In this blog I will explain how NIL works and I will bridge the connection to professional athletes and how they brand themselves. This is a hot topic that has taken over the college sports world. There are people who hate the idea and others who love it. There are college coaches that live and die by it, while some college coaches that want nothing to do with it.
NIL stands for name, image, likeness and was put into place in June 2021. Even though this was a recent addition to college sports, past college athletes have been pressuring the NCAA to share their fortune for a long time. Former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon among others sued the NCAA. They wanted college athletes to have a share of the revenue colleges were making from marketing efforts, particularly gear and endorsements.
Since the Supreme Court ruled in favor of college athletes, states across the country have implemented their own NIL rules and legislation. This has turned many college athletes into paid professionals. Now 18-year-olds are able to earn millions of dollars while getting a degree. In this blog, I will also connect NIL to professional athletes and the way they market themselves since those big-name professional athletes are the blueprint for many college athletes.
I am interested in this topic because of the way that NIL has totally shifted the college sports landscape. Colleges such as the University of Oregon, Alabama, Georgia, and Texas now have a bigger leg up compared to other schools. I am also interested in this topic because I am pursuing a career in sports public relations, so this topic along with my passion for sports makes this a topic that is intriguing to me.
From when you first click on this blog to the moment you leave, you should expect to become more informed about the world of NIL and its connection to professional athletes. In addition, you should expect weekly posts that take a deep dive into the experiences of different NIL athletes and what others can learn from them. You can also expect to see my own passion for sports come through this blog. Sports bring people together, they form communities for fans to come together and enjoy a break from their hectic lives. So, think of this blog as another aspect of that community, a break from the crazy world, and an entertaining look at what the development of NIL means for college sports, morally and financially.
Link to reliable source: https://www.on3.com/nil/news/what-is-nil-everything-you-need-to-know-about-this-major-change-in-college-athletics/
Jack Erskine 