Three years later, the ban on making money from college athletes’ names, images, and likenesses (also known as NIL) has been overturned, marking a major milestone. Not only can students earn a significant extra income, but it also opens new career doors for those who no longer have a goal of becoming a professional. Several young athletes from various campuses and sports say the NIL’s new policy has changed their relationship with their sport, career prospects and even how they interact with fans.
In 2021, the NCAA lifted its previous ban on college athletes making money through deals with brands. The ban was widely criticized for allowing schools to profit from students’ names, images and likenesses, without pocketing any of the profits for the students themselves.
Most students interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter said they didn’t start pursuing social media deals or making money until the past year or so after the reversal. Some people now report earning between $5,000 and $10,000 per post.
For people like 21-year-old Stanford University gymnast Koi Yong, who is tracked competing in her sport even after graduation, social media has helped her build and expand her personal brand as a professional athlete. It only helps. “A good way to promote your career after school is to continue to grow your social media,” Young says. “I don’t consider myself just a content creator, but I do think it’s a good supplement.”
But for others, clearly intended as a joke, the game changed completely. Brandon Dwyer, a senior men’s basketball player at Florida Gulf Coast University, is using his social media presence to carve a new path in the sports world: as a personality or comedian. Dwyer says he knew he had to focus his talents elsewhere when he realized he would probably be playing more on the bench than at the professional basketball level. Or, rather, to develop a different kind of talent.
On TikTok, where he has 1.2 million followers, Dwyer often pokes fun at how he’s an average basketball player, at least in the context of the NBA. He has an ongoing series chronicling and joking about his journey to scoring his first points with the team.
“Once people knew I could tell jokes, they started following me,” Dwyer says. “I create relatable basketball content that people can laugh at and share with their friends. … I was like, ‘Okay, I can monetize this, I can make this my job.’ I noticed.”
Dwyer, who is pursuing a master’s degree in finance, began earning money through posts and skits in May. Like others in this article, he won’t reveal exact numbers (because influencer income can vary widely from month to month), but on average, he averages “in the five-figure range every month.” It is said to be “inside”. He has since signed a six-month management contract with Clementine to help him better navigate and negotiate sponsorship opportunities for the brand.
These days, in addition to schoolwork and basketball practice, he estimates he spends up to 20 hours a week working on social media, primarily conceptualizing, filming, and engaging with viewers. Although it’s still within reach for him, he says he won’t make a final decision on whether to pursue it full-time until he graduates.
“That’s a two-year decision,” Dwyer said. “But there is no doubt that it is becoming a viable option.”
University of Oregon track and field star Gianna Brock still has goals of turning pro after graduation, but being an influence has opened her up to so many new avenues not traditionally available in the sport. He says it was given to him. “My perspective on what I want in a career has changed,” she says. Traditionally, professional runners sign up with a major title sponsor who pays for all events and equipment, Block said. “You’re more locked in. You can’t do five deals a month,” she says. But now that they have influence, they can theoretically pursue endless opportunities.
Block signed with Empower Agency, which has signed deals worth “tens of thousands of dollars” each with brands such as Dick’s Sporting Goods, Reebok, Uber and McDonald’s. She added that posting as themselves on social media can make female athletes seem more human. “Especially for female athletes and athletes of color, we’re often portrayed as more masculine. I think it’s really interesting that we’re also portrayed as girly girls. I like that. We don’t always sweat and work out.”
“I’m open to making a shift,” she says of pivoting to having more influence in the future. “I love the track, but I also love social media. Neither of those feel like work to me. (But) when being a professional starts to take its toll, it’s really hard.”
“75% of all NIL transactions in the first year[after the 2021 ruling]were social media-related,” said Bill Carter, an NIL expert who founded the consulting firm Student Athlete Insights. NIL benefits “Division 1 mid-career athletes” more than anyone else because of its focus on social media pipelines.
“If you go to the University of South Dakota or the University of Vermont, athletes from those schools generally don’t get asked to sign autographs by brands. They don’t have the notoriety to do autographs.” Carter says. “But what they actually have is a significant number of followers on social media, and for a school of that size, if you have 3,000 to 10,000 followers, you can make a pretty big impact through your brand. Masu.”
All of the athletes THR spoke to fully appreciated the reversal of the NIL ban, and told other young athletes entering college who are already familiar with platforms like Instagram and TikTok. He said he would advise taking advantage of the NIL ban.
“It could potentially take a lot of pressure off[of performing]for up-and-coming athletes who are still trying to find their place in the world of sport,” Block added. “It shows us that there are different opportunities out there. I didn’t know I could make money doing this. I didn’t know people cared about me on this front. , helps us understand that we can be multifaceted and that we don’t have to just talk about our sport.”
Shaquille O’Neal, a senior at Florida A&M University and specifically the son of Shaquille O’Neal, said the decision “opened up more doors for me business-wise.” The college student, a forward on the university’s men’s basketball team, has 3.5 million followers on TikTok, which is full of fun content with his father and lucrative brand deals. O’Neal added, “Basketball doesn’t last forever.”
This article first appeared in the November 13 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Click here to subscribe to receive the magazine.
