Challenges and Opportunities in Creating NIL Education

As the landscape of collegiate athletics continues to evolve, Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities have created new avenues for student-athletes to leverage their personal brands and maximize their potential. However, asurvey conducted by the NCAA in 2021, presenting the perspectives of 9800 athletes from all divisions, found that the student-athletes have not fully understood Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), and 39% of women’s sports athletes and 42% of men’s sports athletes expressed a desire for additional resources to help them navigate opportunities related to NIL.

While the need for additional resources and educational offerings are abundantly apparent, creating these programs comes with its own challenges.

Challenges:

Navigating Complex Legal and Regulatory Frameworks

With NIL regulations varying from state to state, and new NCAA guidelines constantly emerging, ensuring that student-athletes are educated on the most current and relevant laws is an ongoing challenge.

As of 2024, 34 states enacted Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) laws or policies that allow college athletes to earn compensation. The states without specific NIL laws allow athletes to benefit from NIL based on the NCAA’s interim policy implemented in July 2021, which permits athletes to earn NIL income as long as they comply with state laws or institutional policies where no law exists.

Any certificate or educational program must be adaptable to address these evolving laws or policies. State laws, conference level policies and institutional rules and regulations must be presented, and student-athletes cautioned with varying rules and regulations across states and within the larger college athletics industry.

Program directors and educators should consider collaborating with the Athletic Department at their institution, consult with their Compliance Officer(s) and include them in training programs to provide guidance and to ensure student-athletes remain eligible while conducting business.

Balancing Personal, Academic, and Athletic Commitments

Name, Image and Likeness brought many new opportunities but also brought additional responsibilities and burden onto the student-athletes. Student-athletes had already faced demanding schedules balancing athletic and academic commitments. With the addition of NIL opportunities, now they have additional responsibilities in building a personal brand comprehensive of their athletic, entrepreneurial and personal identities, promoting and amplifying their brand, building and engaging an audience, and delivering results to their business partners/endorsers. Managing these demands while maintaining academic and athletic performance can create a heavy burden and complications.

The pressure to perform on the field, in the classroom and as a brand can lead to anxiety, stress, depression, and burnout. Mental health and well-being must be incorporated into the programming and resources must be made available. 

Designing a program that complements student-athletes’ rigorous academic and athletic responsibilities, while providing valuable, accessible content, is a critical consideration. Various modalities including but not limited to online, on-demand, self-paced, short-form, paired learning, collective group training could be considered. Moreover, including NIL or Athlete Branding education in academic programming may provide useful as it may be a part of academic degree as a minor, concentration or certificate.

Ensuring Inclusivity and Accessibility

Not all student-athletes have equal access to resources or opportunities as factors like institutional size, athletic divisions and conferences, and sport played may influence the resources available.

When considering NIL and its potential benefits, it’s important to view it as more than just a short-term monetary gain or an opportunity limited to high-profile student-athletes. Educational content and resources should be designed with the intention to serve all student-athletes, and long-term impact on their personal and professional lives should be prioritized. It is our goal to create a certificate program that is accessible and beneficial to athletes across various sports, backgrounds, and levels of prominence.

 Scarcity of Resources

Scarcity of resources at universities is another challenge that could hinder the development of a NIL/athlete branding education program. Some of the challenges would be limited access to expertise and faculty, added pressure on faculty to develop additional resources on top of their existing responsibilities, limited ability to invest in technology, lack of supplemental support services, expanding program outreach, limited/lack of partnerships and so on.

While these challenges are likely to impact many institutions, these could be mitigated by partnerships, grants, alumni relations and adopting cost-effective digital platforms and online learning modules.  

Despite the challenges, the development of an educational program opens the door to incredible opportunities, and creative solutions and strategic partnerships can ensure a successful Athlete Branding certificate program.  

Opportunities:

Empowering Student-Athletes for Long-Term Success

Beyond the immediate financial benefits, NIL offers student-athletes the chance to develop lifelong skills in personal branding, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, contract negotiation and communication. The educational program should equip participants with the knowledge to capitalize on these opportunities long after their playing days are over. In addition, the programming would contribute to student-athletes’ professional development and career readiness after graduation.

Fostering Partnerships and Collaborations

The formation of an education program may take various forms whether it is a certificate, minor or a stand-alone resource offered to the student-athletes. Institutional resources, alumni network and industry partnerships should be considered in the development phase. By partnering with industry leaders, legal experts, venture capitalists and professional athletes, educational programs and support services may provide real-world insights and  mentorship to student-athletes, further enriching their educational experience.

Building a Future-Ready Athletic Community

By providing educational resources and support services, higher education institutions along with their athletic department could prepare student-athletes to succeed in the NIL era, while also investing in the future of collegiate athletics.

By educating athletes today, higher education institutions could lay the groundwork for a more informed, responsible, and empowered generation of athletes who will become responsible members of the society, serve as role models, provide resources and opportunities to others, and live fulfilling lives.

With a well thought out NIL education program, student-athletes could be prepared to thrive in this new era of collegiate sports and during their post college careers. 

Building Blocks of a Certificate in Athlete Branding

The Athlete Branding Certificate is designed to equip student-athletes with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the evolving NIL landscape, unlock the full-potential of their personal brand, and maximize the opportunities presented by the NIL rights for sustained success both during and after their collegiate athletic careers. The domain areas are presented in the figure below:

Program Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the Athlete Branding Certificate, student-athletes will be able to:

Identify and articulate their unique personal brand,

Make informed financial decisions managing their income, tax, and expenses,

Utilize social and digital media via effective content creation, audience engagement, and platform optimization, and

Create a comprehensive business plan and effectively communicate to potential investors/partners,

Develop valuable connections within the sports industry, sponsorships, and beyond.

A Sample List of Courses:

Foundations of NIL

Personal Branding for Athletes

The Entrepreneurial Athlete 

Financial Mastery for Student-Athletes

Athlete Endorsements: Maximizing Value, Managing Expectations

Integrated Marketing Communication for Student-Athletes