Opinions on NIL in College Football
For a long time, college athletes were not allowed to make money off of their name, image, and likeness (NIL). The NCAA strictly forbade it and was quick to punish those that even attempted to make a little money on the side while being a college athlete. That all changed however in the summer of 2021, when the NCAA announced that for the very first time, athletes would be allowed to pursue NIL opportunities, just as long as they were not performance based. In a matter of hours, popular players like then Auburn quarterback Bo Nix announced he had agreed to an NIL deal with Milo's Sweet Tea. For some, the newfound freedom for college athletes to become paid for their NIL signaled the end of college football as a truly "amateur" sport. The only thing that had separated college football from the NFL was the fact that college football players were unable to be compensated in any way other than an athletic scholarship. Now that they could sign deals with companies, r...