July 20th, 2023
As a student-athlete at the University of Michigan I quickly learned that name, image, and likeness (NIL) is shaping the world of college athletics today. Several businesses are beginning to see the value in creating NIL sponsorship opportunities with student-athletes due to an NCAA rule change in June 2021. The initial ruling that consisted of four sentences was confusing not only to myself and other student-athletes, but to athletic departments, businesses, and fans as well. As a result, common misconceptions arose as to what NIL really was and the benefits and additional responsibilities student-athletes have in this new world of college athletics. So what even is NIL and how do student-athletes profit off their name, image, and likeness?
Several student-athletes, including me, were under the idea that simply being on a college athletic team would ensure NIL dollars coming to us without any work on our end, but that simply isn’t the case. NIL is a branch of influencer marketing, which is not a completely new concept. This means the blueprint to success has already been implemented by social media influencers, it’s just only recently been legalized by the NCAA.
Read more: https://athletesconnected.umich.edu/understanding-nil-and-well-being/
