Hey there,

Welcome back to the #1 source for NIL news in the country. Here at NIL Wire, we’ve got you covered on everything Name, Image, and Likeness — from the business side, to the legal battles, and much more. So what are you waiting for? Read up on all of the latest NIL news now by scrolling down!

One last thing — We know we’re not perfect. Hit reply or send us an email at [email protected] if you think we can improve NIL Wire in any way. Until then, let’s get to the news!

— Cole, Justin and Collin

KICK-OFF

Abroad-ing Horizons

If you’ve noticed a lot of international travel in collegiate sports this year, you’d be correct. In Division I, 155 college basketball teams have traveled abroad. That number may be staggering, but the reasoning may come as even more of a surprise – it’s all about NIL. 

“It was a little NIL vacation,” said Louisville women’s basketball coach Jeff Walz of their trips to Canada and the Virgin Islands, “We can’t give them any NIL money, but we can give them experiences. That’s what we did.”

It’s not just fun and games though, either. “International kids, you’ve got to take them out of the U.S. to be able to earn any NIL opportunities,” Walz explained. In some cases, donors are going abroad with teams, presumably to legally compensate their international student-athletes. (More)

Spander-splaining NIL

Debbie Spander is a lawyer, agent, and CEO of Insight Sports Advisors. According to her, the NCAA’s pleas for NIL legislation should fall on deaf ears considering how the organization has handled itself the past century. In fact, instead of regulation, she’s calling for collective bargaining.

“The NCAA has basked in self-governance for almost 120 years,” she said, “Why does it ‘need’ federal government regulation now, and why does the NCAA believe it deserves any kind of antitrust protection?”

Rumors about the future of college sports’ revenue model have intensified in recent years, spurred on in large part by the Supreme Court’s 9-0 decision in favor of the athletes in NCAA v. Alston. Justice Kavanaugh’s scathing concurring opinion lends itself to the belief that the court would not exactly play nice with the NCAA. (More)

Got Milk?

Two of college football’s biggest stars just teamed up for one of the funniest NIL deals to date. In their own version of a “Got Milk?” commercial, Georgia’s Ladd McConkey goes toe to toe with Tennessee’s Joe Milton in a battle of milk.

“The Milk Bowl” ad sees the duo trading facts about milk while sitting in ice baths, both of them desperately attempting to one-up their opponent. The ad promotes the mission of The Dairy Alliance, which is basically to get people to drink more milk. (More)

WHAT’S TRENDING

Ups and Downs

• USC football suffered yet another loss, which could lead to NIL donation fatigue if Caleb Williams leaves for NFL 📉

• USC basketball, on the other hand, had a dominant opener thanks to Isaiah Collier, who looks to add onto his nearly 600K NIL valuation 📈

• Sometimes any publicity is good publicity, like how Angel Reese, Flau’jae Johnson, and Hailey Van Lith all saw slight bumps in valuation despite getting LSU getting impounded by Colorado 📈

DOWN TO BUSINESS

The Energizer Money

“When it first opened up, it was kind of a scary space, right?” Marquel Carter said, who runs influencer marketing for C4, “No one really had too much information on how well it would do. I think we’ve spent enough time now to see that there is a return on investment there.” (More)

Nascar Gets a Facelift

Nascar took precisely the opposite approach to NIL as C4 – They were cautious when it came to working with college athletes. Now they’ve embraced it wholeheartedly with one of NIL’s biggest superstars: LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne.

“The strategy is not only utilizing their name, image and likeness,” said Patrick Morris, who manages Nascar’s brand, creative, and media development, “I think about getting these future athletes, whether that’s professional sports or in the influencer space, to become Nascar fans, exposing them to it and their followers.”

Data shows that Nascar has struggled to attract Gen Z viewers. Almost sixty percent of people aged 18-35 said they are not a fan of Nascar, with even grimmer projections within the younger segment of that group. (More)

COLLECTIVE 101

Sun Angel Investments

Not too long ago we were telling you about how tough it may be for Arizona State to keep up with the funding demands to stay competitive in the Big 12. Well, the school remains insistent that they’re going to be fine.

“It’s my goal that…we would have built the most innovative NIL program in the country,” said Rachael Bacchus, ASU’s NIL general manager.

While admirable, making that happen may prove tough in the short term. ASU’s Sun Angel Collective has yet to receive word on whether they can operate as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization, which has caused “some challenges,” according to executive director Brittani Willett. (More)

Old Dominion, New Era

Old Dominion just took a crucial step in their NIL game by at last forming a collective. The Pride of ODU will play a vital role in player acquisition and retention for the foreseeable future.

The NIL collective was formed by alumni, and has no official tie to the school. There’s advantages and disadvantages to that – on one hand, the school and collective will not necessarily be able to coordinate its funding efforts like other schools have. On the other hand, The Pride of ODU does not have to deal with dubious questions around Title IX that currently linger for officially-tied collectives. (More)

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Jashon Hubbard

Meet Jashon Hubbard, an accomplished Ohio State wrestler who boasts an impressive overall record of 14-5. Despite graduating in 2022, he continues to leverage his platform and influence to secure a remarkable total of 67 NIL deals, including brands like Celsius, Essentia Water, Movember, and Honey Dew Skin Care.

nil_wire

View more on Instagram

NIL BLITZ

♦️ Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson sign on for Tampax deal

♦️ Central Arkansas football coach talks about NIL growing pains

♦️ Oklahoma softball’s Tiare Jennings launches a signature glove

♦️ Bama Commit signs on with Athletes First for NIL management 

♦️ Illinois launches a beer to bolster NIL

♦️ Central Michigan links up with Influxer for NIL services

♦️ USC football’s Tahj Washington wants to dance the salsa

BATTER UP

Todays Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Should fans stop calling donor funded collective payments “NIL” payments, as Michelle Meyer suggests?

• Yes - 74%

• No - 26%