Pros And Cons Of NIL In College Sports

1240 Words5 Pages

The College landscape when it comes to athletics has changed and undergone many shifts with the introduction of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) giving rights to athletes many of them have not seen in the past. This essay dives into the implications of NIL in college sports, looking into both its potential benefits and the challenges it may pose to athletes, institutions, and to the integrity of college athletics as a whole. While NIL offers college athletes unprecedented opportunities for financial freedom as well as the opportunity to brand themselves, its implementation may show to have some ethical and practical challenges that must be handled with caution to help student athletes. The concept of NIL in college sports started to emerge as …show more content…

Risk of exploitation is a big factor with NIL “Concerns targeting NIL deals for their potential negative effects on student-athletes (e.g. stress, and financial exploitation) despite the undeniable financial potential of such a policy for these individuals. (Moglia, 2021) Ultimately the findings support potential shortcomings of NIL policy on student-athletes, forcing them to function in a business capacity and therefore inevitably leading to losing their focus on getting an education and playing at a high level” (Gulavani, 2023). Stories of athletes signing unfavorable contracts or being misled by agents highlight the need for education and support systems to protect athletes from exploitation. Many of these athletes don't have backgrounds in business settings and are left to rely on agents that they may have only known for a year or two. This unfortunate reality of wanting to make money off your brand while also trying to navigate the tricky and confusing landscape of NIL can make for some rough situations that may not always lead to an athlete's