Endorsements, compensations, sponsorships, social media. This summer, NCAA began allowing students athletes to profit off their own personas. This has not been done before. It is a big change for colleges athletics, recruiting practices and advertisers. The term “name, image, and likeness” refers to the new rules that will allow college athletes to monetize their success with the use of their name, image, and likeness.
Some examples of how students may make money under this new rule include:
- Sponsored social media posts
- Sponsored videos on Twitter and YouTube
- Training lessons and summer camps
- Autograph and merchandise sales
- Players can receive a free meal after tweeting about a local restaurant
- Players may receive free make up after sharing a product on Instagram
Colleges may not pay student athletes. Compensation is only received via third party deals, and student athletes may not wear university jerseys or logos in their advertisements.
The further down the rankings, the greater the effect
This new legislation will have a considerable impact on recruiting. In a recent podcast with TCU basketball coach Duane Broussard, he states, “Some states are more flexible on their implementation of Name, Image and Likeness. Individuals can now be paid to represent his/her hometown, which may sway an athlete away from a bigger school, as the earning potential may be greater in his/her small town.” It’d be a plus for the ones that aren’t that a five-star, guaranteed first-round pick. You’ve got a good chance of staying at home because that’s where your marketability is. On the flip side, schools with more supportive and active boosters may be able to offer funds to attract athletes with a higher pay out. Smaller schools cannot offer the same financial package. “To be honest,” continues Coach Broussard, “we don’t know how it will play out,” referring to the impact of this new legislation.
It may be a college coach’s first impression of you
Another challenge in the new age of college sports is social media. There are not many teenagers in the US that do not have social media. Teens, for the most part, are far more comfortable communicating via these platforms than talking aloud. Because of this, many coaches are now more active on social media, to research and communicate with potential recruits. Actions and habits on Instagram may affect an athlete’s recruitability. In many cases, this is a coach’s first impression. Here are a few articles to help guide parents and students on the appropriate use of social media in terms of college recruiting.
Pro footballer, JJ Watt, has advice for student athletes.
“Read each tweet about 95 times before you send it. Look at every Instagram post about 95 times before you send it. A reputation takes years and years and years to build and it takes one press of a button to ruin it.”
Playing at the collegiate level has always been competitive. Approximately 7.5 million high school athletes graduate each year. Less than 600,000 play in college. The landscape is fiercely competitive. Add the financial opportunities of the Name, Image, and Likeness rule, the new world of social media, and new covid recruiting protocols, the playing field is very different. Hopefully, the resources here are helpful in the navigation of this new ballpark.
This blog post was provided by Allison Dampier, President/Founder at ADVANTAGES Digital Learning Solutions.