College Athletes’ Lives Changing After This Was Overturned
By Movieguide® Contributor
College athletes are taking advantage of NIL rights.
“In 2021, the NCAA overturned a ban that previously had prevented any college athlete from making money from brand deals. The ban was widely criticized for schools cashing in on a student’s name, image or likeness but not letting the students themselves pocket any of the profits,” the Hollywood Reporter said.
ESPN explained that since the overturn, college athletes can “now earn and accept money doing commercial endorsements, appearances and social media posts, writing books, hosting camps, giving lessons and performing various other commercial activities outside of their schools, all without running afoul of NCAA rules.”
And many athletes are taking advantage of the opportunity.
“…it has opened up new careers for some who no longer are setting their sights on going pro,” THR explained. “Several young athletes across different campuses and sports say that the new NIL policies have changed their relationship to their sport, their career prospects and even how they engage with fans.”
For example, athletes use their social media to increase their personal brands.
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“A good way to propel my career after school is to keep growing my social media,” Young said. “I don’t see myself as solely a content creator, but I think it’s a good supplement.”
Brandon Dwyer, a Florida Gulf Coast University men’s basketball player, has grown his social media platforms to over 1 million followers.
The athlete often uses his platform to make fun of himself for his lack of playtime. His most recent series is “The Road to One Point.”
“When people could see I could take a joke, people started following me,” Dwyer explained. “I make relatable basketball content, where people can laugh at me or share it with their friends…I realized, ‘OK, I can monetize this and I could make this my job.’ ”
Dwyer is a finance major and is currently pursuing a master’s degree. He plans to use his degree and his love of content creation to pave a new path for himself, something he wouldn’t have without NIL.
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