NIL Makes College Sports Better

By Matthew
Published May 21, 2025

College sports can give audiences buzzer-beating shots, last second touchdowns, and final penalty kicks in a tied match. Now that college athletes can get paid, there are more chances for these exciting plays to happen. In 2021, the NCAA made a policy that allowed athletes to benefit financially from their own name, image, and likeness (NIL). Before the NIL deal, many athletes were complaining about how they played and worked hard but weren’t allowed to get paid. NIL deals have been going on with college sports  since 2021 and make college sports better for athletes and fans. 

One way that NIL deals help athletes is that they can build their own brand and profit from it. College athletes can use social media and partner with other companies for money. For example, Cooper Flagg, a Duke basketball player, made $4.8 million through partnerships with New Balance, Fanatics, and Gatorade. Sometimes, NIL helps college athletes get to professional sports like the NBA and the NFL because more people notice them through their branding, giving scouts a chance to see them play more often. 

Another way NIL helps athletes is with fans. If athletes get paid, they stay in college sports longer and have more motivation to play better. Before NIL, college athletes would sometimes have to leave their sports to get a job because they did not have enough money. For example, Drew Timme was a basketball player at Gonzaga. In 2022, he withdrew his name from going into the NBA draft so that he could have NIL deals. With NIL deals, athletes play longer and it creates more exciting moments and fan loyalty. Some people even say College sports are better than professional sports.

NIL deals have helped college athletes so much since 2021. NIL deals can help keep athletes in college, help them with money for their family, and help them to get recognized more and go pro. NIL deals are now the best thing for college athletes.