The road ends here. Two writers, one championship. Welcome to the final Take Madness matchup — NIL. Is it good? Is it bad? Find out below and vote for the winner on X and Instagram.
NIL needs regulation, not removal // 412 region winner Alex Porter, Senior Staff Writer
Imagine participating in a 1.4 billion dollar industry, drawing millions of dollars and eyeballs to your institution. Thousands flock to watch you. You spend hundreds of hours a week preparing. People spend their money because of you. People travel to campus for you. Students even attend your university because of you.
And then imagine I told you that you can’t benefit a single penny from your work. Forget a salary. If you sell your own merchandise, receive payment for an autograph or so much as monetize a YouTube video, you receive hefty fines or even face termination.
How do you feel? Cheated? Wronged?
Is this fair? The clear answer remains an emphatic no. This describes the life of a Division 1 college athlete pre-NIL.
Critics point out that athletic scholarships serve as their payment — an undeniable perk. Still, let’s not pretend this is equitable. Collegiate athletes often lack the time for more intensive majors. Because of hours upon hours committed to travel and practice, completing the same work as their peers remains a significant challenge.
What time remains for volunteering, internships and other resume-building activities? What if they need time for jobs to support their family financially or to pay off-campus rent?
Upwards of 98% of these students will forgo professional sports, leaving them dependent on a sidelined degree, and the worst-kept secret in the NCAA is that the big programs always paid their stars. Top coaches even went on record and admitted to as much. NIL simply airs out their dirty laundry. In fact, it levels the playing field — it gives all collegiate athletes the opportunity to participate.
NIL gives stipends to all 85 players on a football roster. NIL helps accelerate and sustain the popularity of women’s sports. NIL directs finances into the pockets of deserving families and away from profit-driven athletic departments.
NIL, of course, needs some reform. However, let’s not punish student-athletes for a rushed implementation. Instead, the NCAA must establish regulations to preserve a competitive advantage while continuing equitable pay for their athletes.
Sports have turned into showtime: NIL needs removal // Nate Robinson region winner Sean McQuillan, Staff Writer
The best college basketball program in the late 1980s wasn’t a Power Four school. It was the UNLV Rebels. How, you may wonder? There was no pay-to-play method, and players were simply just athletes.
The NCAA used to treat “student-athletes” like monks — playing for the love of the game and eating on meal plans while not allowing players to make money. Enter the National Labor Relations Board, now calling some athletes “employees.” If you play, train and profit like a pro, maybe you are a pro. The key debate is hazy, but one thing is clear — the NCAA’s grip on amateurism is wobbling.
As athletes embrace this employee status, the idea of major conferences breaking from the NCAA is gaining traction. Thanks to NIL, athletes are going where the money is. According to CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd, former NCAA president Mark Emmert said the SEC was “very unhappy” with a proposed NIL plan. One SEC official even said it could trigger a breakaway.
Revenue sharing could widen the gap between wealthy and struggling schools. For example, Georgia’s 2022 recruiting budget was $4.5 million — more than 74% of FBS schools paid their entire coaching staff. If plans pass, schools could allocate up to 22% of earnings — about $23 million — toward athletics, with the further possibility of a salary cap being put in place.
The direction we are heading in would see schools in the SEC come at the NCAA with restrictions of their own, like the idea of forming a super league, while the FBS in its entirety falls apart — simply because athletes want the money, not the culture.
We will never see another March Madness Cinderella, and especially not another non-Power Five school in the College Football Playoff. Could a mid-major collegiate program compete for a championship ever again?
“Students” want money and brand deals, and they cannot afford that reputation at a no-name school. NIL ruined and continues to ruin the authenticity of college sports.
So, hats off to the new era of collegiate sports, Wall Street University! Where the playbook is a balance sheet, student-athletes are just employees in jerseys and the real school spirit is measured in endorsements. Because who needs a degree when you’ve already majored in capitalism with a minor in performance-enhancing branding? Go team! Just make sure to Venmo the mascot.