NIL

How social media is changing the game for athletes

A landmark multibillion-dollar legal settlement is set to transform the landscape of college sports in the United States. A court recently approved the House v. NCAA settlement, requiring the NCAA (the National Collegiate Athletic Association) to pay nearly US$2.8 billion in damages over the next 10 years to athletes who competed from 2016 through to […]

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4 weeks ago

June 30, 2025

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How social media is changing the game for athletes

A landmark multibillion-dollar legal settlement is set to transform the landscape of college sports in the United States. A court recently approved the House v. NCAA settlement, requiring the NCAA (the National Collegiate Athletic Association) to pay nearly US$2.8 billion in damages over the next 10 years to athletes who competed from 2016 through to the present day.

The settlement opens the door for college athletes to earn a share of revenue moving forward, marking a shift away from the traditional ideals of amateurism in sport.

Amateurism was traditionally defined as the notion of athletes playing sport for the love of it rather than for financial reasons. Historically, it was created by upper-class elite groups as a way to exclude others. Today, its definition continues to be contested, especially since many athletes have been exploited by amateurism.

A blonde woman in a blazer speaks to reporters outside a courthouse — College soccer player Lexi Drumm leaves federal court during a hearing for a landmark US$2.8 billion settlement impacting NCAA college athletics on April 7, 2025, in Oakland, Calif.
(AP Photo/Noah Berger)

The concept of NIL (name, image and likeness) has only exacerbated this by encouraging athletes to promote themselves on social media. Some sport organizations now even factor social media presence into recruitment decisions.

These developments raise key questions: should we be treating athletes as brands? And what are the consequences of doing so, both on and off the field?

Social media and the modern athlete

Social media offers a way for athletes to build a community of followers, share and discuss their personal lives, and interact with fans.

For many athletes, social media platforms have become tools for building a personal brand and differentiating themselves from other competitors and ultimately having more control over their public image. In turn, social media can allow them to seek out sponsorships and endorsement deals.

However, research also shows there are negative side-effects of social media use. It also exposes athletes to public scrutiny and online abuse from fans, and can lead to effects similar to cyber-bullying.

One study of NCAA Division I athletes found that maintaining a polished image on Twitter lead student-athletes to censor themselves to uphold a certain image, which stifled their self-expression. Athletes also reported that social media affected their concentration and raised performance anxiety due to pressure to perform well or face negative critiques.

A blonde woman sprints down a track — Michigan junior Riley Ammenhauser practises on a track in April 2024 in Ann Arbor, Mich. Ammenhauser has become a record-breaking, triple-jumping track athlete and has used her social media presence to land endorsement deals with Peloton, Gatorade and Lululemon.
(AP Photo/Larry Lage)

Other research has found that platforms like Facebook can distract athletes from optimal mental preparation. The pressure to manage and maintain a personal brand can result in some athletes prioritizing online presence over performance. Constant exposure to competitors’ content can also heighten stress and insecurity.

My master’s thesis found that social media, and the way athletes use it, influences self-efficacy in combat sport athletes. I found that what athletes see online can disrupt their belief in their own abilities, sometimes more than their actual experience in sport.

Impact on youth athletes

My PhD research found that many athletes are unaware of how social media affects their mental game and performance. There’s even less information about how social media impacts youth athletes.

Elite athletes already face a unique set of pressures: rigorous training schedules, limited leisure time, injury risks, competition pressure and the pursuit of scholarships or team placements. For young athletes, these challenges are layered on top of the developmental process of forming a sense of self. Social media now plays a central role in this development.

For youth athletes, athletic identity becomes a major part of this process. It shapes how they think, feel, behave and relate to others through their connection to sport.

But there is a complex relationship between social media and adolescent psychosocial development. Excessive or problematic social media use can negatively impact mental health and well-being, increasing risk of depression, low self-esteem, harassment and burnout.

Despite these risks, there is limited social media training for athletes, and many are unaware of the effects social media use has on their performance.

Coaches see the impact

Since social media is now a constant part of athletes’ lives, understanding how coaches view it is essential. Research shows coaches are often more aware of how social media impacts their athletes’ performance and engagement. Many see it as a growing challenge.

For my PhD thesis, which was later published as a peer-reviewed paper, I interviewed six high-performance coaches across a range of sports to understand their perspectives of athletes’ social media use.

A young woman looks on as a young girl shoots a basketball in a hoop — A coach works with a girls basketball team at a youth sports club in Philadelphia on Feb. 3, 2025.
(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Many of the coaches I interviewed expressed concern that social media places too much emphasis on results and encourages constant comparison with others.

They felt the instant feedback loop introduced too many voices that competed with their own, making it harder for athletes to focus on performance goals and training. Many of the coaches also believed athletes could become overly concerned with their public image and how they are perceived.

What role should coaches play?

Current recommendations for coaches recognize that an outright ban of social media and technology use for athletes is outdated and unrealistic. Athletes, especially younger ones, are digital natives.

Instead, coaches are encouraged to adapt their methods to better align with the generation they are working with. But there aren’t many resources tailored for this purpose.

What’s needed are tools to help coaches engage with their athletes and help them understand how social media influences their mental performance and well-being. Resources need to go beyond helping coaches use technology to providing them with information on how to communicate with their athletes safely or protect them from liability.

In addition, trust between coaches and athletes has been strained in some cases by problematic social media-related incidents. For example, one study found that Snapchat has been used by coach perpetrators to sexually abuse their athletes by overcoming internal inhibitions, avoiding external barriers and breaking down victim resistance.

Rather than focusing on controlling what athletes post on social media, organizations should educate athletes on the way social media might affect them while they are using it. This starts with awareness.

Navigating the realities of social media

The American Psychological Association offers general guidelines for recognizing problematic social media use in youth. While these recommendations provide a useful starting point, athletes face a unique set of challenges.

Unlike their peers, many athletes are encouraged to use social media to brand themselves. Because of this, they need to understand how to balance healthy engagement and harmful overuse.

At the same time, coaches also need better education. There must be a spectrum between coaches who don’t want anything to do with social media at all and coaches who are overly involved in their athlete’s social media.

Coaching resources need to be created to address this. They should be accessible, and provide effective and appropriate assistance that aligns with, and supports, individual coaching methods. A one-size-fits-all solution is unlikely to be effective.

Social media is here to stay, and both athletes and coaches need the tools to help them navigate it well.

NIL

What is the Legacy of Nebraska Football’s Tom Osborne?

Tom Osborne biographer Henry Cordes of the Omaha World Herald and Brandon Vogel of the Counter Read Newsletter join the Common Fans for the final episode of the Tom Osborne series. Simply put, TO is the best coach in Nebraska football history, and one of the greatest college football coaches of all time. Beloved by […]

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5 minutes ago

July 29, 2025

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Tom Osborne biographer Henry Cordes of the Omaha World Herald and Brandon Vogel of the Counter Read Newsletter join the Common Fans for the final episode of the Tom Osborne series.

Simply put, TO is the best coach in Nebraska football history, and one of the greatest college football coaches of all time.
Beloved by his players to this day.
Deep and lasting connection to his players, built on a concern for them first as people and second as football players.
The Lawrence Phillips question.
What if TO had kept coaching?
Can TO’s development-focused approach still work in today’s era of NIL and the transfer portal?
How has the standard of excellence established by Osborne and Devaney affected every Nebraska coach who came after him?
And so much more!

Thanks to Henry Cordes and Brandon Vogel for joining us for this fantastic conversation. GBR for LIFE!

Listen on the Common Fan website, Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, iHeart Radio, and PocketCasts.

Or watch below!

More from Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.

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USD Football Picked First in 2025 PFL Preseason Poll

Story Links 2025 PFL Coaches Poll (PDF) ST. LOUIS (PFL) – For the first time since 2019, San Diego football has been tapped as the Pioneer Football League’s preseason favorite in the league’s 2025 Preseason Coaches Poll, released Monday. Pioneer Football League2025 Preseason Coaches’ […]

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22 minutes ago

July 29, 2025

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ST. LOUIS (PFL) – For the first time since 2019, San Diego football has been tapped as the Pioneer Football League’s preseason favorite in the league’s 2025 Preseason Coaches Poll, released Monday.

PL	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Points
Pioneer Football League 2025 Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1.	San Diego	5	4	1	94
2.	Drake	3	2	1	78
3.	St. Thomas	1	2	0	72
4.	Butler	0	1	4	66
5.	Dayton	0	1	2	65
6.	Morehead St.	1	0	0	64
7.	Presbyterian	1	1	1	55
8.	Davidson	0	0	1	53
9.	Marist				24
10.	Valparaiso				18
11.	Stetson				16
First-place votes in parentheses. 10 points awarded for a first-place vote, with one point less for each succeeding place. (Maximum score = 100) Coaches were not allowed to vote for their team.

The PFL will present its 2025 Preseason All-PFL Team on Tuesday.

San Diego picked up five first-place votes and was not ranked lower than third by any of the league’s head coaches to earn the poll’s top spot with 94 points.

Drake, the 2024 PFL Champion, was first on three ballots and was picked in the top three on six ballots to earn second in the poll with 78 points. St. Thomas, with 72 points, including a first-place vote, was third with 72 points.

Butler, Dayton, and Morehead State were tightly packed in the next three spots. Butler was fourth with 66 points thanks to five votes in the top three. Dayton was a point behind in fifth place at 65 points. Morehead State nabbed a first-place vote and was sixth in the poll with 65 points for its best preseason positioning since 2022, when it was picked fifth.

Presbyterian had one vote for each of the top three spots and edged out Davidson for the No. 7 position in the poll with 55 points. Davidson was eighth with 53 points.
Marist, Valparaiso, and Stetson rounded out the PFL Preseason Coaches’ Poll, ranked ninth, 10th, and 11th, respectively.

The poll reflects the vastly different landscape in the PFL entering the 2025 season with five programs helmed by new head coaches: Kevin Lynch at Butler, Saj Thakkar at Davidson, Joe Woodley at Drake, Mike Jasper at Stetson, and Andy Waddle at Valparaiso.

The upcoming 2025 season marks the 33rd year of the Pioneer Football League. The league will feature 11 teams, each playing an eight-game schedule to determine the league champion and recipient of the automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Championship. The 2025 schedule gets underway Thursday, August 28, with Dayton, Drake, and St. Thomas set to kick off on opening night. Marist opens its season on Friday, August 29, followed by the league’s remaining seven teams on Saturday, August 30.

About the Pioneer Football League
The Pioneer Football League is the only non-scholarship, football-only NCAA Football Championship Subdivision conference. The PFL is a truly national conference with members on each coast and throughout the nation’s heartland. Butler University, the University of Dayton, Drake University, and Valparaiso University were among the league’s founding members in 1993, with Davidson College, Marist University, Morehead State University, Presbyterian College, the University of San Diego, the University of St. Thomas, and Stetson University joining to form the current 11-team league.

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Welcoming All-American Volleyball Stars Andi Jackson and Izzy Starck

Avoli Elevates Roster with Elite NIL Signings: Welcoming All-American Volleyball Stars Andi Jackson and Izzy Starck Avoli Elevates Roster with Elite NIL Signings: Welcoming All-American Volleyball Stars Andi Jackson and Izzy Starck Avoli Further Solidifies Leadership in Women’s Volleyball, Driving Growth Through Strategic Athlete and Brand Partnerships PORTLAND, Ore., July 28, 2025–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Avoli, the first […]

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52 minutes ago

July 29, 2025

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Avoli Elevates Roster with Elite NIL Signings: Welcoming All-American Volleyball Stars Andi Jackson and Izzy Starck

Avoli Further Solidifies Leadership in Women’s Volleyball, Driving Growth Through Strategic Athlete and Brand Partnerships

PORTLAND, Ore., July 28, 2025–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Avoli, the first and only athletic brand dedicated exclusively to the performance needs and aspirations of women and girl volleyball athletes, today announced its most significant collegiate NIL athlete signings to date: Andi Jackson (University of Nebraska) and Izzy Starck (Penn State University). These pivotal partnerships highlight Avoli’s unwavering commitment to empowering the sport’s top talent and its strategic position within the rapidly expanding landscape of women’s volleyball.

Joining Avoli’s elite roster are two of the NCAA’s most impactful and celebrated volleyball athletes:

Andi Jackson, a dominant middle blocker entering her junior season at the University of Nebraska, is a First-Team AVCA All-American and a two-time All-Big Ten selection (First Team in 2024). She boasted a remarkable .448 hitting percentage, ranking 4th in Division I, during the 2024 season, and is a cornerstone of Nebraska’s championship program.
Izzy Starck, entering her sophomore season at Penn State University, was the 2024 AVCA Freshman of the Year and a Second-Team All-American. She led Penn State to the 2024 National Championship with a record 1,483 assists, including the final point.

Avoli, recognized as the first footwear brand to sign women’s volleyball athletes to NIL deals, has been at the forefront of NIL since its launch in 2023. Having worked with high-profile athletes like Harper Murray and Anna DeBeer, Avoli proactively utilizes these elite talents to amplify its brand. Andi Jackson and Izzy Starck will be prominently highlighted across Avoli’s channels throughout the upcoming NCAA season and beyond.

“Bringing Andi and Izzy into the Avoli family is a natural extension of our commitment to empowering women and girls in volleyball,” said Rick Anguilla, Avoli Co-Founder. “They are exceptional athletes and inspiring role models to young volleyball players, and their decision to champion our brand underscores the real impact we’re having on the sport. We’re thrilled to welcome them to the Avoli team as we continue to innovate and support the sport’s incredible momentum.”

Avoli’s rapid success is strengthened by strategic partnerships, notably with top sports retailer SCHEELS. Since launching in select retail locations in 2024, Avoli has achieved remarkable growth, driven by its unparalleled innovation and high-quality footwear that is unique in the women’s volleyball space.

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Offensive lineman DJ Wingfield files lawsuit against NCAA in bid to play for USC

When DJ Wingfield picked USC in the transfer portal last January, it seemed like an ideal one-year arrangement for both parties. The Trojans desperately needed experience on the interior of their already thin offensive line. Wingfield — after two seasons at a junior college, one at New Mexico and another spent at Purdue — was […]

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57 minutes ago

July 29, 2025

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Offensive lineman DJ Wingfield files lawsuit against NCAA in bid to play for USC

USC offered him a clear path to playing time at left guard, as well as a $210,000 payday for his name, image and likeness. He just needed the NCAA to approve a waiver for him to play another season.

Neither Wingfield nor USC figured that would be a problem at the time. But the NCAA denied Wingfield’s initial request for a waiver in late March, then later denied his appeal.

So, with fall camp set to open this week, Wingfield took the only route remaining for him to play at USC: He filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, seeking injunctive relief in order to play for USC.

Wingfield is seeking to challenge the lawfulness of the NCAA’s “Five-Year Rule”, which contends that players are eligible to play four seasons of competition across five years. Both USC and Wingfield believed, according to the complaint, that his waiver would be approved, considering recent rulings in the cases of Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia and Rutgers’ Jett Elad, each of whom won the right in court to play an additional season.

But the waiver was denied, robbing Wingfield, he claims, of what could have been a “once-in-a-lifetime” NIL payday as well as an opportunity to “enhance his career and reputation” by playing at USC.

“The effect of the NCAA’s anticompetitive conduct will be to penalize Wingfield for having attended a junior college and for the disruptions caused by the pandemic,” the complaint reads. “The NCAA’s anticompetitive conduct, coupled with its unreasonable denial of Wingfield’s meritorious request for a waiver, thus threatens him with immediate irreparable harm.”

Wingfield’s collegiate career began in 2019 at El Camino College, a junior college in Torrance. He left El Camino during the 2020 season due to the pandemic, as Wingfield was tasked with taking care of his mother.

He played at El Camino in 2021 before transferring to New Mexico in the spring of 2022. Before completing a single game with the Lobos, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, ending his season. He returned to play in nine games in 2023 before entering the transfer portal.

Wingfield transferred to Purdue where he earned a starting job in 2024, five years after he first started his college football career.

Still, he figured the NCAA would look past that timeline, given his circumstances and the cascade of legal challenges claiming that the NCAA is violating antitrust laws by limiting athletes’ eligibility.

Now that decision — and Wingfield’s college football future — is in the hands of a federal judge.

Whatever that judge decides could have an adverse impact on the Trojans offense this season. Without Wingfield, USC would be perilously thin up front. His absence could mean sliding projected right tackle Tobias Raymond to guard, while sophomore Justin Tauanuu steps in as starting right tackle. Otherwise, USC is likely to turn to inexperienced sophomore Micah Banuelos at left guard.

NIL

Nick Saban, Greg Byrne praise Trump’s NIL Executive Order: ‘takes a huge step’

President Donald Trump issued an executive order on name, image and likeness (NIL) in college sports — the first major step toward placing regulations and guardrails on a system that has taken on a life of its own. The order, according to a release directly from the White House is aimed to “protect student-athletes and […]

Published

2 hours ago

July 29, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The order, according to a release directly from the White House is aimed to “protect student-athletes and collegiate athletic scholarships and opportunities, including in Olympic and non-revenue programs, and the unique American institution of college sports.

Critics of NIL have argued for years now how it will be the end of non-revenue sports on college campuses, and the very first goal on the list for the order is preventing that.

RELATED: Trump issues NIL executive order on same day SCORE Act passes in U.S. House committee

Trump’s executive order has the stamp of approval from two of the most important people in the state of Alabama, former Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban and current Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne.

Byrne released a statement of support on his X account on Thursday night, while Saban also praised the decision during an appearance on Fox News on Friday:

pic.twitter.com/eFYQnq6bax

— Greg Byrne (@Greg_Byrne) July 25, 2025

“The University of Alabama applauds this executive order from President Trump to help secure a long-term sustainable model of intercollegiate athletics,” Byrne said. “We are proud of our broad-based athletics programs and strongly support future regulatory and Congressional action that will preserve these opportunities for student-athletes.”

Nick Saban praises @POTUS‘ Executive Order protecting student-athletes & collegiate athletic scholarships:

“I think @POTUS‘ Executive Order takes a huge step in providing the educational model that has always been what we’ve tried to promote to create opportunities for players.” pic.twitter.com/kehXs6kGg5

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 25, 2025

“I think President Trump’s Executive Order takes a huge step in providing the educational model that has always been what we’ve tried to promote to create opportunities for players male and female, revenue and non-revenue,” Saban said. “I think we sort of need to make a decision here relative to do we want to have an education based model which the President made a huge step towards doing that, or do we want to have universities sponsor professional teams? I think most people would choose the former.”

RELATED: As new Alabama-driven NIL bill gains traction, Congress moves to rein in ‘Wild West’ of college sports

College athletics have been moving towards a model — especially in football and basketball — to where players are employees rather than students, and the constant hemming and hawing of which direction will be taken in that area has stalled anything definitive from happening.

With Trump’s Executive Order though, it sounds like that momentum is being halted, and as Saban mentions, preserving not only non-revenue sports, but an educational-based system.

One critic of the amount of impact this will actually have was one of the most prominent college football reporters on the topic in Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, who appeared on Paul Finebaum Thursday upon the news coming out and downplayed exactly what impact there is going to be:

Instant reaction from @RossDellenger :

“I wish I could tell you that (Trump’s executive order) was some groundbreaking thing and everything’s going to change in college sports after this…but I don’t think that’s the case.” pic.twitter.com/WxfjJIemE8

— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) July 24, 2025

Dellenger pointed out that Congressional legislation is a much more permanent solution rather than any sort of Executive Order

“I wish I could tell you that (Trump’s executive order) was some groundbreaking thing and everything’s going to change in college sports after this…but I don’t think that’s the case.”

RELATED: Shomari Figures making bipartisan play to address NIL with support from GOP leaders, Alabama AD Greg Byrne

Ironically, U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures’ SCORE Act passed out of U.S. House committee on the same day and is moving towards passing as well, so perhaps actual change can be seen. The SCORE Act has similar goals as the Executive Order and could be even more critical than any sort of Executive Order.

Clearly, there is still a long road to go in order to get any sort of control on what college sports have become. Momentum though is moving in the right direction, and it certainly seems like those who make the every day decisions in college sports are in favor of action which has already been taken.

Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.

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Inside Bielema's NIL Strategy

At Big Ten Media Days, Bret Bielema laid out Illinois’ NIL philosophy — and it might just be the most sustainable approach in college football. Author: kiiitv.com Published: 7:54 PM CDT July 28, 2025 Updated: 7:54 PM CDT July 28, 2025 0

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2 hours ago

July 29, 2025

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