Should College Scholars Be Able To Receive The Same NIL Agreements As College Athletes?

By James B. Ewers Jr. Ed.D.

Earning an athletic scholarship to attend college back in the day was a big deal. I still think it is. It meant that you distinguished yourself as a high school athlete and receiving the scholarship was a reward for your accomplishments.

It also meant that families were relieved of paying for college expenses. We know the cost of college is increasing every year.

It was a proud moment in your community if you received a scholarship to play a sport in college. Humbly, I say that I was in that position many years ago.

As I reflect now, there was a high degree of humility from the student-athletes who received them. There were no press conferences and generally not a lot of publicity. Newspaper and television coverage was minimal. Family members and friends knew and that was about it.

Over time, reports would surface about the college student-athletes being paid to play sports. It is my opinion that in some cases that probably did happen. Some players that we know have publicly admitted that they received some financial considerations. However, that has largely been a non-issue with college athletes.

Now, let’s fast forward to July 2021. The NCAA approved a name, image and likeness concept that basically allowed college players to make some money. However no federal or NCAA guidelines have been implemented. If this continues to go unchecked this could become a problem.

The number of student-athletes taking advantage of these NIL agreements continues to increase each year. Some athletes will get more deals than other athletes. Will this cause some problems with on-field performance? There are different opinions on that question.

Some athletes because of their potential will get NIL agreements. The opportunities are there for the taking. NIL and the transfer portal are the two biggest things in college athletics right now. This is my opinion.

Female athletes are also taking full advantage of these NIL agreements. LSU basketball player, Angel Reese is doing quite well from an NIL standpoint. She continues to increase her market value. Being a national champion certainly helps her case.

Maybe my background in higher education has led me to this novel idea. The idea is why not have NIL agreements for academically talented college students?

I suspect there would have to be some tweaks when it comes to financial commitments by companies and corporations. Students would have to be assured they would not lose any college credits or must stay in college longer.

College faculty have been able to receive prestigious awards and recognition for their work. For example, the MacArthur Fellowships are awarded for intellectual and artistic achievement.

Critics of the NIL agreements might ask two questions. First, would a student be able to remain at the same school. The answer would be yes. It would be no different than what is currently happening with student-athletes. Second, how important is school loyalty? I suspect that students receiving NIL agreements would have to gauge that for themselves. As we can see now, some student-athletes stay, and others leave for another college experience.

Monetary gain in higher education so far has been limited to coaches, players and faculty members. Academically talented students have not benefitted as much from companies. While  study abroad programs and internships are available, NIL agreements would break new ground for deserving students.

Just as there was a ground swell of support for NIL agreements for student athletes, there can also be that same support for talented scholars. It is my hope that colleges will align themselves with businesses and begin discussions about ways to assist the next generation of leaders. There is a time and place for everything. Maybe it is the time for NIL agreements for the best and brightest students in our colleges and universities.