What is NIL, how has it changed college sports and why are schools under investigation?

BY RYAN ROLLINS 03/16/25 05:30 PM ET

I believe NIL policies are good for athletes these policies reflect modern societal views on fairness, acknowledging athletes’ rights to share in the substantial revenues generated by college sports.

The NCAA and its member schools insist that college athletes should not be considered employees because they are students. Schools are so adamant about establishing a red line on employment status that the NCAA is lobbying Congress for legislation to permanently shut down athletes' collective bargaining efforts.

NIL enables athletes especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds aspiring to support themselves and their families financially. Athletes can gain practical experience in business, such as marketing, finance, and entrepreneurship, preparing them for a life beyond sports. Athletes can creatively leverage their social media platforms, content creation, and personal stories, opening doors for long-term business opportunities as sports influencers.

Some college athletes are being asked to sign away the rights to their own tattoos. At least one college wants to sell the rights to its players' dance moves.

NCAA schools are going to contractual extremes when it comes to the name, image and likeness deals that they are now signing in the expected new era of direct college payments to athletes. The deals, which could become effective this summer, are designed to be generous enough so athletes will commit to a school but also stringent enough to stop the constant churn of transfers that has introduced upheaval in college sports.

Along the way, school lawyers are constructing NIL contracts to exert control over athletes without making them official college employees. But experts who reviewed a sampling of more than a dozen NIL contracts obtained by ESPN said the deals bear the hallmarks of employment contracts.

Yes colleges with their lawyers are positioning for an advantage in a time when Athletes like Livvy Dunne, Caitlin Clark and Bronny James became millionaires as college athletes. This thanks to recent changes to NIL rules. NIL is a positive development because it gives student-athletes greater fairness, autonomy, and economic value. This allows athletes to profit directly from their own skills, popularity, and personal brands. 
 

NIL is it good or bad for whom?

What impact will the NIL revolution continue have on college sports as a whole?

BY RYAN ROLLINS 05/03/25 06:15 PM ET

NIL policies are good for athletes because they empower them financially and personally, allowing them to rightfully benefit from their hard-earned reputation, talent, and popularity, fostering fairness, autonomy, and valuable real-world experiences. 

College athletes weren't always allowed to make money off their athletic ability. It wasn't until 2021 that the NCAA changed rules to allow students to profit from their name, image and likeness -- otherwise known as NIL. Quarterback Matthew Sluka announced in September 2024 that he would no longer play for UNLV over claims of verbal NIL promises that were not fulfilled.

For every Matthew Sluka there's a Caitlin Clark, who took the sports world by storm during the 2023–2024 season with the University of Iowa women’s basketball team. The 22-year-old broke records, both on the court and with the crowds of people she attracted to come watch her play. She also led her team to a second consecutive national championship game and was named the top women’s college basketball player for a second consecutive season.

At the end of the thrilling run, some people believed Clark would be better off forgoing the WNBA draft, in which she was the consensus number one pick, and returning to Iowa for another season.

How did we get to the point where college athletes could even consider giving up guaranteed professional contracts to stay in school?

“The answer lies in recent changes to name, image and likeness (NIL) rules and laws,” Years ago, it would have seemed illogical and, frankly, reckless for someone like Clark to pass up a guaranteed contract and instead return to college athletics, where players risk potentially lowering their draft stock, or worse, suffering a major injury.

Clark ultimately declared for the draft and was selected first overall by the Indiana Fever.

Is NIL a good thing or a bad thing?