🏅Does Title IX apply to Rev-Share? NIL?

Hey there,

What is the relationship between Title IX, NIL, and Rev-sharing? That’s what we’re looking at today on the heels of a massive memo that the Department of Education just released. We’re here to break down the entire document that’s got seemingly everyone in a tizzy.

The timing of this memo could not be more contentious — it was released under the Biden Administration, but now Donald Trump is president. That’s a challenge to whether or not it will stand. This is easily the most important story of the new year so far, so let’s get into it.

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— Cole, Justin and Collin

The last few days have been massive for college sports. Yes, of course, the National Championship game was decided – congratulations Ohio State – but there’s been a bevy of off-field developments that have been piling up so high, I’ve been itching to catch you up to date on. At the top of that list is a conversation surrounding the Department of Education’s recent memo on Title IX. 

Now, we’re no strangers to talking about Title IX and NIL around here. We’ve discussed it plenty in the past, so if you’re a long-time All-Access subscriber, you’ll be well aware that there’s no definitive answer to the question of whether NIL payments – and specifically NIL collectives – should be subject to Title IX.

But the Department of Education’s memo isn’t really about NIL – at least entirely. It’s mainly about rev-sharing, which is about to hit college campuses in April once (and if) the House Settlement passes. If rev-sharing is subject to Title IX, then a whole lot about how we’ve imagined the future of college sports could be different.

Let’s take a look at what the memo said, and how it will affect college sports in the near future.

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