The NIL Era Is Here, But Are Athletes Ready?

Getting paid is one thing. Being prepared for what comes with it is another.

The NIL era is here, and it’s opened doors. Opening doors is one thing, but preparing people to walk through them is another.

The truth is, college athletics is in a completely different place than it was 20 years ago, even five years ago. Athletes today have opportunities that previous generations simply didn’t have. When you think about some of those historic Miami football teams in the ’90s, the Fab Five at Michigan, the Florida football teams in the 2000s, or the Reggie Bush USC years, those were superstar athletes and iconic teams. Their names, images, and likenesses carried real value, and schools, brands, media companies, and entire institutions benefited from that value in a major way. In some cases, athletes were getting paid under the table because everybody knew what their talent was worth… but today, it’s different. Money, branding, visibility, followers, endorsements, and leverage have all moved to the forefront in a much bigger and more public way.

While that’s progress in a lot of ways, the real question is this: are athletes actually being prepared for everything that comes with it?

Let me be clear, I’m not one of the salty older guys hating on this generation because I missed out on NIL. I think NIL is a good thing. Athletes deserve to benefit from their name, image, and likeness. For far too long…