By Rhonda
It seems like the acronym NIL is all we hear about in college sports right now – besides March Madness! But NIL is even being tied to the madness. Remember Doug Edert, the guy with the legendary mustache that came off the bench to score 20 points in No. 15-seeded Saint Peter’s upset of No. 2-seeded Kentucky? He just got a NIL deal with Buffalo Wild Wings. Edert is a busy man in the NIL world. He’s also launched a “Dougie Buckets” apparel collection with Barstool Sports. Edert – the man – getting his dough while he can.
Saint Peter's guard Doug Edert has signed an NIL deal with Buffalo Wild Wings 🍗 pic.twitter.com/l207Tm2P4T
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) March 23, 2022
Whether you’re for or against NIL, there’s no doubt that it completely changes the landscape of college sports, impacting everything from recruiting to marketing to media. There are differing opinions. One being – damn straight, collegiate athletes should be paid for the amount of money universities make off them. Versus – no way, these kids are amateurs, students first. They don’t need to be paid for their performance. Interestingly, 63 percent of college sports fans said they supported NIL, proving that the most passionate fans are in support of the NCAA’s rule changes (college athletes can profit from their own Name, Image and Likeness).
This week, Adidas announced a new program that will give student-athletes opportunities to be paid for the use of their “name, image and likeness” in brand campaigns. The initiative is the part of Adidas’ “Impossible is Nothing” campaign, which promotes the brand’s goal of creating a more equitable and inclusive future in sports. This new network will be accessible to every NCAA student-athlete at a Division I university and college that the sporting apparel company has partnered with. The new program will be rolled out in phases starting with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Power-5 conference partners in Fall 2022.
“With the ability to reach over 50,000 student-athletes across 23 sports and 109 Division NCAA schools, the new NIL program will give eligible student-athletes of all genders the opportunity, directly with Adidas, to become paid affiliate brand ambassadors,” per Adidas.
Adidas just opened the door to big brand #NIL wars.
— Darren Heitner (@DarrenHeitner) March 23, 2022
It is offering all athletes at each of its sponsored schools to be paid affiliate ambassadors. Roughly 50,000 athletes.
This will put pressure on Nike, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and other major brands to offer nationwide deals.
Financial figures are unknown, but eligible athletes will have the opportunity to earn a percentage of the sales they drive at Adidas.com and on the Adidas app as well as be paid per social media post. But, is the deal as good as it sounds? That’s the subject of much speculation. There’s an issue that giving athletes licensing as their only option to profit off their fame is very restrictive and isn’t an equitable tradeoff for the amount of value and money they bring to their colleges and universities.
A Former Clemson point guard, Merl Code, who is serving time in federal prison for his role in a college basketball bribery scheme says NIL has many restrictions and that student athletes cannot “capitalize on the entirety of the business.”
The NCAA regulates more than 1,000 institutions nationwide and has churned into a multibillion dollar business. Media companies pay HUGE sums for the broadcast rights to big competitions like the College Football Playoff and the NCAA basketball tournament – and why do people tune in? To see these mega talented student-athletes, who have long been denied their share.
“NIL is great for public perception, but it’s a band-aid on a bullet wound,” Cole told InsideHook. “Until these young men and young women are able to capitalize on the entirety of the business, it’ll be an enslaved situation.”
I don’t know if I agree with Cole. The NIL will be messy at first and boundaries will be pushed, but when it works itself out, it will be a good deal for the athletes. They are finally able to make money and that’s something they never thought they would have the chance to do and the legions before them were unable to do. It’s truly a revolution, people. No longer will student-athletes be exploited for their labor while coaches reap millions and the NCAA brings in billions off their talent. There is no reason these athletes shouldn’t be able to make money off their popularity. Yes. there is going to be a disparity in earning power, as the superstars will make more, but that’s the nature of sports.
Picture Credit: Shutterstock
