There is a special place in hell for the entirety of the NCAA. I don’t know how it’s going to work, maybe there’s a subsection of hell just for corporations – or I guess associations in this case – but whatever, hell for you!
I’m discussing the NCAA this week because, as you may have seen, this past week the NCAA has adopted an interim Name, Likeness, Image (NIL) policy, allowing NCAA athletes the opportunity to profit off NIL usage. And that’s a pretty big fucking deal. According to the AP, “the move effectively suspends NCAA restrictions on payments to athletes for things such as sponsorship deals, online endorsements and personal appearances. it applies to all three divisions or some 460,000 athletes.” This comes after 20 states passed laws allowing athletes to make money off their NIL, so let’s not clap too hard for the association forced into this.
But money! Great! It’s great that these athletes can finally receive some sort of compensation for their labour. A labour force that is primarily made up of young Black men, controlled by old white men from coaching all the way to the very tip-top of the NCAA. A labour force that supports a $1 billion industry. Yes, billion with a B. According to Forbes, D1 schools can earn approximately $8.5 billion in annual revenue (approximately 60% coming from men’s football and basketball) but only 7% (!!!!!) of the revenue generated by those two sports go to its athletes in the form of scholarships and stipends for living expenses. Cool cool cool. But NIL compensation! Fun!
But after thinking about this for more than approximately 5 minutes, I have some questions.
NCAA athletes already have to compete at a professional level (fuck off with the amateur argument), maintain some form of a GPA, and now they have to find and hire an agent to manage any potential NIL partnerships/sponsorships? Or, what I assume a lot of players will have to do, manage these themselves? Don’t these kids have enough on their shoulders? And what happens if players can’t afford agents, or don’t have family members with business backgrounds to help them? Do they just miss out on any potential financial compensation?
How long until teams get finicky about NIL partnerships? AP says that, “athletes must report NIL arrangements to their schools and there are limits on what they can do.” Which feels vague. Will Alabama be going through partnerships with a fine-tooth comb looking for appropriate logo representation? How long until a Black athlete at Georgia partners with a group or company that the execs at Georgia deem “unprofessional” for whatever reason?
Going again off the vagueness of the policy – at least what is available to me in layman's terms – what is part of NIL? Does this cover jersey sales? Can players be retroactively compensated for NIL usage in video games? Will the NCAA get over themselves and give Reggie Bush his records and Heisman trophy back? Will the Fab Five’s banners be hung back up?
Recommended Reading:
Give Reggie Bush His Heisman Back
'I signed my life to rich white guys': Athletes on the Racial Dynamics of College Sports
There’s Never Been a Better Time for US College Athletes to Unionize
Recommended Listening:
Other Sports Shit:
The sports world was fucking on one this week – specifically towards Black women, so enjoy a selection of articles dissecting the bullshit.
The Olympics Continues to Prevent Top Black Athletes From Competing
U.S. sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson suspended for one month after failed drug test
Thompson: Sha’Carri Richardson got no mercy, and that’s a failure of extreme consequence
Swim Caps For Black Hair Banned At Olympics Because They Don’t Fit ‘Natural’ Head Shape
Transgender Runner CeCe Telfer Deemed Ineligible for U.S. Olympic Trials
Two more cis Black women banned from Olympics for their natural testosterone levels
Till next time!
xoxo, Liz