thependulumswings

Want to see a quick magic act?  Watch closely as three letters (NIL) will make four letters (NCAA) disappear.

Abracadabra alakazam!  And so it is, and so it will be.

Name, Image, and Likeness is a money-making opportunity for NCAA “student-athletes” that is monetizing rather quickly.  The possibilities are endless and the money plentiful.

For the NCAA, it’s too many holes in the dam to keep the water out.  So, early this week NCAA President Mark Emmert stated publicly that he thinks that the individual conferences should self-monitor the do’s and dont’s of the new frontier.

Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban responded to an SEC media days question Wednesday by announcing that his 2021 first time starter to be Bryce Young has inked deals that approach a total of seven figures.

And, the rich are about to get richer.  Texas and Oklahoma are chatting with the SEC about joining and expanding the conference to sixteen heavyweights.  More super teams in a super conference mean much more TV money.

In college tennis, all of the above would be called game, set, and match.  In NCAA football, the real moneymaker, all of that is called a game-changer.

Eighteen-year-olds from coast to coast who might be “taking their talents” to this university or that one, are also now increasingly verbalizing that they are “working on their brand.”  The truth is they aren’t a brand.  But the best ones, or the ones who go to the college that can best exploit/promote them, can resemble an ATM.

And last evening ESPN ran a story about high schooler Mickael Williams (the next Michael Jordan?) inking a NIL deal or three as he and his marketing team “work on his brand.”

You might be wondering, where does it stop?  The answer is that it doesn’t really.  It will seek its level much like under the table money does.

If you’re that good, you’ll get paid.  If you’re not, the money will go away eventually.

For every Air Jordan “brand” there are thousands of air balls.

Five-star yesterday, NIL money today, and not drafted tomorrow is always a possibility.

But for the current makeup of the NCAA it’s here today, and gone tomorrow.