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.”
IU women’s basketball graduate guard Sydney Parrish talks about the first time her NIL really exploded.
Parrish got several brand deals while playing for Oregon, but she ultimately decided she wanted to come back home to Indiana. The Fishers native transferred to IU before the beginning of her junior year, and said that decision has done wonders for her NIL.
“It has changed my life for the better, transferring to IU,” Parrish said.
Parrish says that one of the key reasons IU has had an impact on her NIL earnings is the Hoosiers Connect collective. The official NIL collective, operated through IU Athletics, helps student athletes like Parrish connect with brands and businesses who want to work with them.
Though Parrish also organizes many brand deals on her own, people like Matthew Quammen and IU Sports Properties are there to assist IU student athletes when needed.
“We try to chose athletes that really fit that brand and what they are doing,” Quammen said. “It’s a lot more authentic and makes the experience that much more special.”
Matthew Quammen, who is the Senior Coordinator of Partnership Services at IU Sports Properties, talks about how he helps initiate NIL deals for IU athletes like Parrish.
Quammen’s desire to connect athletes with brands whose values align with their own was why Parrish and IU men’s basketball player, Anthony Leal, were chosen to represent IU Athletics in Abbott and the Big Ten’s “We Give Blood” drive.
Parrish says she appreciates that she can see the positive impact brand deals like the “We Give Blood” drive are having. She also notes that while managing the brand deals can occasionally be a lot to handle, she tries to keep a positive perspective.
“You get overwhelmed regardless, but that’s also the blessing of being a student athlete,” Parrish said. “You do not take things for granted.”
Parrish uses the support of her friends and family to manage the hectic schedule that comes with being an athlete in the NIL era. With her NIL experience, Parrish also helps educate some of her younger teammates on the various aspects of NIL.
“We had an instance this summer where we got a good amount of money for signing autographs and doing camps,” Parrish said. “I had to remind a lot of them that you get taxed on the money we’re making.”
These were things Parrish says she did not consider when NIL came about, so she now encourages other athletes to learn about all of the terms and conditions they’re agreeing to with a brand deal.
With female athletes like LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne and basketball star Flau’jae Johnson near the very top in total NIL earnings, Parrish believes women’s sports is going to continue to explode in popularity and dominating NIL.
“I think it’s just going to continue to grow, more sports are going to get involved, and women’s sports is going to be at the front of NIL,” Parrish said.
