How two of college football's biggest brands take unique approach to name, image and likeness
Two of the biggest and most-successful college football programs have taken a unique approach to handling name, image and likeness of their athletes.
www.usatoday.com
I thought this was an interesting article about the NIL issue facing college athletics administrators and how some colleges have embraced and enhanced the concept for players and the organization. Some takeaways I had was the impact NIL is having on the athletic departments organization structure, there are staff fully focused on NIL and how it can benefit players and the program. The other impact is how boosters/donors now play a more direct role in raising money and are funneling it into the new “fan groups” designed to maximize NIL for the players and the institution. What was considered “dark money” from boosters is now a more organized and official arm of the college athletics departments. There is also the intertwining of AD staff, fans/donors, attorneys and athletes in reaching NIL agreements. It’s a brave new world for college athletics and a bit of a Pandora’s box as regulation seems to be lagging behind the warp-speed implementation of NIL on college campuses. The NCAA seems to be a toothless tiger now after decades of overreach to control compensation for student-athletes as the article suggests. Along with the portal, the impact of NIL is changing the structure of recruiting and retention of players as well as the organization of athletic departments.
