Whether it’s basketball, football, soccer or gymnastics, college sports are watched and loved by all. With the number of student-athletes surpassing 520,000 in 2022, college sports have become more popular not only with viewers but also with brands waiting to strike a deal with famous athletes.
Throughout the history of college athletics, athletes across all sports have become recognizable beyond their college or city. Most notably, Zion Williamson, a stand-out basketball star at Duke University, was one of the most famous athletes in America during his time as a Blue Devil. Unfortunately, Williamson could not capitalize on his fame while in college due to NCAA regulations. In today’s era of the NCAA, college athletes are now able to profit off of their success with a new NIL bill passed in 2021. NIL, which stands for name, image and likeness, will allow college athletes to profit off of brand deals and work with companies to make money.
This new wave of economic opportunity has been wildly popular among college athletes across all sports. The use of social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok has made becoming recognizable easier than ever. Social media has led to the success of many NCAA athletes in NIL opportunities like Angel Reese, Jared McCain and Caitlyn Clark.
Charles Crenshaw (12) believes having the ability to make money while also playing a sport in college is huge for student-athletes, especially with such a busy schedule.
“I think athletes should be paid while in college because it provides more opportunities to play at different schools, and I also believe that athletes spend a lot of time in high school after school practicing for their sport to play at a higher level which takes away the ability to hold down a job while being a student,” Crenshaw said.
An increase in economic opportunities for student-athletes not only means success for the individual athletes or their sports, but it also means more success for the school as a whole. With this, the NCAA believes that talented athletes deserve to be recognized. This form of recognition has come in the form of payment from a settlement following pending antitrust cases.
As a result of these antitrust settlements, over 2.7 billion dollars will be given to former and current NCAA athletes in Power 5 conferences.
Charlie Baker, president of the NCAA, said that this settlement allowing schools to pay players will reshape college sports forever and give more opportunities to athletes across the country.
“The five autonomy conferences and the NCAA agreeing to settlement terms is an important step in the continuing reform of college sports that will provide benefits to student-athletes and provide clarity in college athletics across all divisions for years to come,” Baker said.
Even viewers have recognized and appreciated the benefits that NIL and other economic opportunities bring athletes. Today, sports fans’ favorite brands can be represented by their favorite college athletes. Now, when a major basketball follower buys a player’s jersey, the athlete profits from it too.
Emma Nelson, Assistant Varsity coach of Spartanburg High School’s volleyball team, says that allowing schools to pay players and NIL will significantly change the way college sports are viewed and that it will provide a huge boost for student-athletes in the NCAA.
“Allowing schools to pay players would be a significant change in the landscape of college sports. NIL deals have already given athletes new ways to earn money and build their personal brands, which is an incredible opportunity for those athletes. If schools start paying players directly, it could further shift the balance, potentially leading to a more equitable system,” Nelson said.
