College sports broadcasting has always been a lucrative business, attracting millions of viewers and generating billions of dollars in revenue. However, the adoption of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policies has added a new dimension to the college sports landscape. NIL allows college athletes to now profit from their name, image, and likeness, opening up new opportunities to earn money while they are still in college. This policy change has many implications, including how it will affect NCAA broadcasters and the future of college sports in its entirety.
For years, NCAA broadcasters have relied on the unpaid labor of college athletes to drive their business. However, to understand how NIL will affect broadcasters in the future, we have to look back.
Before TV rights deals were made by individual college conferences, the NCAA controlled the broadcasting rights of all college athletics. In 1984, however, the Supreme Court ruled in NCAA v. Board of Regents that it was unconstitutional for NCAA broadcasters to hold a monopoly over the rights to broadcast college sports. However, the case did imply that due to the NCAA’s need for amateurism, their rules were still pro-competitive. Nonetheless, this was the beginning of the NCAA slowly losing its stranglehold over college sports broadcasting.
Although they lost their TV rights stranglehold, NCAA broadcasters still had the luxury of using college athletes’ names, images, and likenesses without compensating them. As time has progressed, however, many former players advocated for athletes to be properly compensated for their participation in college sports. This began in 2009 with O’Bannon v. NCAA. In this case, a group of former college athletes petitioned that it was unlawful for student-athletes to be uncompensated for their name, image, and likeness in commercial products, such as video games and merchandise. The court agreed with O’Bannon and ruled that athletes should receive compensation for their NIL in commercial products, but only up to the cost of attendance at their respective schools, including cost-of-living. In this case, a small but mighty precedent was set that decreed athletes deserving of compensation for their name, image, and likeness.
Finally, in 2021, the NCAA lost all hold of NIL with the case Alston v. Brown. The Supreme Court found in Alston that it was unconstitutional for student-athletes to remain uncompensated for their name, image, and likeness with no maximum amount, opening up the floodgates for the world of NIL as we know it today.
One of the most impactful possible effects of NIL on NCAA broadcasters will be revenue sharing with athletes. When NIL was enacted, it inadvertently created an economic marketplace that showed individual athletes were valued differently based on their influence. This proved that a precedent set in O’Bannon v. NCAA, which allowed student-athletes to license in groups, rather than as individuals, was incorrect. However, because the NIL market shows that student-athletes are valued differently as individuals, not groups, NCAA broadcasters may eventually have to recognize the value that individual players bring to viewership and revenue generation. Thus, NCAA broadcasters may soon have to pay student-athletes directly through TV contracts, rather than by going through the conferences and schools they are a part of. In addition, because some athletes will have personal brands with lots of influence, NCAA broadcasters themselves will have to negotiate terms with them or their NIL agents directly to pay them to play the sport they came to college for.
Another immediate effect of NIL on college sports broadcasting is that broadcasters may now have to compete with individual athletes for sponsorships and other endorsements. In the past, broadcasters were able to control the sponsorship and endorsement opportunities available to college athletes. However, with NIL, athletes are now free to pursue their own deals and partnerships, significantly reducing the number of sponsorships and endorsements negotiated through broadcasters.
Additionally, the increased earning potential for college athletes through NIL may lead to more high-profile players staying in college for longer, rather than leaving early for professional sports. This could be a boon for NCAA broadcasters, as they would have access to more high-profile athletes for a longer period of time. This could also lead to increased competition for the rights to broadcast college sports events, as broadcasters vie for access to the most popular athletes.
Despite the potential benefits of NIL for NCAA broadcasters, there are also some challenges to be faced. For example, broadcasters may need to work harder to maintain their relationships with college athletes, as athletes may now have more options for endorsement deals and may not be as reliant on broadcasters for income. Additionally, broadcasters may need to significantly invest their time and resources into helping student-athletes build their personal brands, which may require a significant investment of time and resources.
Overall, the introduction of NIL policies has the potential to significantly alter the college sports broadcasting landscape. While the full impact of NIL on NCAA broadcasters is not yet clear, it is clear that the relationship between broadcasters and college athletes will change as a result of this policy change. NCAA broadcasters will need to adapt to a new reality in which individual athletes have more control over their brands and earning potential. This could lead to increased competition among broadcasters for access to high-profile athletes, as well as a need to work more closely with individual athletes to help them build their personal brands.
As the personal brands of athletes continue to grow and NCAA broadcasters compensate them for their name, image, and likeness, it will be imperative for them to find endorsements that properly add value to their personal brand. The best way to do that is through Icon Source. With Icon Soure’s easy-to-use platform, student-athletes can connect with brands for powerful endorsements and long-lasting partnerships. Sign-up and download the app to start building your personal brand through NIL today.
NIL is likely to have a significant impact on the way college sports are broadcasted and consumed by fans in several ways:
Yes, the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policy is likely to lead to more individualized broadcasting deals for college athletes. This means that athletes may negotiate their own broadcasting deals, separate from their college or university, creating new revenue streams for college athletes and helping them build their personal brands.
The NIL policy is likely to lead to more streaming options for college sports, as athletes may be able to negotiate their own broadcasting deals with media companies and sponsors. With NIL, media companies and other partners may be more willing to invest in live streaming or other digital content featuring individual athletes, rather than relying solely on traditional broadcasting methods.
Yes, the NIL policy is likely to lead to more exclusive content and behind-the-scenes access for fans, and it will change the way fans consume college sports. With NIL, college athletes may be more willing to create their own content and offer behind-the-scenes access to their fans to build their personal brand and attract sponsors.
Here are some ways that NIL could impact the way fans consume college sports:
