The Future of College Athletics: NIL
When you think of 5.9 million dollars, what do you think of? Bronny James? No, probably not, but that is how much James’ NIL valuation is worth thanks to the recent Name, Image, and Likeness law that was passed in June of 2021. So, what does the NIL law mean?
On June 30, 2021, the NCAA approved an interim Name, Image, and Likeness policy that allowed all NCAA student- athletes to be compensated for their NIL as of July 1, 2021 regardless of state law.
According to the NCAA, “Name, image and likeness (or NIL) are the three elements that make up “right of publicity”, a legal concept used to prevent or allow the use of an individual to promote a product or service. For example, if an athlete’s photograph is taken while wearing an athletic brand, and that brand uses the photo to promote their products without the athlete’s consent, that athlete could claim the brand is in violation of the right of publicity.”
NIL has drastically changed some student- athletes lives. Here are the top 10 highest NIL valuation in college athletics according to On3 as of December 3rd, 2023.
- Bronny James- $5.9 million
- Sheduer Sanders- $4.6 million
- Livvy Dunne- $3.2 million
- Arch Manning- $2.8 million
- Caleb Williams- $2.8 million
- Travis Hunter- $2.2 million
- Angel Reese- $1.7 million
- Bo Nix- $1.5 million
- J.J. McCarthy- $1.4 million
- Spencer Rattler- $1.4 million
Before NIL, most of these athletes never fathomed having that much money as an 18–23 year old. Let’s take a look at the top three names on the list.
Bronny James is the son of famous basketball player LeBron James, who has pioneered the NBA in the 21st century. Bronny is currently a freshman on the basketball team at the University of Southern California. While Bronny was born into a wealthy family, none of the money was ever under his name. Coming out of high school, James was a four star recruit who was selected to the McDonald’s All American Game his senior year. He was initially projected to have an NIL valuation of $7.2 million. It has decreased slightly, but Bronny still tops the list of elite college athletes. Bronny has yet to play a game in a Trojan Uniform. His most notable NIL deals include Nike, Beats by Dre, and PSD Underwear.
Sheduer Sanders is another product of a famous athlete, Deion Sanders, who played professional football and baseball. Sheduer is a junior quarterback for Colorado University where his father is the head coach of the Buffaloes. Sheduer previously played for Jackson State where he was named Jerry Rice’s Most Outstanding Freshmen of the Year, SWAC Offensive Player of the Year, and awarded the Deacon Jones Award for Nation’s Top HBCU Player. Sheduer decided to enter the transfer Portal in 2022 and follow his father. Some of his most notable NIL deals include Oikos, Gatorade, Mercedes- Benz, and Google.
Livvy Dunne is a current member of the LSU Tigers Women’s Gymnastic team who quickly rose to fame on social media. In 2020, Dunne began to create Tik Tok videos (where she currently has 7.8 million followers) performing gymnastic skills and eventually creating more “day in the life” content for her followers. Her platform continued to grow, and brands quickly became interested in working with her. Unlike Bronny and Sheduer, Livvy did not come from a famous family. She built her platform from the ground up by using her gymnastic skills and charisma to her advantage. Her most notable NIL deals include Accelerator Active Energy, EA Sports, Motorola, and Vuori.
As stated above, the top earning athletes in NIL are earning well over 3 million dollars as 18–21 year olds. These athletes have been given opportunities at their fingertips that previous college athletes never could have imagined. The combination of NIL and social media has been crucial for Student-Athletes personal gain.
So, is this change positive, or is it promoting the “pay to play” mentality?
The positive impact of NIL has definitely been accounted for over the past two and half years since the law was passed. Student-Athletes are staying in school longer, a wide variety of sports are making money, and women’s college athletes are benefitting despite the concern that NIL would negatively impact women’s sports.
Although NIL has generated positives for Student-Athletes, some wonder if it has made a negative impact. The “pay to play” mentality is a concern for those who want athletes representing their school to love the game and where they play.
The idea that players can be bought when they enter the transfer portal is another concern. According to Sports Illustrated, Nebraska Football Head Coach Matt Rhule said in a press conference a few weeks ago that “A good quarterback in the portal costs 1.5 million to 2 million dollars today.” Some believe that schools without major collectives (funds from boosters, donors, and alumni that facilitate NIL deals) are at a disadvantage because they will not be able to keep up with big Power 5 schools.
After only two years of NIL, the landscape of college athletics has experienced positive and negative impacts across all sports. Time can only tell how this will further impact college athletics and the NCAA.
How do you think NIL will continue to change and impact college athletics? Comment Below.