5 Ways NIL is Changing the Game for College Athletes

At Out2Win Sports, we have seen the NIL space change college athletics in major ways since the NIL rules were amended at the NCAA level. The space is continuously changing, and that’s incredibly exciting, but it can also make NIL inaccessible without some guidance. To address that concern, we have put together a list of a couple ways new NIL rules are figuratively (and literally) changing the game for college athletes!

1) Athletes Can Capitalize on a Moment of Fame

Athletes who have great performances on the biggest stage can immediately capitalize by scoring NIL deals. We’ve seen it with players in high profile programs having big games (ex. Ohio State Wide Receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba getting numerous deals after a huge Rose Bowl performance), and also small school players who experienced underdog success (see Doug Edert of the Saint Peter’s Peacocks getting a deal with Buffalo Wild Wings after his team reached the Elite 8 this year).

2) Any Athlete Can Get Involved

From small-scale merchandise deals like many athletes have done with platforms like Player’s Trunk and Fan Arch to lucrative multi-million dollar deals, any athlete can get involved. Whether you’re the star of your team or the last player on the bench, it’s possible to get personally involved, no matter what school you attend or what sport you play.

3) You Don’t Have to Be Pro to Get PAID

Star athletes around the country like Alabama Quarterback Bryce Young and LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne have scored multi-million dollar paychecks before ever competing at the professional level. This means that athletes who reach their biggest heights in college are now able to be compensated at the peak of their athletic careers, and even those whose stardom keeps growing past college have the opportunity to become more financially secure in college and decide whether to enter the pros with lessened monetary pressure.

4) Marketing Yourself is Key

With the opportunity to partner with brands as a college athlete, it is so important for college athletes to follow a few basic tips in order to make themselves appealing. That includes having a presence on multiple forms of social media (Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, etc.), using professional social media accounts, posting consistent content, and reposting relevant content. It’s also important for college athletes to give insight into their daily lives through socials, be open about values that may align with brands, and be excited to start with local deals. We’ll dive deeper into these tips in a later article.

5) The Future is Bright

Even though NIL has not been around very long at the college level, we have already seen that there are more and less effective ways to do NIL partnerships. Out2Win believes in changing the game by creating exciting promotional content that highlights the values of athletes and brands through unique storytelling. Athletes posting simple pictures of products on their social media feeds is one form of an NIL partnership, but the future of the space is trending in a more exciting direction!