sports

Is NIL destroying college sports?

Sports Illustrated
Cardozo School of Law
Genesis
Response
Penultimate
Finale

Pat Forde

Sports Illustrated

January 20th, 2022
My opinion on compensating college athletes turned abruptly a little more than a decade ago, during the last great spasm of realignment. (Until the 2021 spasm, that is.). As schools trashed rivalries and geographic common sense in search of one thing -- more money -- it no longer became defensible to exclude the athletes from a piece of the pie. If it made sense for West Virginia to be in the same league as Texas Tech, it made sense for the players to be paid for their role in maximizing revenue.
Since then, the money spigot has only flowed harder to the adults in charge. Coaches' contracts are now measured in nine figures, and the unsuccessful ones are being bought out of those contracts at sums of more than $20 million. So give the players what they're due.
About seven months into the NIL Era, no real harm has been done to college athletics. Most athletes who are receiving compensation are getting relatively modest amounts -- free food from restaurants, some spending cash, apparel deals. Some are getting more -- cars and bigger cash deals. To the best of my knowledge, the college football season went on just fine with those things occurring.
And it's nice to see that this hasn't just been a revenue-sport boon. Star softball players, gymnasts, volleyball players and swimmers are getting a cut as well. They have fan followings and marketability, too.
Nor is it exclusively a rich-get-richer proposition. Jackson State, an HBCU that plays football at the FCS level -- a tier below the biggest schools -- signed the No. 1 player in the class of 2022 in December in part because it has NIL opportunities available for him. That was great to see.
If anyone is truly opposed to players being compensated for their efforts to entertain the masses, it's worth asking why. A gifted violinist at a university could perform concerts off-campus and get paid. A talented dancer could do the same. It doesn't make sense for athletes to be held to a different, more exclusionary standard. Especially when there is more money being made than ever, and more athletic departments that are solely dedicated to getting bigger and richer. Let the players have their cut.
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