The Sad Reality About NIL

Most college athletic administrations aren't truly trying to help athletes with NIL.

Montana Fouts, the former Alabama ace pitcher, became the most sought-after college athlete on Cameo in 2021 — proof that even athletes outside the typical spotlight can monetize their personal brands and harness opportunities well beyond their hometowns and campuses.

Reports indicate some Division III football players, whose talent is largely unknown, are making $10,000 or even $20,000 per year. Through proactive outreach to brands, they've earned money, product, and a host of life-improving benefits.

NIL is more accessible than people admit

There's a standard assumption that NIL is pay-for-play and that deals aren't available for most athletes. Except the most-demanded college athlete on Cameo in 2021 was an Alabama softball player.

The excuses for why NIL won't work, or how it's only for the 1%, are plentiful. But brand deals that benefit both the athlete and the brand are available locally, regionally, and nationally.

The microinfluencer economy especially is lucrative for businesses looking to drive down customer acquisition cost while gaining brand affinity. Athletes typically convert their audience at a much higher rate than even pro athletes.

Why the departments don't bother

Most athletic departments are not focused on the greater good of their athletes. They'll support athletes, but it's strategic support where the least effort produces the most impact — a capitalistic investment of time and attention.

Departments don't have employees hustling for deals for their microinfluencer athletes because it's a low-yield, high-effort drain on resources. If it doesn't make dollars, it doesn't make sense. But there's no fear to fear — private enterprise is here. Talented deal-doers with experience monetizing individuals and groups are building solutions.

We have yet to see sustained, meaningful progress in NIL for teams and small colleges. The ability to get skill lessons from college athletes, or access behind-the-scenes content from small-college athletes, is still far too immature — but it won't be forever, and the business opportunity is ripe.

A failure of leadership

I'm critical of most athletic departments not because they're proactively trying to stymie athlete earnings, but because their stated mission is to serve athletes, and they've fallen woefully short. When faced with whether to allocate revenue-sharing dollars to athletes, they decided not to abide by Title IX. Schools historically accommodated both genders equally, but when they reached the biggest test of that commitment, they shrank to do what wins the most games with the least integrity.

It's a toxic absence of leadership from the NCAA, a systemic failure of conferences, and a personnel failure from athletic administrations who are supposed to advocate for athlete welfare. And it's all in the name of winning more games to generate more money to justify their own positions.

I don't begrudge anyone for the decisions they've made. I do lament that no one along the way took the difficult position of allocating money evenly across genders, creating more department-wide deals, and advocating for athletes in a way consistent with the rhetoric trumpeted before July 1, 2021.

Hopefully private companies and individuals will come to the rescue of the floundering NCAA once more — this time to rescue the forgotten athletes.