Anonymous College Football Players Give Thoughts on NIL
Name, Image, Likeness is a month old and there have been several hot takes from those who support it and those who don’t. Coaches have been asked about NIL, but most have given the company line as recruiting means too much to criticize it publicly.
How do the student-athletes feel? Fans and media have made assumptions for student-athletes, but few have made public comments or had the platform to discuss NIL.
ISD caught up with five current college football players. Two are from top 10 programs, two are from non-Top 25 programs and one plays in the SEC. All are from different regions of the country and from different backgrounds. (Note: No Notre Dame players were involved)
For the sake of time, we covered three topics.
Is there any concern NIL, branding or building a Social Media presence will take time away from academics, team activities or even extra work with your teammates?
Player 1: “While there is definitely the possibility for NIL to mix up someone’s priorities, it is not my opinion that the NIL is a negative thing. Let’s be honest, well before NIL guys were very active on social media, and many of whom had large social media followings. That’s one of the reasons why people knew NIL could have such an impact. So just because we’re in this new era, I don’t think it is going to have a great impact on how time is spent.”
Player 2: “We have a ton of distractions every day and more than a normal student. We manage our time and college kids spend time on social media. Half the team is on it hours a day trying to get girls. We balance our time. The goal is a degree and the NFL. No one is concerned with our peers partying 5 days a week and going to class hungover. Student-athletes are held to a higher standard in everything we do. Nothing changes for us in my opinion. We can just make money in our free time.”
Player 3: “I would say to those people that it won’t take away from our main responsibilities. For most of us, the NIL is something we do in our own free time.”
Player 4: “I’d say that it’s not making that much of a difference. Time that would usually be spent on social media anyways probably socializing with followers or just scrolling away randomly is being utilized in a productive way now. You’re communicating, networking, and learning how to work in the business world.”
Player 5: “It honestly depends on the person and the way the program is managed and run. All of what people may think will happen can be eliminated depending on what the coaches allow and disallow. If everyone is held to the same standard whether they’ve signed NIL deals or not then there should be little to no issues as far as a player giving his complete attention to the task at hand whether it’s film, practice, classes, etc.”
Do you think NIL impacts locker room culture?
Player 1: “Any locker room that is negatively affected by NIL probably already has existing cultural issues. NIL is a great thing because it allows for guys to take advantage of what is rightfully theirs. Yes, some guys will get more than others. That’s a whole lot better than everyone getting nothing.”
Player 2: “The moment you walk on campus you see differences from high school. You know who comes from money and who doesn’t. If my teammate makes more money than me, he earned it. Does my mom make as much as her coworkers? They’re all friends and they make different salaries. A healthy culture and brotherhood will carry us. If a team doesn’t have a good culture, I could see problems, but that culture isn’t built on someone making more NIL money.”
Player 3: “No, I don’t think it impacts locker room culture in a negative way but instead enhances it, as now players can use each other as resources to connect with different companies and get NIL deals.”
Player 4: “I don’t think NIL is a culture killer. It simply motivating. Everybody wants to get paid and you have to produce and build your name in order for that to be a possibility. Overall being a college athlete is enough for most brands or people to want to help you out but your status definitely makes a difference in who works with you and everybody respects that.”
Player 5: “I do not think NIL impacts locker rooms. There are guys here who have signed deals already and no one bats an eye. If anything, they’re happy for them because it’s well deserved and earned. You get what you work for.”
Most student-athletes aren’t going to make six figures, why is NIL good for the everyday college athlete?
Player 1: “NIL is great because whether it’s 20, 50, 100 bucks here or there, that’s a lot of money for college kids. Maybe it pays for your food for the week or a night at the bars. Just because everyone isn’t getting big money doesn’t mean we aren’t benefitting. Think back to when you were in college- wouldn’t you have liked an extra $50 a week?”
Player 2: “I can sign something and then a grown man will have it on eBay selling it to support his family. Why can he make money off me? He doesn’t know me. We work hard. Fans want us to win games and there isn’t time for a job at McDonald’s. If someone wants to pay me $100 to sign a ball, it takes 3 seconds.
“We got our family to take care of too. I made a little money last week and I sent all of it home so my mom could come to my first game. Every dollar helps us, man. My teammate just had a baby. He’s in a better position to help his family with NIL more than he was before.”
Player 3: “NIL is good for the everyday college athlete because it gives us the opportunity to market ourselves and gain monetary value or other value that will benefit us. I believe that all income is good income when you previously had no income at all.”
Player 4: “It’s good for the everyday athlete because it helps them out with small things and brings them experience. Everything is about networking and if your start working with brands this early and understanding how they profit, what commissions are and how products are being sold helps you and them then it’s a good experience for the future job world. You get to see major companies firsthand at work.”
Player 5: “NIL is a great addition to college athletics because it allows us, athletes, to learn the importance of marketing and marketability. It also forces and teaches us how to be responsible with what we’re given. The workload for a student-athlete at the collegiate level is rather daunting and exhausting so being able to profit off of our image and likeness shows that our hard work doesn’t go unnoticed and is appreciated. Not everyone is fit to handle the day-to-day tasks student-athletes endure so it’s nice to have a little change in our pockets from time to time.”