If you have paid any attention to college sports within the last 30 years, you would know that there is a huge push for student-athletes to be compensated for play or at the very least, their name, image, and likeness (NIL). To understand a more comprehensive overview of NIL you can read here. Last week, the conversation came at the forefront again as Congress met with leaders involved in the conversation to discuss NIL.
The recent concern comes because of the impending storm that is about to ensue in college athletics. On Wednesday (June 9) members from various perspectives in college athletics met in Washington D.C. for a meeting chaired by Senator Cantwell on NIL. You can watch the entire meeting and read the opening statements here. As of today, 19 states have enacted laws in support of college student-athletes to represent themselves for potential endorsements. As one can imagine, this is a chance to dramatically tip the scales to give an advantage to institutions with NIL laws.
Gonzaga Head Men’s Basketball Coach, Mark Few pleaded with congress to get involved in some way. Six of the 19 states with NIL laws go into effect on July 1. Few told the committee that many of his athletes are returning to campus in the next few days. He also brought up the massive competitive advantage that NIL states would have in recruiting.
Governor Gavin Newsome from California was one of the first to enact NIL laws in his state. Newsome signed and discussed the bill on Lebron James’ show, “The Shop.” Newsome mentioned that his bill would be checkmate to the NCAA.
Enter, NCAA president, Mark Emmert. President Emmert was also at the meeting last week where it seemed as if he was the sole defender for conserving the older ways of the NCAA and amateurism. As you watch the meeting you begin to get the sense that Emmert does not what the NCAA to make any moves, however, he would rather place the burden on Congress to act.
There is so much more that I can write about this subject and I will later this week but I thought it would be important to set the stage to understand and give my thoughts piece by piece.
The elephant in the room is that the discussion is centered around affecting student-athletes. I have to admit that I was taken aback that no current student-athlete representation was at the meeting. Whatever conclusion congress and the NCAA comes to will directly affect this demographic. To not have a student representative present is baffling.
Next, the conversation, as expected, took different twists and turns into directions that took away from the NIL conversation. At one point, senator Ted Cuz from Texas brought up the topic of transgender athletes competing. While Corey Booker from New Jersey brought up expanding athlete health care and a potential Bill of Rights for student-athletes. While these topics are important and need to be addressed in the near future, the reason why the meeting was scheduled was to discuss NIL implications for student-athletes. Distractions from the conversation are typically not a good sign for the future and frankly, I predict the proverbial can will be kicked down a little further to avoid the inevitable.
Sports such as football and basketball are considered among the “revenue-generating sports” for college athletics. Over 55% of the athletes in these sports are black athletes. NIL would directly impact the lives of thousands of black athletes. These athletes also represent the lowest graduation rate of any other demographic in college athletics. Often the NCAA promotes its high graduation rates among its athletes but this statistic is generally ignored. This is yet another issue that needs to be addressed. Playing the waiting game only hurts those most marginalized students.
The future of Title IX, the impact on international students, and the impact of schools not in Power 5 conferences are all looming questions that I have regarding the impact of NIL. Stay tuned for what will happen next as I’m sure this rollercoaster of a ride is just starting.
What are your thoughts on NIL? Is it a good or bad thing for the NCAA? Leave your comments below!
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