NCAA navigating uncharted territory with NIL

What do Nike, Bose, State Farm, Chipotle, AT&T, CVS, American Eagle, SKIMS, Ulta Beauty and Kellogg’s all have in common? They are brands that have partnered with college athletes since the floodgates of NIL opened in July 2021. Taking on sponsorships has become the new normal for student-athletes. The new market is especially beneficial for elevating women’s sports and allows athletes to reap the financial compensation of which they were robbed in years past. At the same time, the lack of regulation has led to abuse of the transfer portal, what coaches have called “transactional” recruitment processes and inequality in the types of NIL resources schools can provide their athletes. Few would argue that NIL has no place in college athletics, but its current state is clearly far from perfect. Moving forward, the NCAA and its member schools have ...