Sydney Parrish’s NIL Journey
Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) allows student athletes the opportunity to profit off their personal brand. However, this was not always the case.
On June 21, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of student athletes in NCAA v. Alston, which changed how college student athletes could be compensated. Nine days later, the NCAA crafted a policy that opened the door for NIL activity to start on July 1, 2021.
This decision has proven to be very fruitful, especially for female athletes like Sydney Parrish. Parrish, a graduate guard on the Indiana University (IU) women’s basketball team, started her college career at the University of Oregon in 2020.
Parrish’s introduction to a national audience came when she and her teammates went viral for showing the disparities between the 2021 NCAA Division 1 women’s and men’s basketball tournaments.
“We started using our platforms to show it was a big deal and this shouldn’t happen,” Parrish said. “I think that’s when everyone’s NIL really blew up.”