to keep a consistent, positive attitude as he manages these distractions while also working towards scholarship opportunities. 

These benefits do not come consistently for collegiate dancers and football players, but there appears to be hope for more NIL opportunities. The constant rise of social media and web use is already causing a constant increase in the amount of NIL options available for athletes. “I would strongly recommend that we start teaching about social media branding and the utilization of social media and digital media at the high school level for everybody,” Clavio stated. He emphasizes all the ethical possibilities that NIL collectives can provide athletes, and how it is each athlete’s choice how much effort they want to put into growing their brand. Social media in specific, can completely alter how an athlete is perceived and make or break how quickly their brand grows.  

Though athletes like Fox and Dorn are not currently benefiting much from NIL deals, this could always change in the future with a continued effort to support all athletes’ rights to benefit from their brand. It is important to inform others about the current collectives and social media opportunities regarding NIL, so that athletes can better access resources and greater recognition.  

https://youtu.be/LioWgMscibA

During class, we got the opportunity to interview three students about NIL. All of the interviewees were non-student athletes. The students opinions were around the same consensus. They believe that athletes should be able to profit off of their name, image, and likeness. 

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.

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By: Chelsea Keusch, Maddy Goodman and Ally Patterson

Bloomington, IN (November 5, 2024)

As senior Nick Martinelli looked up to the final scoreboard of the 2022 basketball state championship game, he was filled with joy. He could hear the loud cheers of the crowd and could see the smiling faces of all of his teammates. All of their hard work had finally paid off and they had won the state championship title for their school, Glenbrook South High school. Martinelli had been a leader on the team, both in skill and attitude, and knew this championship would lead to several college offers. In all of the joy and excitement, Martinelli knew he had a lot to think about when it came to collegiate opportunities. He eventually chose to attend Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. As he began his college journey, he soon discovered that collegiate athletics were evolving, particularly with the realm of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) prospects. “NIL is great for athletes especially those in the Big 10 where fans are very invested in how their team is doing and use social media to check up on the players and stats,” Martinelli said. The implementation of allowing NCAA athletes to accept NIL deals gave athletes like Martinelli the opportunity to make money off of their skills in ways that were unimaginable for earlier generations. As a driven athlete, he viewed this as a chance to develop his own personal brand. However, he was aware that having a strong social media presence was just as important for success in this new arena as having skill on the court. At first, Martinelli was nervous about using social media. Previously all of his attention had always been on his game, and he largely saw Twitter and Instagram as a distraction. However, he chose to work towards NIL deals after talking about the opportunities it could bring to his career with his teammates and coaches. He began sharing behind-the-scenes looks into his life as a student-athlete, as well as highlights from practices and games on social media platforms. As his accounts began to gain traction, he was able to gain multiple opportunities pertaining to NIL.

In the world of college athletics, the idea of Name, Image, and Likeness, also known as NIL, has transformed the lives of many collegiate athletes. In the past they have been limited to scholarships or the very little endorsements that only their school profited from, student-athletes can now control their personal brands through social media. This directly turns their followers into financial opportunities. “Athletes [do] have market value, do have compensatory value, and are able to leverage those rights, those opportunities, as they choose where they are going to go to school or stay in school,” Professor Galen Clavio, Director of the National Sports Journalism Center, said.  In addition to increasing their own marketability, athletes with large fan bases often improve the school’s reputation by presenting it in a fresh way, which frequently attracts more applications overall. For example, “Caitlyn Clark started appearing in State Farm commercials in her Iowa jersey. That was a separate contract signed by the University of Iowa, to try to capitalize off of Caitlyn Clark,’s publicity” Clavio said. Athletes that gain national attention draw more fans to games, boosting earnings from merchandise and ticket sales.

Nevertheless, this change has produced a cutthroat market where skill can be overshadowed by popularity. While some athletes find it difficult to generate traction, others who are adept at social media may land big agreements. As athletes concentrate on developing their brands rather than just the sport, this discrepancy may cause conflict across conferences. Athletes that play at smaller institutions such as sophomore athlete, Molly Tapak, who plays soccer at Southern Illinois University, does not receive NIL offers, and has less of a platform through her school to obtain a substantial following. This can be frustrating as they are putting in the same amount of work as any other college athlete and see few results in the aspect 

of NIL opportunities.”Very few girls on the team receive any sort of NIL deals, and the ones that have obtained sponsorships, have done so through non-soccer related posts,” Tapak said.  While Tapak recognizes the positive possibilities of NIL deals, she feels her school has not been majorly impacted by the implications. Since the school itself doesn’t draw a lot of attention, this leaves hard working  athletes with fewer possibilities to gain national attention, and in turn NIL deals, themselves.

Furthermore, there might be a lot of pressure to keep up an engaging online presence. Athletes frequently find themselves balancing training, academics, and content creation, making it difficult to distinguish between their personal and sports life due to the continual scrutiny they receive from fans and possible sponsors. Cooper Noard, a college men’s basketball player at Cornell University says, “It is difficult to balance waking up at 5 am most days of the week for practice, to then going to class for several hours to come home and somehow find time to hang out with friends all while exhausted physically and mentally.” Although Cooper does not receive NIL money he also says “I think NIL is great for college athletes. I’m a day one supporter of college athletes being able to make money as long as it doesn’t interfere with the integrity of the team and the sport.” 

There is no denying social media’s impact on collegiate athletics in this day and age. Although NIL rights have created opportunities, they have also brought forth complications that have changed the definition of student-athlete status. 

NIL Voxpop 

Students on Indiana University Bloomington’s campus share their thoughts on how NIL has impacted their respective campuses.

By Sienna Lyst, Skye Murrell and Noah Gross

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Nov. 5th, 2024)

On July 1, 2021, the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) approved the Name Image and Likeness (NIL) policy. This policy would allow college athletes to profit off of their personal Name Image and Likeness. This opened up several opportunities for brand deals and partnerships. This was a long awaited policy, but how is it affecting athletes and coaches now?

It has now been over three years since the NIL ruling was approved. Over the years, several athletes and schools have been affected in many different ways. NIL deals are now a part of the recruitment process for most sports. Even after three years, it is still a hot debate topic within the college athlete community. 

“Not technically, I have a scholarship but that doesn’t really make me a profit,” Purdue Fort Wayne Track and Field athlete Makenna Dommer said when asked if she gets paid to play her sport. This is one of the indirect ways that colleges and universities will pay their athletes to go to their school. According to Dr. Galen Clavio, a professor at Indiana University Bloomington, “The NCAA is desperately trying to enforce rules.” One of these rules being that they can’t “pay-to-play”. This means that schools could not openly come out and pay their student athletes a salary for choosing their specific school and playing for their sports teams. “No, I don’t think so,” Dommer also said when asked if she thinks she should be paid. 

NIL deals are a big reason why a lot of athletes choose their school. “With a school that has a good NIL program you have a lot more opportunities to be able to pay for school,” Dommer said.  This is one of things that changed the most with the NIL ruling. “Only the big mainstream sports are guaranteed full scholarships, like I said I ran track, so I only got books,” Bruce Stephens, a coach at New Haven High School and former Purdue Track and Field Athlete, said. Before NIL deals were legal, most athletes were only getting small scholarships that barely covered any of their schooling. When Stephens was competing at Purdue, he did not have an NIL deal. It wasn’t until his Junior or Senior year that NIL deals started.

NIL deals affect coaches more than some assume. “I don’t think that necessarily, for me as a coach. NIL is something that I will push for them to focus on during the recruitment process,” Stephens said when asked if he has spoken to his athletes about NIL deals, “There are, however, many college student athletes and there’s like less than 0.1% that go pro.” Most coaches of smaller and less followed sports will not push NIL onto their athletes.

“Yes, we had a whole meeting about it at the beginning of the year and it showed us how it was set up, how you can get the store out there, and how people can buy your merch,” Dommer said when asked if she was spoken to about NIL by any of her coaches. This was helpful to her because, as a track athlete, she does not get an automatic NIL deal. “Our basketball team all have automatic NIL deals through the school,” Dommer said. This goes along with what Stephens said about how only big names and mainstream sports get offered NIL deals. “For a guy that goes to a big school, I don’t think it’s hard at all,” Dommer said when asked if she believes it is hard to get an NIL deal.

Most college athletes do not end up getting brand deals or partnerships because they are not a big enough name. “I would highly recommend that we start teaching social media branding at the high school level,” Dr. Galen Clavio, Director of the National Sports Journalism Center at IU, said while speaking to a class on the topic of NIL. This would make it easier for athletes to engage with companies and brands that could be potential partners. This would also give athletes an opportunity to learn more advanced media literacy skills which could help them later in their careers.

Most college athletes and coaches believe that the NIL ruling was a good decision. It allows athletes to pay for their schooling and it allows coaches to fund their sport and athletes.

Individuals weigh in on the effects of NIL on IU students. Many different opinions exist across campus.

By Aina Williams, Oliver Swats, Zach Willard

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Nov. 5, 2024) – Three years ago, Indiana University athletics changed the lives of many student-athletes, by allowing them to receive NIL, or Name Image and Likeness compensation. This shift not only has brought financial  opportunities to athletes but has also impacted team chemistry and unity. As players start to navigate their personal brands and partnerships, they must balance their aspirations with the all together goals of their teams. 

Name Image and Likeness has become a big uprising in the athletic community. Players are able to earn money, brands, and profit in general, depending on their name, image, and likeness. NIL has opened doors for many opportunities for athletes to earn income for what they do best, playing a sport. 

The faculty advisor for the Hoosier Network and the head of the IU Sports Media Program, Dr. Galen Clavio, spoke about his understanding of NIL. Clavio said that “NIL is another name for publicity” (Clavio), and can be seen as something that is used so athletes can gain revenue depending on how much the public supports or likes them.

Clavio also talks about how there is NlL from being a good athlete and NIL from being good with media (Clavio). Athletes have an inside look on who is receiving NIL, and with that it can create opinions on who is deserving of NIL deals and who is not. 

With NIL becoming more popular, there have been concerns brought up to attention within the aspect of NIL. Depending on the player, some athletes can receive more attention than other athletes leading them to obtain NIL deals. Resentment and jealousy can occur if one is getting NIL deals and you are not. With that, team chemistry and unity can be broken down because players can believe they are equally deserving. 

Concerns have been raised when it comes to the effect NIL can have on athletes and on teams in general. To gain more insight on the topic, I spoke with Indiana University Decathlete Garrett Messer to understand his opinion as someone who receives NIL. Messer said “NIL has affected me because I benefit from it […] I would say it has affected my team in which some company’s only do deals for an entire team. For example, one of my teammates has an electrolyte deal where the company would only work with the entire team, so everyone benefited  from that”(Messer). He explains that there has been mostly positives surrounding the topic of NIL, but when it comes to team chemistry he has seen some negatives within it.

Messer said “I would say in terms of team chemistry, for Indiana’s track team, the culture was unaffected. We’re a team that despite being one of the largest on campus, NIL hasn’t hit packages from the team yet. When it comes to other sport teams on campus, I would say the ones that receive more NIL are the ones were chemistry could start to hit. […] When you feel that you’re working harder and you’re better than the person next to you but they’re getting more NIL, that can create a rift between teammates”(Messer). Jealousy is a main reason why team chemistry can be negatively affected, and with NIL having an upbringing, more jealousy can occur. All in all NIL creates opportunities for individual athletes, but also can create challenges that could threaten cohesion and unity within a team. 

NIL changes depending on the sports you talk to with the biggest ones being Football and Basketball. We wanted to approach from different angles with Messer being a decathlete and Jaz Boykin. (football player at Indiana University). We wanted to know whether the overall team chemistry and fairness aspect changes from these two different sports.

Boykin said, “I don’t feel like it affects the chemistry because the people who aren’t getting paid see the people who are getting paid and want to work their way up to be getting paid.” (Boykin). This was interesting because Messer exclaimed that the other teams with more NIL might be affected more. We hear the opposite viewpoint here with Boykin saying what it’s like with football. “We’re all brothers so everybody is happy for their brother that they’re getting paid.” We had also been thinking before this interview that there would be a lot of jealousy in a bigger sport like football when it comes to money. This could also be a result of the football team having a successful year. Players are excited and stoked to see the team and individual players playing well.

We then asked if NIL is fair to all college athletes. Boykin says, “I wouldn’t say they’re technically fair because the bigger the name, the more money you’ll receive.” (Boykin). This is where we’ve seen in the media how sports of smaller viewership complain about the fairness of NIL. Women’s sports have been a big topic of conversation of this divide. Boykin also mentioned that team NIL deals are much more fair because it benefits the whole team. If the players are playing well then everybody on the team will get that team deal.

Once all is said and done, NIL can help with motivation for players that may not get the same opportunities. It’s refreshing hearing good coming from NIL and the positive impact it can have on the team and the players. You could argue that these different teams have overall similar views on NIL. Although it’s not perfect, you can’t look past the fact that there is much good coming from it.

To gain further clarity of the public’s opinion on the topic of NIL, we interviewed some people on the street about their understanding of it.

https://youtu.be/R-7We_zsa6g?si=RKovR9iUKDGDQi8d

Students Interview people on the street about their opinion on NIL.

We wanted a better understanding of the opinions that the people on the outside looking in, had on the affects of NIL. Many people think there are good outcomes to it, but with that there is negatives. After interviewing people on the street and two athletes that receive NIL, we were able to understand the affects of NIL from an outside and inside perspective. The public’s opinion was that is was good and opens opportunities for athletes to get their name out there. Continuing athletes felt the same way, but also saw how there are times jealousy can occur and have negative affects on a team as a whole.

Because of the fact that more athletes are receiving NIL, it is important to understand how many athletes will chase the money and forget to balance the team within it and that can lead to creating problems. My team dove into how one of these problems were team chemistry being affected, and it is important for athletes to know to balance the money and the overall importance of being on a team.

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By Natalia Nelson, Kadence Brock and Sidda Benckart 

BLOOMINGTON, Ind (Nov. 5, 2024)

An oar sliced into the dark, chilly water. The lazy sun had barely begun to peek over the Elizabeth River, glinting off the wake that streamed behind Alexis Durand’s boat.

While the boat and oars are paid for by Old Dominion University, Durand is not. Her racing suit, however, was free— given to her in exchange for an Instagram post. The deal wouldn’t have been possible without a landmark Supreme Court case decided three years ago.

The Supreme Court’s name, image, and likeness ruling has fundamentally changed the college athletics landscape. It permits college athletes to profit from their brand image and accept endorsements, which the NCAA previously disallowed. But does it benefit every athlete equally, or does the popularity of the sport determine who gets the brand deals? 

Galen Clavio, the Director of the National Sports Journalism Center at Indiana University, thought that the marketability of each athlete played a role.

“There’s the NIL that comes from just being a good athlete, and ultimately, the idea that you have an intrinsic market value at the college level as an athlete in whatever sport,” Clavio said. “And that value is not equal.”

He went on to add that a men’s golf team member would generally have significantly less market value than a comparable basketball or football player.

“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,” Clavio said.

Ball State D1 golfer Landon “Happy” Gilmore agreed that sports with less media coverage may have to work harder to get deals. He was dubbed the nickname by his coach after winning the “Little People’s Golf Championship” at 6 years old.  Despite being in a smaller (less popular) sport, he’s managed to grab several NIL deals for himself after a tweet about his commitment to Ball State went viral. 

It was retweeted by Adam Sandler, the actor who played the titular role of Happy Gilmore in the 90’s golf comedy, and Gilmore gained national attention.

“NIL has benefitted me quite a bit,” Gilmore said. “Being able to get clothing and equipment took a load off my parents financially.” 

He said golf at the collegiate level doesn’t come with the same type of viewership as football or basketball. According to Gilmore, lower viewership sports are at a disadvantage when it comes to NIL, but he said it ultimately came down to marketing. 

“NIL is a person-to-person thing. It more or less depends on how popular you are,” Gilmore said.

Like Gilmore, D1 rower for Old Dominion University Alexis Durand thinks it’s still possible for athletes from smaller sports to get brand deals with extra effort.

“I feel like other sports that aren’t as broadcasted definitely have to work harder for deals and actually have to market themselves,” Durand said. “Whereas the sports that do get broadcasted don’t have to market themselves.”

Durand has an ambassadorship with a rowing apparel company called JL Racing. She said she applied online for the program last summer and was accepted because she posts consistently on social media. Her Instagram profile is followed by over 700 users.

Through the ambassadorship, Durand said she was able to receive free racing suits and discount codes if she posted pictures in the suits to her Instagram. 

“I do know a few people who didn’t get into [the ambassador program] this year because they don’t post as much on their social media,” Durand said. “And you also obviously have to be an active rower or coach.”

She said that a few of the other girls on her team were able to get similar brand deals with smaller clothing companies if they had a social media presence. 

Her experience differs from that of Cooper Jones. He’s an offensive lineman for Indiana University football and doesn’t pay much attention to his social media or actively seek out NIL deals– but he’s still able to profit off of them.

“A lot of the guys on the team had an opportunity to take part in [the brand deal], and it was through Hoosiers for Good,” Jones said. “We just had to do a couple different social media posts, then once we filled those requirements, we got paid.”

He added that the IU football team also received a 3,000 dollar stipend at the end of each semester for staying academically eligible, a reward which didn’t exist before the NIL ruling. Durand, on the other hand, isn’t on scholarship for rowing.

“I think most important is just as long as the people that are getting paid are working really hard, then at least you know that they’re earning what they got,” Jones said. 

It was the eve of Homecoming Weekend, and Indiana University’s campus was teeming with sports fans preparing to watch the big game. We asked a diverse group of strangers if they thought the Name, Image, and Likeness ruling benefited all sports equally.

By Audrey Lash, Anderson Stuckey, Daisy Desilvia

BLOOMINGTON, Ind (Nov. 5, 2024)-It is a brisk fall day, and swimmers are arriving for their morning practice. It is 6:00 am, and the swimmers have their first of two practices. He is in his second year of swimming for IU. Most would be tired and groggy at this time, but Lucas Byrd is not. He has been doing these early morning practices since he was 14. They have a two-hour practice, then 4 hours of class each day, then another practice almost right when he gets out of class. Every single day, he has 4+ hours of practice and 4+ hours of school. This is the definition of a Student athlete.

These moments represent the countless hours NCAA college athletes put into their Student-athlete lives. Just 4 years ago, Byrd would have been putting in the same amount of time he is now, but he wouldn’t have the ability to make any money or do anything. He wouldn’t be able to get a job or make money off his name, image, or likeness. Now, due to NIL, he is allowed to do all of those things. Although despite the time, energy, and effort he puts into being a student-athlete, not all sports are equal.

Even though Byrd and his teammates put in the same if not more time than other athletes in other sports, the money they receive is not even in the same world as that of an IU basketball player; Byrd said, “You know, a lot of these sports put in just as much work, if not more, than basketball or football, yet they are getting thousands of dollars, and we maybe get enough to pay for a meal or two.” While talking about how and why NIL differs so much between different sports and athletes, Byrd said, “It is really all about your follower count; I am kind of lacking on the follower count; some of my teammates are doing really well with that.” Byrd and his teammates are still trying to navigate NIL and do what is best for them.

Dr.Clavio, a respected figure in sports media and education, is gearing up for another day of shaping the next generation of sports journalists. As he reflects on the changes in the sports journalism landscape, Clavio acknowledges the influence of NIL policies on both athletes and media coverage.

Recently, he delivered an engaging lecture to a C250 class, discussing the complexities of sports reporting in the context of NIL.“The dynamic has shifted dramatically,” he says. Clavio stresses the need for a balanced approach to coverage and emphasizes that NIL is based on how popular a person or sport is, which is not fair. For example, something like women’s volleyball is better than something like football. Clavio advocates for a more nuanced understanding of these issues, urging aspiring journalists to recognize the importance of equitable representation in their reporting, to the point that we must tell the stories of all athletes, regardless of the popularity of their sport.

NIL has reshaped the relationship between athletes, media, and fans, and Dr.Clavio makes this extremely clear. While NIL presents exciting opportunities, it also poses challenges that require thoughtful consideration and ethical reporting practices. In today’s day and age, it’s crucial to recognize and credit all athletes in all sorts of divisions and sports, and this is exactly what Clavio is advocating for and making apparent to people. He believes that elevating underrepresented sports not only enriches the narrative of athletics but also inspires a more diverse audience.

On the other side of Bloomington, Tyler Harris is getting ready to start his day off at Hoosier Connect. He is the Executive Director at Hoosier Connect. He joined the company last year but spent the last four years before that with the athletic department here at IU. He specialized in and dealt with NIL, so he has been very heavily involved with NIL since its very beginning. He has been involved in numerous NIL deals, helped hundreds of athletes, and had to navigate an always-changing process.

Hoosier Connect tries to bring in as many athletes from different sports as it can. Harris said, “Hoosier Connect wants to be able to help and sign on as many people as possible. They have multiple swimmers, divers, and track and field athletes. Now, the support comes in a variety of ways, and it is not always money.” Harris reiterated how Hoosier Connect offers tons of help and assistance other than just money.

One of the big things that they can assist with is building student athletes’ brands. Harris says, “Athletes really need to put an emphasis on building their brand. We encourage them to leverage the name on the front of your jersey to help grow the name on the back.” He mentioned multiple instances of IU athletes doing this, including, but not limited to, Sydney Parrish and Miller Kopp.

https://youtu.be/8fwC_ejYVJ4

People on the streets of Kirkwood have many opinions on the effects of NIL. They share their opinions on NIL as a whole and how some athletes deserve (or don’t) to get more NIL.

By Allie Davis, Kadie O’Bannon, Gracie Paul

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Nov. 5, 2024) — 

Brothers Jake and Dillon Thieneman have been playing football for as long as they can remember. Little did they know that their passion for the game could turn into a revenue-earning career.

This revenue is known as something called NIL, or name, image and likeness.

Jake Thieneman is a former Purdue safety and 2018 graduate, while Dillon Thieneman is a current sophomore safety at Purdue. Jake Thieneman began his journey at Purdue as a walk-on in 2014, and by his fifth year, he had climbed his way to team captain and starter. Dillon Thieneman had a different experience; he graduated high school after his first trimester senior year to begin playing for Purdue in the spring semester. Dillon Thieneman quickly earned his starting position as a true freshman safety. During his first year, Dillon Thieneman was named Third-team All-American, Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and Second-team All-Big Ten.

NIL has been a recurring topic over the past decade. One pivotal event reshaped the discussion: the House v. NCAA settlement. Filed in 2020, this lawsuit was brought by former Arizona State swimmer Grant House and former TCU and Oregon basketball player Sedona Prince, who sued the NCAA for its past ban on athletes getting compensated for their name, image and likeness before 2021. They argued that the ban violated Section 1 of the Sherman Act by restricting athletes’ ability to receive fair earnings. As of May 2024, the NCAA is facing a $2.78 billion settlement, potentially allowing Division I athletes to receive back pay for missed NIL opportunities and aiming to establish a more equitable system for current and future athletes. 

The NCAA is expected to grant $1.2 billion, with Power Five Conference schools covering 24% of future withheld revenues. Over the next decade, money will be distributed to athletes who played between 2016 and 2021. If approved, universities would begin payments in July 2025. At the press conference, sports media expert Galen Clavio noted the potential discontent among former players. “A lot of college athletes are going to be arguing that we are in the mid-2000s,” Clavio said, emphasizing that athletes who played before 2016 may question why they aren’t receiving compensation. This sentiment highlights the ongoing uncertainty around the proposal. 

Further insight was given in an interview with the Thieneman brothers. Jake Thieneman had an overall positive perspective on the topic, citing the many opportunities NIL creates for players. Though he’s now a graduate, he wishes he’d had this opportunity when he played and believes past players should be compensated for their contributions to their programs. “I think it was unethical to prevent them from being compensated given the value they were providing to the schools and how much revenue they were generating,” he said.

Dillon Thieneman had a different perspective. While he acknowledged the positive effects of NIL, he also pointed out potential downsides. “Athletes are now able to get paid and receive other benefits from their play on the field and presence they have off the field,” he said. However, he added, “people do want to follow the money, and that leads to more people entering the transfer portal to find money for what they think they are worth.” Dillon Thieneman emphasized the growing divide between schools with established NIL programs and those with smaller budgets, resulting in a recruitment imbalance as top players gravitate toward wealthier schools. He also disagrees with the ruling that past players should receive compensation.

Dillon Thieneman shared his experience with securing an NIL deal, noting that the process can be somewhat stressful but rewarding. “The process can be a little stressful, but I enjoy it — getting to try new things like going to the INDY 500 track and recently doing a meal plan deal to receive frequent meals,” he said.

Jake Thieneman, who helped Dillon Thieneman negotiate his NIL deal, provided additional insight into the process. “For the deals between the player and the collective, the player or a representative for the player negotiates with the collective and comes to an agreement on how much they’ll be compensated annually based on the player’s position, their skill level, and their contribution to the team.”

The Thieneman brothers stand on different sides of the NIL discussion.

The debate over NIL continues to evolve daily. With college sports having a constantly growing media presence, this topic isn’t going away anytime soon. While the future remains uncertain, the opportunities for college athletes are only expanding.

https://youtu.be/yHGH3D6HfC4?feature=shared

Voxpop interviews with three strangers on their opinions of the House v. NCAA settlement