The Economic Effects of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) on Athletes, Coaches, and Universities

Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) has blown up in universities across the United States with athletes having the opportunity to earn money whilst being a student. The top high school stars earn more than 6-figure contracts during their collegiate careers and have deals with some of the most prominent brands in the world, all before entering the professional level. In addition, NIL has proved vital in aiding many young athletes’ families who were previously suffering with their finances. Consequently, there is more demand for athletes to attend university, rather than try to go professional right away. This benefits both the school and student because the player receives an education, while the college attains an asset to boost their brand’s popularity.

On the other hand, NIL also has the ability to negatively impact any university. With colleges having millions of dollars in order to entice athletes to commit to their teams, these high schoolers tend to choose the college with the highest offer instead of their actual favorite choice. This affects the role of college coaches heavily, as NIL is a significant portion of their recruiting and can determine if they keep their jobs or not. The presence of NIL is profound, in both increasingly positive and negative ways with its future development.