By Matilyn Martin, Max Kirsch and Whitney Householder

BLOOMINGTON, Ind (November 5, 2024)-

For a long time, college athletes have played their sport and built a strong fanbase for themselves by attracting fans with the skill level they play their sport with and also how they go about their daily lives and interact with people. However, these athletes were not getting paid for anything despite the program that they were apart of being worth millions of dollars. Now things have changed for the better. In the past couple of years, there was a change to college athletic programs that completely changed the way that fans were able to view their favorite athletes.

With the not so recent law change affecting college athletes, there still seems to be some confusion regarding college athletes and how they can promote themselves through their sport for profit. In June 2021, the Supreme Court passed a ruling that all college athletes have the ability to profit off of their name, image, and likeness (NIL). This law especially helped out large campuses like Indiana University. With Indiana University being a large Big Ten school, this ruling allowed the university’s athletic department to bring in more popular athletes and to also market said athletes and set them up for a future not only with their sport, yet how they can market themselves in their own social media.

Although this sounds like a good thing for student athletes and is, it does leave room for questions about certain aspects of the ruling. Is there an increased pressure to perform, knowing that there could be financial risks at stake? NIL deals are of course a good thing for the athlete, but there is always something to counteract the positives. In this situation, the athlete is getting an offer for an NIL deal, but at what cost did it come at? Did the athlete perform in their game a certain way to secure future deals? A deeper dive into this topic could only be done by interviewing the professionals themselves.

An Indiana University Sports Media Professor came to a C250 class and let students ask him questions regarding everything related to NIL. Dr. Galen Clavio, who is the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Students in the Media School, shared his insights on this topic. “Name, image, and likeness in college sports has rapidly become one of the more misunderstood things in college sports over the last four years” Clavio said. This he is right about; there are a lot of subcategories within the NIL umbrella that leave a lot of people still questioning what exactly it is. Clavio touched on the history of NIL and how people questioned the money being made by the schools but not the players. Clavio talked about if this pressure starts even as early as high school. Are high school athletes worried about potential NIL deals in their college careers? He thinks that it does bring a certain pressure to the table, especially for athletes who are good at practicing media. These athletes might expect to bring a certain amount of NIL deals once they get to college, and this could lead to a pressure to perform better. “It’s pressure if you’re a college athlete with a social media following to maintain your audience and build upon your audience.” Clavio said. There is a difference from athlete to athlete. There is the athlete who is good at media and the athlete who is good at their sport. He suggested that the athletes should learn social media practices sooner rather than later, when they are in the midst of earning off of their NIL. This would be helpful to them since this is how the world communicates with each other, so it would give the athletes an insight into how to navigate social media, which in the end would be beneficial when they start getting NIL deals to know how to market themselves and such.

Mario Landino, a freshman at Indiana University, is a defensive lineman for the Hoosiers football team under a new coaching staff led by Curt Cignetti. Coming out of high school in Pennsylvania, Landino wasn’t too familiar with how NIL changed the game of football once entering collegiate competition. He shared information and experiences about how NIL has affected his career at IU. In his first semester at Bloomington, he has already received an offer from the IU NIL store, “The store is a place student-athletes like myself are able to create gear and post it to the website. So with that being said, I would say I started that just around 1 month ago,” Landino said. While Landino has been lucky enough to acquire such opportunities, they do not come as easy as it seems. When asked how often athletes get deals like his, Landino responded, “Athletes truly must have multiple or high-end deals, need to be in the P4 conferences and be well known for your team. Since it is hard you really need to seek out deals and persuade businesses to work with you.” Getting handed a NIL deal so early in his collegiate career means Landino only has larger expectations as time passes and he adjusts to becoming a starting player. Now that there are financial risks at stake, it could lead to added pressure on and off the field. Additionally, tension could potentially arise between teammates who may have not received similar offers if any at all. “In general there is always pressure and competition within football. Everyone is chasing to make money and be the best player. Naturally, the process will unfold and everyone can have the ability to dabble in NIL,” Landino said. He adds that NIL and money related topics are generally not talked about in the locker room much. He also feels that everyone who gets opportunities worked hard to earn it. From local merchandise deals to partnerships with national corporations, the possibilities for deals are endless. Everybody needs to start somewhere, and Landino seems to be highly optimistic about how his deal has been treating him. “With this type of NIL, it is not a set price you receive. It is based on the sales of your merchandise. Everything I earned feels well deserved as I know how hard we work to get here,” Landino said. Leaving off on a high note, Landino provided genuine words of wisdom as he added, “Every day without trying to further your abilities is another day you miss an opportunity.”

Oumar Ballo, currently plays the center position for the Indiana Hoosiers men’s basketball team. Before playing for Indiana University, he played basketball for Arizona, which is where he was when the NIL ruling came into play. “It wasn’t very popular or important at first, didn’t really make much of a difference for a lot of players” Ballo said. He explained how NIL began to change his basketball career and specifically the amount of money he was making. “The experience was different for me because I am a foreigner here, certain offers I had to turn down because the contracts did not align with the stipulations of my work visa” Ballo said. He feels that there is a pressure to perform better in order to make more NIL deals and money. Ballo believes that all of his teammates have this pressure as well. He considers NIL deals as a business and stands by that. When asking him how this affects the energy between him and his teammates, he says how it had never really been competitive between them and that they always liked to see each other receive new opportunities. Ballo talks highly of the NIL experience and the effect it has had on his basketball career. “I feel like I deserve everything that I have gained from transferring to Indiana, there was a lot of money coming in just from coming here and I am very grateful for the opportunity. I have worked very hard to get here and I love playing for the Hoosiers” Ballo said, speaking very highly of his achievements.

There is always pressure to do anything in life. Especially with competition. Athletes will still get NIL deals regardless of anyway that they play their sport because they also have the ability to find opportunities themselves. However, there is a definite connection between the way athletes perform and the NIL deals that they receive. The extremity differs from athlete to athlete but one thing remains the same. Every player feels they have worked hard to earn each opportunity, no matter what.

Bloomington residents give their insights on if there is a connection between performance level and the amount of NIL deals. Indiana Hoosier fans are very loyal to their favorite IU teams.

By Caroline Crawford, Jordan Campbell and Chase Dodson

Bloomington Indiana, ( November, 5th, 2024)

 The polished waxed floors squeak with the sound of shoes running up and down the court. The horizontal lines come together to create boundaries that make up the game of basketball. With people cheering in the stands, the players line up for their routine entrance. As the crowd sees their favorite players they get even louder and scream with anticipation for the game that’s to come. As the energy in the room intensifies, the game begins. 

With athletes seeming so untouchable, the topic at hand is wondering how easy it seems to be a college athlete and have your entire college tuition taken care of, a problem many college students worry about throughout their academic careers. With athletes being at the top of the social hierarchy, it seems to be the easiest job in the world, getting to do something they truly love and were born to do, while getting applauded and worshiped for it. Although the life of a college athlete seems glamorous and effortless, It’s actually quite the opposite with the discussion of how college athletes actually feel mentally and physically, while dedicating their life to playing their sport. Athletes’ troubles and challenges often go unseen, especially with the debate of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL).

The hard work and dedication that every player consistently brings to each game is immense and deserves to be shown off and profitable, most would think. The game of basketball is seen as lots of effort and time, although the sport is rewarding, the discussion of how the game affects the players mentally is not a topic that the media usually covers. According to IU’s women’s basketball manager Aj Harmon “It’s a lot of time and commitment, and a major struggle being the time the players spend away from their families” said Harmon. The players spend most of their time conditioning, practicing and getting ready for games. It’s a full time job to be a college athlete, so that means the players have no way of getting a real paying job as their time as an athlete. Without sponsors and advertisements, the players are making no money from all their hard work and dedication. The labor they do becomes unseen without getting a paycheck at the end of the day.  The players give up their social life, including phone calls with parents, social gatherings, even something simple like down time. The struggle of trying to stay afloat is real for athlete’s while trying their best to play well.

Mental health varies from player to player, but the pressure is almost constant. The need to be the best and always give their all becomes a never ending cycle of mental defeat. While working hard on the court and outside of it, the players have no real compensation for their hard work. The amount of work they put in with no reward leaves the players burnt out and tired. With the risk of injuries and pressure to be the best during every game, college athletes ask themselves “what’s the point?” While being a full time student, the stressors of personal identity and self doubt come to the surface. Stated by D2 Freshman basketball player at Wayne State College, Darshan Thomas “Many of us sacrifice our time and our bodies while on the court, it takes a toll on me mentally to constantly think about my performance and not my school work so the team and school can be good”. Putting the skill from each player aside, the main part of being a team is each individual putting their talent together to create one big talent. Representing a school is an honor and each player must give it their all each game. The stress of being good for something other than yourself is tiring and leads to burning out. The anxieties of being injured or performing badly is immense when playing for a high division like D2. Without NIL, and not being compensated for effort, time and stress, the players can reach a point where they feel like their time and effort is not being appreciated or valued enough to it’s fullest potential. 

According to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education for the Media School, Dr Clavio “you do not get the same rights as the other people that are college students, despite the long-standing public relations approach by the NCAA, which tries to argue that college athletes are simply students who happen to be engaged in athletics”. While full time college students get the right to profit off their name image and likeness, College athletes unfortunately do not. Although a college student who is engaged with athletics or with a particular field of study, they are seen as two different students. College athletics, specifically basketball, bring in a big sum of money through ticket sales, merch and much more. Ignoring what each individual brings to the table, the players don’t even make money off the games as a whole, which people pay to see them play. With the liabilities of injuries and the serious impact on mental health that comes along with the game of basketball, the players are doing all the work while getting no reward. Punishing athlete’s for being extraordinarily good at something, is wrong and unfair for those who fight through and overcome mental and physical challenges while playing their sport.

People of Kirkwood discuss how student athlete’s are impacted mentally through NIL, without getting compensated for their hard work and dedication.

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By  AnaCecilia Cornejo, Aisling Zarate, and Sonny Hoekstra,

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Oct. 30, 2024) – Eyes focused, heart racing, a weighted metal ball in hand, patiently awaiting the announcement to throw. The track team can be heard from across the sidelines, screaming and radiating energy for their team. Drew Franklin can feel his muscles tense up as the time is ticking, quickly planting his feet to get his proper foot positioning. Transferring all his energy from his legs to his core, he slings the ball forward and it lands. The judge quickly goes over to measure the distance, now all that awaits is the results.

The results are in and Franklin has successfully set a new record in his Shot Put event! The whole crowd and team erupted in cheer as they stood to give a standing ovation. After the meet Franklin takes to social media to share his accomplishments with his followers. Like many athletes, Drew Franklin, a current sophomore at Indiana University Bloomington, has seen how the role of social media corresponds with Name, Image, and Likeness deals.

NIL, short for “Name, Image, and Likeness,” grants college and high school athletes the right to profit from their own image. NIL rights allow athletes to engage in endorsement deals, advertising, merchandise sales, and paid social media sponsorships. Previously, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the NCAA, which prohibited student-athletes from monetizing their NIL deals. But that has since changed following the 2021 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. In 2024, the NCAA reached a settlement that further expands NIL rights, allowing colleges to compensate their athletes and allocating nearly $2.8 billion for past and current athletes. Athletes can now leverage from NIL rights by signing contracts and working with brands.

Since NIL has been established, athletes like Franklin have been able to explore the territory of NIL with social media and leverage financially. This has changed the game completely. With many social media sites, such as TikTok, increasing in popularity IU athletes have been taking advantage. “A lot of attention comes from TikTok” , said Franklin. He explained how companies look into your profile and audience. “Athletes on my team who have more followers and overall likes, are getting asked to do promotions more often”, said Franklin. This new era of athlete influencers has transformed social media with the utilization of social media as a professional asset to gain profit opportunities.

NIL has also been a great opportunity for brands to work with collegiate athletes. By using athletes, brands can expand their reach to various audiences. College sports are becoming more and more popular in recent years, so by using a popular athlete’s image there is an opportunity to reach a larger audience within a specific demographic. This allows brands to connect with consumers on a more personal level. Professor Joe Glennon at Indiana University has seen his fair share of brand building. Professor Glennon was the department chair of Advertising and Public Relations at Temple University and is now a senior lecturer for Indiana University’s Media School. “There’s a direct relationship between share of voice and market share. That’s on the consumer and brand side, but there’s a parallel to that on the athlete and NIL side”, said Glennon. The marketing metric, share of voice (SOV) Glennon mentions, measures how much a brand is being talked about compared to its competitors. The value and image of the brand is helped when having a relationship with athletes on social media, especially when the athletes image aligns with theirs.

Indiana University Athletics has demonstrated the importance of how real-time content in sports has affected the engagement of their social media posts as well as their athletes. Jack Venegoni, a current Indiana University Athletics Social / Digital Media Intern knows personally how IU’s efforts has boosted athlete visibility. Working with the Cuban Center for Sports Media Venegoni has worked with various teams such as football, men and women’s basketball, volleyball and many others. During basketball season, Venegoni would receive photos during the games and begin uploading them live during the game. “The athletes are able to use all photos and videos we take of them on their personal counts”, Venegoni said. Player highlights being posted online in real time boosts their personal brand, fans from all over the country interact as the emotions are at an all time high.

Venegoni also noted about an NIL deal that became a huge deal in Bloomington, the Malik Reneau burger. After his freshman year, Indiana University’s basketball power forward Malik Reneau signed a NIL Deals with Big Woods restaurant to get his own item on the menu. The burger has been advertised all over Reneau’s social media and brought a lot of publicity to Big Woods. The restaurant has gained a lot of social media attention because of this and “It became a big deal and became a meme, it soon got more people to realize that they haven’t even tried it and gave them more publicity”, said Venegoni. Through partnerships like this, athletes and business both mutually benefit and drive significant business growth. Social media is important within NIL deals because the influence and fanbase from a collegiate athlete can create buzz and attract new customers for business and brands.

The relationship between social media and NIL deals has benefitted athletes, brands, and business. As seen through athletes like Drew Franklin and Malik Reneau, the use of social media has increased their reach, turning their athletic accomplishments into a valuable resource for themselves and partnering with businesses. Online presence allows for brands to interact with college sports audiences while providing athletes with opportunities to take advantage of their likeness. NIL deals are more than just partnerships with brands, athletes and brands now work together to build connections and relationships that are shared online.

Indiana University students share their opinion on how social media effects college athletes. Many college athletes have taken to social media to build themselves a personal brand.

Featured photo taken by Lauren Bacho.

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By Ava Fletcher, Sofia Harari, and Titan Williams

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Nov. 5, 2024)

“What’s NIL?” This was the first thought that popped into Mijntje Hagen’s head as she sat through Indiana University’s freshmen athletic seminar with her fellow athletes. Coming from the Netherlands, this was the first time Hagen had heard of benefitting off her own name, image, and likeness. Bright eyes around the room twinkled with thoughts of dollar signs as IU administrators explained how to connect with brands on social media. At a time of excitement for many college athletes, Hagen sat through the rest of the meeting in silence after learning that these opportunities were out of reach for someone like her. Due to the current regulations placed on international collegiate athletes, Hagen and thousands of other foreign athletes are left out of the NIL goldmine.

The July 2021 Supreme Court ruling of NCAA v. Alston granted collegiate athletes the right to profit off their name, image, and likeness, commonly referred to as NIL. Since then, individual states and universities have established clear guidelines for how their athletes should handle NIL engagements. The same clarity is not found for international athletes. With high restrictions and little education of NIL policies for international athletes, these students are often left in a vulnerable position.

While it may not seem like a high-profile issue, international athletes do hold a strong footing in the NCAA. According to NIL Daily, 12.8% of NCAA D1 athletes are international students, with men’s basketball slightly surpassing this average at 15%. Like their American counterparts, international athletes have worked extremely hard to be recognized and selected by their universities, yet they still cannot pursue the same NIL opportunities. Hagen says she and many of her international peers have given up hope in benefitting from their NIL. “I just think that a lot of international students don’t really pay attention to these things because they know they won’t be able to receive a real deal,” Hagen said.

“Name, image, and likeness in college sports has rapidly become one of the most misunderstood things,” Dr. Galen Clavio, Associate Dean of the IU Media School, said. A common misunderstanding is that foreign athletes cannot receive any form of NIL. Benefitting off NIL as an international athlete is possible, but only through passive engagements. NIL engagements are divided into two parts: passive and active. Passive engagements essentially require no work from the athlete and is completely based on their popularity alone. The athlete gives a company license to use their name, image, likeness, voice, and jersey number for merchandise, video game characters, or other products. Active engagements do require some form of work from the athlete, like social media postings or public appearances. Active NIL engagements are much more popular and ultimately more lucrative than passive engagements.

A key word to note in the difference between passive and active engagements is “work”. Whether an international athlete must do work to complete the NIL engagement determines if activity is permitted, and this goes back to the F-1 visa. The F-1 visa is reserved for foreign students studying full time in the United States. This visa comes with several restrictions, especially in terms of employment. Students on an F-1 visa can only work on-campus jobs or in programs that relate to their prospective careers, making them ineligible to participate in active NIL engagements.

In November 2023, BAL Immigration Law Firm discussed NIL with D1 NCAA schools from across the country and within each of the NCAA Power-Five Conferences. The discussions resulted in five key themes, from student guidance and vulnerability to NIL’s effect on the economy and the college athlete experience. Calls for student guidance was the most common request, with administrators wanting complete clarity on what athletes on the F-1 visa can and cannot do regarding NIL. The current guidelines have led some colleges to look for loopholes, promising foreign athletes NIL benefits despite the F-1 restrictions. Such activities put these athletes at high risk of violating their visa, resulting in the loss of F-1 benefits or even deportation. The barriers for international athletes to participate in active engagements could also cause tensions between them and team members who can. “Anytime there’s paid discrepancies in the workplace, it can change a dynamic,” Jeremy Gray, Senior Associate Athletic Director at Indiana University, said.

With growing concern and awareness of the issue, there has been attempts to create equality for international collegiate athletes. Most recently, Congressman Mike Flood and Congresswoman Valeria Foushee proposed the Name, Image, and Likeness for International Collegiate Athletes Act this past April.  The main goal of the act is to allow athletes on the F-1 Visa to accept active NIL engagements. This would also allow them to participate in lucrative NIL collectives, which fall under the active category. As the bill is simpler than most in that it only focuses on a single issue, the bill’s outlook is positive.

“Everybody in this room as an adult has rights to publicity,” Clavio said. But due to their citizenship status, or lack thereof, international collegiate athletes cannot simply be guaranteed the same rights, creating complicated dynamics across the NCAA. The Name, Image, and Likeness for International Collegiate Athletes Act has potential to enable international athletes to participate in active NIL engagements, but until then, Mijntje Hagen her peers have decided to stay focused on their athletic and academic careers at Indiana University.

Bloomington residents express their thoughts on NIL rights for international collegiate athletes. International athletes competing at U.S. universities are currently prohibited from certain NIL engagements due to the restrictions of their F-1 visa.

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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 Cordelia Ellis, Will Sowle, Brynn Stewart and Caroline Brackett

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Nov. 5, 2024) – Saturday is game day. Thousands of students across the country flock to stadiums to watch their team take on their newest weekly opponent. Saturday November 2nd, for example, the Arkansas Razorbacks are playing Ole Miss, Oregon is playing Michigan and Indiana University will take on Michigan State. Tailgate leftovers will be littered around the grass, loud music will make people’s ears ring and the smell of grilled hamburgers and hotdogs will filter through the air. That is the tradition of Saturday game days for colleges. 

One question: Did you know that the Indiana ice hockey team will face off against DePaul or that the Indiana Men’s swim team faces off against the Texas Longhorns, also on Saturday? No tailgates, no grilled hotdogs and certainly not thousands of students flocking the stands.

The popularity of collegiate sports is the same as anything else. The same as Sororities and Fraternities, there are levels, a hierarchy of sorts. At the collegiate level Football and Basketball stand tall amongst the rest. Winning or losing, their fans pack the stands, scream and yell, shout obscenities against the other team and wear their school colors with pride; with the added bonus  of media and television exposure to add monetary benefits. 

“It’s all about exposure,” Van Mathias said “until we have major TV deals we won’t have that limelight.”

As the Director of Ops for Indiana Swimming, Mathias swam for IU during the years of 2016-2020. The popularity of collegiate sports was still heavily prevalent, however nowadays the popularity isn’t just in the sports, but the athletes as well. 

Collegiate sports have become just as much about free agency as it has skill and capabilities. The newest addition to collegiate athletes lives is Name, Image and Likeness (NIL).  A 2021 Supreme Court ruling allows collegiate athletes to benefit and make money from the commercial use of who they are and their positions as athletes. Allowing them to have the right to market themselves as their own personal brand for a profit; gaining endorsement deals, selling merchandise and appearing in advertisements. 

“They have intrinsic value as individuals in the marketplace,” Dr.  Clavio said.

Working as the Head of the Sports Media Program at IU, Dr. Clavio has seen how NIL has evolved over time to allow collegiate athletes to market themselves and build a brand off of their name, image and likeness. However, the NIL spread hasn’t reached all collegiate athletes the same. The spread of NIL works side-by-side with the popularity of the sports themselves, however is this spread fair for the athletes? Does NIL leave too many holes and missed opportunities for a whole group of collegiate athletes from less recognized sports? 

Jerry Jorgensen, former D1 Track & Field mid-distance runner for Nebraska, spoke on the fairness of the attention spread given to different collegiate athletes based on sport. “It’d be awesome to make the amount of money these football players are making,” Jorgensen said, “but I think in the real world those players from basketball, football, those big three, four sports are bringing in a little bit more popularity to the school, little more attention in the media so in all fairness they should probably be making the big bucks.” 

Kennedy Neighbors, Sophomore midfielder for Indiana University’s soccer team also spoke on this, “It shows how the fan bases and popularity of certain athletes and teams play a role,” Neighbors said, “With football getting around 50k fans per game and basketball players being so recognizable, it’s tough to generate the same NIL money when we don’t have the same level of revenue.” 

Both athletes from less recognized sports understand that there is a popularity scale regarding the possible NIL money that can be received. Organizations want to endorse athletes that have larger media and fan engagement rather than athletes who lack in both. It is inconceivable that all sports would receive the same disbursement or opportunities as others. Not all sports generate thousands of seats per game,  earning thousands of dollars for their schools. 

The IU Men’s swimming team is currently ranked #1 and in previous years they have stayed in top 5 ranked positions. Even though sports like swimming are less recognized in collegiate popularity, they still hold a good reputation and players are able to receive NIL deals. However, without the same exposure, is it fair that athletes from more recognized sports receive additional attention, regardless of whether their season is ‘successful?'” 

“Appraisal of athletes, personally I think it should be off of merit,” Van Mathias said, “if you go to a school and ride the bench it should be based off of performance and merit.” 

Mathias’ idea of merit is shared by soccer player Kennedy Neighbors, “I think it should ultimately be a balance,” Neighbors said, “I think it’s important for the athlete to be recognized athletically for their hard work and commitment, but I think popularity can boost things like engagement with others and the overall visibility of the brand.” 

Acknowledging the athletes abilities and achievements in their sport is no longer as important as it once was.  Having a popularity or media engagement that a brand can build on is now just as important. A proper balance between the two is needed for athletes to receive endorsements and properly market themselves to potential brands. 

Not every sport fills out stadiums and has tailgate leftovers littered on the grass, but every athlete works hard to achieve both athletic achievements and proper marketability.

Indiana University students answered questions about NIL. They talked about their thoughts and opinions about the fairness of NIL in different sports. 

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By Sydney Jordan, Etta Rockman, Natalie Byer 

BLOOMINGTON, IN (Nov. 5, 2024)

Dating back to the start of July 2021, collegiate athletes have been able to monetize their name, image, and likeness. This is better known as NIL, which has changed the game for some athletes, but not all. It has been just over 3 years since the decision was made to allow athletes to profit off themselves, and we are starting to see the effects of this change across all teams. The differences NIL has made for male and female athletes are contrasting, and while some teams are flourishing from NIL deals, others have felt no difference since this change was made. The truth of the matter is that the majority of athletes are not reaping the benefits of NIL. Specifically when looking at women’s teams, if you’re not Caitlyn Clark or Livvy Dunne, NIL may not be making the significant impacts on female collegiate athletes we thought it was. 

Dr. Galen Clavio, the director of the National Sports Journalism Center at Indiana University Bloomington, shared how NIL has given some of the power back to the students. He shares that “athletes do have market value, do have compensatory value, and are able to leverage those rights and those opportunities as they choose where they go to school or stay at school.”

Prior to 2021, athletes were unable to make money through 3rd parties or get paid to play their sport through universities. This new chapter of collegiate athletics allows student athletes to make money off of what already feels like a full-time job, as well as the ability to have a head start post-graduation. However, there seems to be some inconsistencies between the male and female athletes. While Dr. Clavio claimed that “NIL has opened doors for a lot of female athletes in general,” female athletes at Indiana University Bloomington seem to feel differently.

Our first interview subject can be recognized as an active member of the Indiana University RedSteppers Dance team. Her name is Natalie Winzenread. Natalie details her disappointment in regards to these gender and sport disparities. Over the course of her college career, she’s noticed that male athletes in more prominent sports benefit far more from NIL than she and her teammates have and will post-graduation. She shares that her older brother is on the baseball team at Southern Indiana University and unlike her, has profited as an athlete. As a young female athlete at IU, surrounded by successful male athletes that reap the perks of NIL, along with an older brother attending another school that does as well, she feels she is at a disadvantage, and rightfully so. Natalie explains her perspective further; “Not having NIL is kind of defeating sometimes because it’s given to other people that work just as hard as us.”

Contrary to Dr. Clavios’ point about NIL “opening doors” for female athletes, Natalie believes that NIL will leave no impact on her future, bad or good. When asked how she thinks NIL will affect her post-grad, if at all, she responds “I don’t think it (NIL) will affect me because we don’t have access to it being on the dance team.” Natalie has yet to be informed of any future NIL related opportunities, but remains consistent in her sport, putting in the same effort nonetheless. 

Our second interviewee, known as Chase Boyer, is a member of the Indiana University women’s tennis team. Chase entered collegiate athletics unaware of the possible opportunities and benefits NIL had to offer, but has still yet to experience much of them herself. Chase describes her athletic schedule as “having a job and getting zero money.”

Keeping this in mind, NIL seems like the perfect opportunity to profit off of your performance and brand image as a way to celebrate the tireless commitment and dedication put forth. However, like previously noted by Natalie, it does not impact all athletes in the same regard. When asked if Chase believes NIL has had any influence on her team’s culture, she responds, “For my team personally, I don’t think NIL has impacted our culture. We are all pretty happy for each other when we get these deals since we (women’s tennis) don’t get nearly as much.” She goes on to indicate that she would assume NIL impacts other sports teams cultures at IU, such as football. Because the women’s tennis team isn’t as recognized for their performance or sport in general, she doesn’t have much insider knowledge. NIL deals favor higher-profile, typically male-dominated sports.

NIL is a popularity contest, and favors only the most prominent teams and individual athletes. Sadly, not all collegiate athletes have felt the impact personally. For female athletes like Natalie and Chase, the promises of NIL have yet to be fulfilled. As NIL continues to expand, the necessary questions pertaining to gender disparities and inclusivity must be asked. College athletes deserve to be celebrated for their tremendous devotion to their craft, regardless of their sport or gender. It’s more important now than ever before to bridge these gaps and present athletes with equal opportunities to jumpstart their NIL careers, and benefit them after graduation.

On Friday, October 18th, those walking on Kirkwood were asked about NIL and its effect on college athletes. Several of these people noted the negative effects over the positive ones, mentioning the inequalities within who gets what NIL deals based on sport and gender. 

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By Brooks White, Emily Gustitus and Gracie Peltier

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Nov. 5, 2024) — One year ago, nobody would have imagined Indiana University football being undefeated and being the fourth-highest-ranked Big Ten team. 

The Indiana Hoosiers are 9-0 for the first time in the program’s 137-year history. The Hoosiers have already equaled the program’s previous winningest season. The record hasn’t been touched in 57 years, and in Head Coach Curt Cignetti’s first year at the helm of the program, the Hoosiers see themselves on the brink of a College Football Playoff berth. 

On November 30, 2023, Curt Cignetti was hired as the Head Coach of the Indiana Hoosiers. Exactly one year later, his team will face cross-state rivals, the Purdue Boilermakers, with the chance to cap off the historic regular season with the Old Oaken Bucket. But how did Curt Cignetti’s dominant team come to be? 

The simple answer is the transfer portal and generous donations from members of Hoosiers Connect, Indiana’s NIL collective. “Hoosiers Connect made it public after the hiring of Curt Cignetti that they were willing to spend 4.5 million on the roster,” said Jeremy Gray, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Strategic Communications and Director of the Cuban Center. The Hoosiers anticipated an emphasis on NIL’s use in Curt Cignetti’s first year as the head coach of the Hoosiers. 

Cignetti signed up for a rebuild when he took the head coaching job at IU. When he left James Madison University, 13 players came with him, joining another 17 transfers to round out the 2024 Hoosier roster. The most notable of these transfers is quarterback Kurtis Rourke. Formerly an Ohio University Bobcat, Rourke was named the 2022 MAC Offensive Player of the Year after a season with over 240 completed passes and multiple records set at Ohio University. Rourke is a redshirt senior who transferred to Indiana for his last year of eligibility. 

So far this season, Rourke has posted the second-highest quarterback rating (QBR), at 91.6. Furthermore, the $4.5 million promised to Cignetti by the NIL collective, Hoosiers Connect was used to recruit the current rushing and receiving leaders, Justice Ellison and Elijah Sarratt. The trio of Rourke, Sarratt, and Ellison has accounted for 28 total Touchdowns and has the Hoosiers firmly in contention for the Big Ten Title and a College Football Playoff berth. All three of these players received deals from Hoosiers Connect in October.

Ellison is contracted through Hoosiers Connect to post content on social media related to Indiana athletics and boost engagement with the athletic department. Tyler Harris, Executive Director of Hoosiers Connect, says, “our big mission is to have athletes that are interested in IU. They know that when they come to IU, they can really maximize this opportunity off the field.” The focus of Hoosiers Connect is to promote the student-athletes and the programs that Indiana has to offer. Hoosier Connect also works to supplement costs not covered by athletic scholarships. The goal of the Indiana football team and its partnership with Hoosiers Connect is to spread engagement with the Hoosier community by providing athletes with opportunities to profit from their name, image, and likeness.

“Coach Cignetti is an unbelievable coach. 1000% credit to him and what he’s built,” says Harris. Cignetti has made remarkable strides for the Indiana Hoosiers, and much of that comes from the transfers he brought this year. He has recruited numerous well-rounded athletes who have contributed significantly to the 9-0 record for the Hoosier football team.

Indiana football isn’t the only team on campus with a big budget; Indiana University’s men’s basketball has NIL stars of their own. After losing six of their top players after the 2023-24 season, Head Coach Mike Woodson needed to do some recruiting over the off-season. “Allegedly,  IU men’s basketball spent close to $4 million in NIL money bringing in players this off-season. That’s the name of the game,” Galen Clavio notes in his press conference with our C250 class. Clavio explains that much of the NIL money gets imputed into the football and basketball rosters.

The Hoosiers brought in six powerhouse players, most notably Oumar Ballo and Myles Rice. Ballo is a 7-foot center from Arizona, and he reportedly received $1.2 million in NIL money after committing to IU. As a junior in the 2022-23 season, he was a part of the All-Pac-12 first team and had a career-high 14.2 points per game. He still has one year of eligibility left due to COVID-19, making this year his sixth college basketball season.

Another part of the All-Pac-12 first team, Myles Rice, has also joined the Hoosiers this season. The guard was also named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year for the 2023-24 season, in which he averaged 14.8 points per game. Rice has a uniquely inspiring story as he redshirted the 2021-22 season, and then missed the 2022-23 season to recover from Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He transferred from Washington State after the 2023-24 season.

The NIL collective has been an integral part of the recent success of IU’s athletic programs, and the Hoosiers are continuing to look for opportunities to keep the winning streak going across the board.

While interviewing people on the street, we got multiple perspectives on the current NIL landscape. These people told us about how NIL has shaped Indiana University athletics and the dynamics of the teams this year. 

By Riley Leichliter, Roland Liu, and Brooke Daugherty

BLOOMINGTON,  Indiana (November. 4, 2024) –

There’s nothing like performing well within your college sport, hearing everyone cheer and feeling an immense amount of pride in your athletic ability. Athletes like Indiana University Division 1 wrestler Anthony Bahl and American University lacrosse player Deirdre Brown have experienced this firsthand. While athletic skills remain important in college recruiting, a strong social media presence, and marketability are now influencing factors.  NIL is tied to fan engagement,  many programs have recognized the value of recruiting athletes with the potential to build a school’s brand.

However, Dr. Galen Clavio, director of the National Sports Journalism Center at IU, warns that focusing too heavily on popularity could undermine the core values of athletic competition. “You don’t see professional sports teams signing athletes solely because they are popular on social media,” Clavio noted, emphasizing that recruitment should prioritize athletic skill over online presence.

Anthony Bahl, a wrestler at Indiana University, sees a balance between talent and marketability. “Skill is the most important thing,” Bahl emphasized, “but if an athlete has a strong social media presence, it can bring more attention and fans to the program, which can be valuable. But at the end of the day, skill and hard work should still come first.” These abilities can benefit both athletes and schools.  Bahl’s perspective speaks on creating a recruiting environment that favors well-rounded recruits with an athletic and public appeal.

Deirdre Brown, a Division 1 women’s lacrosse player at American University, agrees that while social media can give insight into a recruit’s character, it shouldn’t overshadow athletic scholarships. “I think that while it can be a tool used within recruiting, I do not believe that a decision should be solely made based on someone’s social media presence. At the end of the day, you are there to play a sport and do a job,” Brown said. Clavio’s view echoes Brown’s, in that coaches are now having to navigate the balance between recruiting athletes that have a social media following and those with athletic potential.

For incoming athletes, the ability to earn money from NIL deals can play a huge role in deciding where to pursue college sports. While many still prioritize the strength of the athletic program and quality of coaching, NIL considerations have introduced new criteria. Bahl remembers that when he was looking at schools, NIL opportunities factored into his decision-making. “NIL was definitely something I thought about. It’s a big chance to earn money from a brand, so I wanted to choose a school that would support that,” he said.

Both athletes acknowledged the appeal of going to a school with a team as well as a social media presence. Bahl talked about IU’s fan base and popular sports culture as factors that influenced his decision. “The school’s popularity and strong fan support make it a great place to compete,” he said. Brown, too, was drawn to American University’s active engagement on Instagram, where content allowed her to see the team’s character and unity. “AUWLAX at the time had a large following, and they consistently posted videos of the team,” she said. “It allowed me to see inside the personality of the team.”

Both athletes compared their busy schedules to full-time jobs. With practices, games/meets, classes, and studying the time commitment can easily exceed 40 hours per week. Although NIL earnings and scholarships provide financial support, they both stressed the importance of rewards like personal growth, being a part of a team, and skill development.

Bahl expressed that, while scholarship and NIL money are helpful, “the real reward is in the experience and everything I learn along the way.” Brown echoed this highlighting the life lessons and values developed through balancing academics and athletics. “The reward is my education and personality development,” she said. For these athletes, NIL is a meaningful addition to their sports journey, yet it does not overshadow the significance of their educational and personal achievements.

Dr. Clavio has a more cautious view of NIL’s future, warning that programs could be at risk of prioritizing money over athletic tradition. “The NCAA, for a variety of reasons, has been desperately trying to fight against external parties… like being able to make direct payments to athletes,” he explained. He suggests that NIL could challenge the NCAA’s sports model, and change collegiate athletics. “With this, we could see a lot of college athletic programs revert back down to what some would consider club status,” Clavio said.

For less prominent sports, however, Brown sees less impact of a NIL impact on recruiting. She thinks that sports like football and basketball will leverage the NIL heavily, potentially recruiting athletes with high social media status to boost funding. “To some teams, it may be to their benefit to recruit a higher-status player, in order to bring in more fans, attendance, and money to the team,” she says.  But, for smaller sports, Brown expects the recruiting process to remain relatively unaffected, with coaches continuing to focus on athletic skills and team fit over marketability.

The NIL policy has changed the NCAA sports  world,  reshaping recruiting and athlete choices. In this new era, athletes like Bahl and Brown are witnessing how opportunities to profit from their name, image, and likeness are influencing both their personal decisions and broader institutional approaches. Indiana University, like many others, is adapting to these changes, preparing athletes to not only excel in their sports but also to manage their brands and navigate NIL. As the policy evolves, so too will the roles and expectations of student-athletes where athletic talent, personal branding, and financial opportunity will cross paths.

On Friday Oct. 18. on Kirkwood Avenue, various students and visitors were intreviewed about their thoughts on the potential impact NIL could have on recruitment. Overall, those interviewed believed that athletes should be judged based on skill over marketability when it comes to recruitment. 

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