It’s the dawn of a new age in college athletics. The NCAA Board of Directors recently announced new legislation allowing student-athletes to be compensated for their “Name, Image, and Likeness” or “NIL” for short.
What does this mean?
College athletes will be able to earn money for use of their celebrity – their name, their image or a likeness of who they are. Some examples include autograph signings, appearing in a TV ad or posting a social media endorsement.
What’s happened since the announcement?
It is certainly early days and many details still need to be flushed out, but there were definitely some early movers following the announcement. Barstool quickly started Barstool Athletics, sponsoring athletes based on a simple application form. Their instagram handle, @barstoolathletics, has posted over 350 Barstool sponsored athletes and amassed nearly 150k Followers in just one week’s time.
What about golfers?
The NCAA legislation aligns with the USGA and R&A’s modernization initiative for the Rules of Amateur Status. The proposed Rules, set to take effect Jan. 1, 2022, would no longer include any restrictions on how an amateur golfer may benefit from his or her name, image or likeness.
The influence of social media in our society remains steadfast and the powers to be are showing a willingness to keep up!
