Bloomin’ Onions, Dodge Durangos, and Six-Figure Paydays: College Athletes Finally Make Some Cash
In less than a year, marketing deals for NCAA players have become a more than $500 million business.
Last June the National Collegiate Athletic Association issued a press release with the headline “NCAA Adopts Interim Name, Image, and Likeness Policy.” It read like an anodyne memo about a change in bylaws. In fact, it was a watershed moment in the history of college sports. Beginning the next day, the NCAA decreed, athletes would be allowed to get paid for marketing deals. The revision eliminated decades-old restrictions on NIL activity and immediately opened a marketplace for talent.
Within hours, athletes were online, promoting luxury hair picks, sweet teas, and car dealerships. Delivery startup Gopuff offered $50 to any player who posted a coupon code on social media, and thousands took advantage.