Sports

Tax-free NIL payments to college athletes? One state hopes it will give its schools an edge.

By Weston Blasi A bill exempting name, image and likeness earnings from state income tax has been signed into law in Arkansas The fight in recruiting college athletes will now include taxes. Colleges across the nation are locked in a constant battle over high school and college transfers to improve their sports teams, particularly in […]

Published

2 months ago

May 1, 2025

Your Sports Nation

By Weston Blasi

A bill exempting name, image and likeness earnings from state income tax has been signed into law in Arkansas

The fight in recruiting college athletes will now include taxes.

Colleges across the nation are locked in a constant battle over high school and college transfers to improve their sports teams, particularly in big revenue-generating sports like football and men’s basketball. Recruiting athletes is a tough endeavor, but colleges in Arkansas were just given a big edge.

Arkansas became the first state in the U.S. to enact a law that exempts name, image and likeness payments (NIL) from its state income tax. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a Republican, signed the bill into law in April, and it will be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2025 as part of the Arkansas Student-Athlete Publicity Rights Act.

Under the new law, all NIL and university revenue-sharing funds received by student athletes will be exempt from state income tax. The legislation also mandates that financial details concerning payments to athletes will be kept confidential and are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

“Income received by a student athlete from an institution of higher education as compensation for the use of his or her name, image, or likeness or as a percentage of institutional athletic revenue permitted by the institution of higher education’s governing athletic association or conference under this subchapter is exempt from state income tax,” the law states.

The top state income-tax rate in Arkansas for individuals is 3.9%.

Of course, this is a state-only law, and any income an athlete earns from NIL deals are still subject federal income tax.

See: Here’s how much money Shedeur Sanders lost out on by falling to the fifth round of the NFL draft

What will the implementation of this new law actually do? Experts said it’s mainly about recruiting players.

“A state would do this to really prioritize college athletics,” Daniel S. Greene, an attorney who specializes in business and NIL, told MarketWatch. “It’s all about recruiting and giving your schools the best chance to bring in the best kids any way you can.”

No state income tax could could help coaches and NIL collectives in their recruiting process, particularly to athletes who care most about maximizing earnings.

“I’ve followed state legislatures closely, and the states down south really care about college athletics, and they really want their football teams to be super competitive,” Greene said. “They can say to their kids, ‘Hey come here, there’s also no taxes.'”

Tim Frith, a sports attorney at WLJ Sports Law, said this new regulation could be a “major recruiting tool for schools in Arkansas.”

But one lawmaker in Arkansas said that the new law won’t give Arkansas an unfair advantage over rivals – instead it will even the playing field. That’s because some nearby states that Arkansas competes with for top college athletes don’t have any state income tax at all.

The tax exemption will assist Arkansas schools in attracting athletes that bring “a significant amount of revenue to the state,” Arkansas Senate President Bart Hester said. And it also will help Arkansas schools “keep up with Tennessee and Texas and other states that do not have a state income tax,” he added.

In other states, such as Alabama, Georgia, Illinois and Louisiana, similar bills have been introduced but have not yet been signed into law.

Read on: Gen Z workers want to make $100,000 in their first job out of college. Four tips from experts on how to get there.

The move by Arkansas comes as the the NIL system surrounding college athletics is being stressed.

Top college football players are now earning millions annually through NIL deals. For instance, University of Miami quarterback Carson Beck’s NIL value is $4.3 million, and Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith’s is $4 million, according to On3.

The NCAA recently approved rule changes in April that could significantly alter college sports. These proposals involve revising NIL guidelines and establishing a revenue-sharing model where schools could distribute $20.5 million across all athletes in all sports.

In an unprecedented event this month, a college quarterback effectively held out for a better NIL contract, a tactic usually seen in professional sports. Former University of Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava missed practice and subsequently transferred to UCLA due to discontent with his NIL earnings and his situation with the team.

“I’m not certain that this is going to become very common, as collectives have become wiser and craftier in the creation of their contracts, which tend to seek to avoid situations like this,” Darren Heitner, a lawyer who brokers NIL deals for student athletes, told MarketWatch about the holdout. “I have seen many such arrangements where collectives seek to claw back monies paid out or even receive liquidated damages, but I wonder whether athletes will be deterred unless/until a major action is initiated to enforce such language.”

See: Some Americans are stockpiling $220 sneakers before Trump’s tariffs raise prices even higher

Read on: Here’s how much money Paige Bueckers and the other WNBA 2025 draft picks will earn

-Weston Blasi

This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.


  (END) Dow Jones Newswires

  04-30-25 1316ET
Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

Link

Sports

North Carolina A&T and Campbell Represented Amongst CAA Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Major Award Winners

North Carolina A&T and Campbell Represented Amongst CAA Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Major Award Winners 6/26/2025 1:30:00 PM Ben Kane RICHMOND, Va. (June 26, 2025) – Campbell and North Carolina A&T both garnered CAA Men’s Outdoor Track and Field major awards for their performances in the 2025 season. North […]

Published

10 minutes ago

June 26, 2025

Your Sports Nation

North Carolina A&T and Campbell Represented Amongst CAA Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Major Award Winners

6/26/2025 1:30:00 PM

Ben Kane

RICHMOND, Va. (June 26, 2025) – Campbell and North Carolina A&T both garnered CAA Men’s Outdoor Track and Field major awards for their performances in the 2025 season.

North Carolina A&T’s Xavier Partee was named the Field Athlete of the Year, while his teammate and fellow All-American Xzaviah Taylor earned Track Athlete of the Year honors. Campbell’s Mehki Dupree was named the Rookie of the Year, and the Aggies’ Allen Johnson was named Coach of the Year.

Partee was named an honorable mention All-American in the triple jump in a season that saw him crowned the CAA Champion in his signature event. The second-year jumper recorded the longest jump at the CAA Championship since 2001 with a winning leap of 15.88m.

Taylor won two CAA outdoor titles in both the 400m and 400m hurdles, while contributing to a second-place finish in the 4x100m. The sophomore was named a Second Team All-American in the 400m hurdles, while also garnering All-American honorable mentions with the 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams.

Dupree secured the top podium spot in the 200m race at the conference championship to go with a third-place mark in the 110m hurdles. Qualifying for the NCAA East Regional, the freshman finished 18^th in his signature event. Dupree ran an impressive 20.43 in the 200m this past season, ranking him 33rd in the nation.

Johnson led his program to a 36-point victory in the CAA Outdoor Championships, having won six event titles in total. Under his tutelage, the Aggie men qualified 16 student-athletes for the NCAA East Regionals this season and saw his athletes qualify for the 400m hurdles, 110m hurdles, 4x100m relay and men’s triple jump at the NCAA Nationals.

The following student-athletes earned All-CAA honors for placing top three in their respective event(s) at the 2025 CAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

2025 Men’s Outdoor Track & Field All-CAA Honorees

100m: Deondre McInTosh, Hampton (10.35); Tristen Howard, Northeastern (10.40); Jaeden Gumbs, N.C. A&T (10.40)

200m: Mekhi Dupree, Campbell (21.19); Deondre McInTosh, Hampton (21.31); Brunner Williams, Northeastern (21.45)

400m: Xzaviah Taylor, N.C. A&T (46.01); Elijah Thomas, N.C. A&T (46.19); Caleb Gurnell, N.C. A&T (46.25)

800m: Dyimond Walker, N.C. A&T (1:48.29); Dawson Grogan, N.C. A&T (1:48.38); Conall Rogers, Northeastern (1:49.39)

1500m: Collin Gilstrap, Stony Brook (3:48.65); Caleb Wilcox, William & Mary (3:51.42); Tomas Barry, Monmouth (3:53.51)

5000m: Abraham Longosiwa, Hofstra (14:55.54); Steven Struk, Stony Brook (14:55.90); Henry Gartner, Stony Brook (14:56.53)

10,000m: Abraham Longosiwa, Hofstra (29:33.48$); Nico Boyle, Northeastern (30:31.31); Henry Gartner, Stony Brook (30:36.73)

110m Hurdles: Cameron Wright, UNCW (14.11); Khairi Williams, UNCW (14.33); Mekhi Dupree, Campbell (14.33)

400m Hurdles: Xzaviah Taylor, N.C. A&T (51.07); Isaiah Taylor, N.C. A&T (51.43); Cameron Rodgers, Northeastern (51.51)

3000m Steeplechase: Nellie Ambriton, Hampton; Collin Walsh, William & Mary; Gavin Rossi, Monmouth

4x100m Relay: Northeastern (39.53); N.C. A&T (39.57); Hampton (40.10)

4x400m Relay: N.C. A&T (3:07.49); Hampton (3:08.65); UNCW (3:09.21)

High Jump: Donovan Lara, UNCW (2.08m); Ivan Poag, UNCW (2.04m); Yule Pieters, N.C. A&T (2.04m)

Long Jump: Bryson Robinson, UNCW (7.53m); Ivan Poag, UNCW (7.16m); Ahmad Brock, Monmouth (7.15m)

Triple Jump: Xavier Partee, N.C. A&T (15.88m); Armon Wright, William & Mary (15.51m); TyHeak Buie, N.C. A&T (15.36m)

Pole Vault: Reagan Wise, Campbell (5.13m); Dalton Yeust, Monmouth (5.03m); Jan Volkmar, Monmouth (4.78m)

Shot Put: Brayden Hodgest, N.C. A&T (17.61m); Carlos Alexander, N.C. A&T (17.56m); Alex Henry, N.C. A&T (17.19m)

Discus: Isaiah Battle, Monmouth (50.56m); Carlos Alexander, N.C. A&T (49.38m); Brayden Hodgest, N.C. A&T (49.23m)

Hammer Throw: Nicholas Pisciotta, Northeastern (60.99m); Isaiah Battle, Monmouth (60.19m); AJ Bailor, Monmouth (55.38m)

Javelin: Miles Higgins, UNCW (63.73m); Alex Ust, William & Mary (53.57m); Tyler Cappadona, Monmouth (53.48m)

Decathlon: Brian Walsh, William & Mary (7076); Jan Volkmar, Monmouth (7049); David Strong, Monmouth (7028)

# – CAA Record

$ – Meet Record

Follow the CAA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get up-to-date information and learn more about all CAA member institutions and their teams.

Link

Sports

Matt Fisher is The Star’s Boys Volleyball Player of the Year for 2025

Matt Fisher is no stranger to high school sporting success. A year ago, he celebrated with his Camarillo High teammates after winning a CIF-Southern Section Division 4 baseball championship. Fisher then made a decision that would completely change the trajectory of his athletic career. He decided to focus solely on volleyball. A year later, Fisher […]

Published

11 minutes ago

June 26, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Matt Fisher is no stranger to high school sporting success.

A year ago, he celebrated with his Camarillo High teammates after winning a CIF-Southern Section Division 4 baseball championship.

Fisher then made a decision that would completely change the trajectory of his athletic career.

He decided to focus solely on volleyball.

A year later, Fisher is the Coastal Canyon League co-MVP, the best player on the area’s top-ranked boys volleyball team and The Star’s Boys Volleyball Player of the Year for the 2025 season.

“Last year was kind of my first glimpse at (the award), knowing that I am right there,” said Fisher, who made The Star’s All-County First Team last season. “I got to tell my mom, both my parents, my grandparents — that was a cool feeling.”

For Fisher, becoming a full-time volleyball player was a return to the family business.

Dan Fisher, his uncle, is the head volleyball coach at the University of Pittsburgh and was named the 2024 American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I National Coach of the Year. Fisher grew up around the sport, but only found his passion for it later.

“All I really knew was baseball,” Fisher said. “Volleyball just kind of started to creep into my life.”

In a short time, Fisher put together quite the career at Camarillo.

He ended his senior season as the program record-holder for assists in a single season after recording 562 this spring. He also amassed 115 kills, 31 solo blocks and 22 aces this season.

Those marks, awe-inspiring on their own, are made all the more impressive when Fisher’s injury history is taken into account.

Playing at an open gym in December, Fisher felt a sudden, debilitating pain in his back. He was diagnosed with a pars defect — stress fractures in his spine — as well as disc displacement.

“The next few days after that initial game, I was barely able to get out of bed,” Fisher said. “I wasn’t able to move, bend down, anything. It was excruciating pain.”

The senior was seriously limited early in the season, only playing a few rotations per match with seriously limited mobility. Four months of physical therapy helped finally get him back on the court.

Fisher’s injury showed just how integral he was to Camarillo’s play, but it also pushed every member of the team to rely on one another, according to head coach Stephen Zavala.

“In the very beginning of the season, everyone looked for Matt — ‘Matt is going to get us out of this slump,’ ” Zavala said. “He said, ‘It’s not a one-man show. It requires six people on the court.’ He really built that trust.

“We held him back, didn’t want him to play in the front, jumping, too much. Once he came back, we let the reins go and he was going at it.”

Some of Fisher’s best performances came during Camarillo’s tournament play, helping lead the Scorpions to a sixth-place finish at the vaunted Karch Kiraly Tournament of Champions at Santa Barbara High.

“He popped off,” Zavala said. “He was there to prove something.”

Fisher’s stellar play continued into Coastal Canyon League play, where he had 57 assists, 18 kills and four solo blocks in a win over Oak Park. The big outing demonstrated the senior’s most impressive skill: picking apart an opposing team’s blocking scheme, piece by piece.

That skill paired nicely with Camarillo’s stable of athletic hitters like Stanley Filiaga and Breck Bray, whom Fisher credited with helping lead the program to a successful season.

“Without the hitters, there is no success,” Fisher said. “It came through hard work with the hitters, being able to connect with them and figure out what they need to be successful, how to get them open, what they are most comfortable with. All the props to them — they were amazing this season.”

Camarillo earned a co-league championship with Royal and reached the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 playoffs, where the Scorpions lost to Santa Monica in five sets in the first round to end their season with a 20-6 record.

Every aspect of Fisher’s game, from his on-court skills to his leadership and even in his respect for the sport, evolved while he played for the 2024 Boys U19 National Team last year, he said.

“You are representing the country,” Fisher said. “Not just your high school, not just maybe your city, not your club, but the country. Everybody that lives in the USA.”

When Fisher returned from that experience, he was a different player, according to Zavala.

His focus was no longer just on becoming the best player he could be, but also on helping his team to evolve and reach their goals.

“From Day 1 to the end of the season, it was, ‘How can we make everyone better?’ ” Zavala said. “Matt implemented that.

“Even our third on the bench, he was trying to make that guy better so that he makes the No. 2 better, who makes the No. 1 better. It was full circle, from beginning to end. I think that was what really made this team very, very special this year.”

Fisher, who will continue his academic and volleyball career at Concordia University in Irvine next year, said he hopes the improvement Camarillo showed over the past four years can be an inspiration for other players and teams.

“As long as you put in the work and as long as you put faith in the system and your coaches, you will succeed,” Fisher said. “There is so much success to happen and so much untapped potential in every single player. I just hope that we were able to show that is a possibility. Success is a possibility, no matter where you start.”

Dominic Massimino is a staff writer for the Star. He can be reached at dominic.massimino@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcsdominic on Twitter and Instagram.

Link

Sports

Track and field places nine on CSC Academic All-District team

Story Links WALTHAM, Mass. – Nine members of the Brandeis men’s and women’s cross country and track and field teams have been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District At-Large teams. Honorees on the CSC Academic All-District teams must be at least sophomores in academic standing with a grade-point […]

Published

28 minutes ago

June 26, 2025

Your Sports Nation

WALTHAM, Mass. – Nine members of the Brandeis men’s and women’s cross country and track and field teams have been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District At-Large teams.

Honorees on the CSC Academic All-District teams must be at least sophomores in academic standing with a grade-point average of 3.50 or higher. For track and field, they also must rank among the top 50 in the region in an individual event or among the top 50 at the NCAA Regional Cross Country Championships.

The Judges’ honorees for the 2024-25 season are:

WOMEN

Alisha Anderson – Junior – Pole Vault – Denver, Colorado – 3.95 GPA – Biology major

Kyra Au – Senior – XC/Distance – Great Neck, New York – 3.76 GPA – Business / Environmental Studies double major

Hannah Bohbot-Dridi – Senior – Hurdles/Sprints – Mountain View, California – 3.54 GPA – Politics major

Aïana Colas – Junior – High Jump – Strasbourg, France – 3.97 GPA – Biology major

Zada Forde – Senior – Cross Country/Distance – Amherst. Massachusetts – 3.83 GPA – Sociology / Environmental Studies double major

MEN

Lucas Dia – Senior – Steeplechase/Distance – Montclair, New Jersey – 3.58 GPA – Computer Science / Economics double major

Lin Lin Hutchinson – Senior – Jumps – Portland, Oregon – 3.79 GPA – American Studies / Independent Interdisciplinary Studies double major

TJ Showstead – Junior – Heptathlon/Decathlon – Plymouth, Massachusetts – 3.77 GPA – Chemistry major

Matthew Yue – Junior – Sprints, Long Jump – Vancouver, British Columbia – 3.72 GPA – Applied Mathematics / Computer Science major

Link

Sports

Kenzie Foley Becomes First SCSU Volleyball Alumna To Go Pro

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) — A former standout St. Cloud State University volleyball player has signed a contract to play professionally. Former outside hitter Kenzie Foley of Sergeant Bluff, Iowa has signed a professional contract with a team in Germany. Foley becomes the first St. Cloud State Volleyball alumna to sign a professional contract. She was 2021 […]

Published

29 minutes ago

June 26, 2025

Your Sports Nation

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) — A former standout St. Cloud State University volleyball player has signed a contract to play professionally.

Former outside hitter Kenzie Foley of Sergeant Bluff, Iowa has signed a professional contract with a team in Germany.

Foley becomes the first St. Cloud State Volleyball alumna to sign a professional contract.

She was 2021 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) DII National Freshman of the Year and 2023 AVCA DII National Player of the Year

She helped guide the Huskies to four straight NCAA Tournaments for the first time in program history.

SCSU head coach Chad Braegelmann.

“She’s a competitor and loves sports – the atmosphere, challenging herself and being part of a team are all very important to her. This experience, and others like it will come from our team success. If we don’t win matches and have a competitive team these opportunities don’t present themselves as readily. We hope she’s one of many others going forward to get this opportunity.”

She was named the 2024-25 St. Cloud State Female Senior Athlete of the Year, which is awarded annually to the top female Husky.

Foley is set to begin her professional career in Suhl, Germany this fall.

READ RELATED ARTICLES

Summer Vacation in the ’70s and ’80s: These Nostalgic Photos Say It All

Take a trip back to summer in the ’70s and ’80s — when Ring Pops ruled, bikes meant freedom, and Press Your Luck kicked off the day. These photos hit all the nostalgic notes.

Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz

Link

Sports

Beach Volleyball W/M Semi Final

Beach Volleyball W/M Semi Final – FISU.tv Skip to main content Discover FISU.tv, your home for live streaming of international university sports competitions and national championships from around the world. This event has not started yet Off Air Link 0

Published

33 minutes ago

June 26, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Beach Volleyball W/M Semi Final – FISU.tv

Discover FISU.tv, your home for live streaming of international university sports competitions and national championships from around the world.

This event has not started yet

Off Air

Beach Volleyball W/M Semi Final

Link

Sports

Big Ten, Big 12 Enter Into Partnership With PayPal, Venmo

Student-athletes in the Big Ten Conference and Big 12 Conference have a new way to receive their compensation, as the two college sports conferences entered into a partnership with PayPal and Venmo. The agreement follows a recent court ruling in the House vs. NCAA settlement allowing colleges to pay student-athletes directly. Current NCAA athletes are […]

Published

41 minutes ago

June 26, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Student-athletes in the Big Ten Conference and Big 12 Conference have a new way to receive their compensation, as the two college sports conferences entered into a partnership with PayPal and Venmo.

The agreement follows a recent court ruling in the House vs. NCAA settlement allowing colleges to pay student-athletes directly. Current NCAA athletes are eligible to receive up to $20.5 million from individual schools, while former collegiate athletes are eligible to receive up to $2.8 billion in compensation.

Big Ten and Big 12 universities will be able to send payments directly to students via PayPal, which in turn empowers them to take advantage of the payment company’s ecosystem to pay for their tuition, buy books from the university bookstore, and make purchases for extracurricular activities, such as tickets to a sporting event.

“We’re proud to help lead this transformation in college athletics by making it easier and faster for student-athletes to receive funds, and we continue to bring trusted and innovative commerce solutions to the heart of campus life,” said Alex Chriss, president and CEO of PayPal, in a statement. “From receiving institutional payments to making everyday purchases, we’re helping student-athletes, families, and schools engage in new ways that are modern, secure, and built for the future.”

“We look forward to partnering with PayPal to ensure a secure, rapid, and reliable way for student-athletes to receive institutional payments as we welcome in this new era in college athletics,” Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti added.

“We are thrilled to enter into this landmark partnership with PayPal and Venmo,” said Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark in a statement. “As we embark on a new era of college athletics, aligning with a global leader like PayPal will unlock a wealth of opportunities for the Big 12. This partnership will also empower our student-athletes to receive payments through a secure, trusted platform they already know and use.”

Additionally, the partnership includes Venmo becoming the presenting partner of the inaugural Big Ten Rivalry Series, which encompasses football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball.

Venmo will also serve as the official partner of the Big 12 Conference across Big 12 football, basketball, and Olympic sports championships for both men’s and women’s teams. And the Venmo brand will be seen across all 16 institutions’ athletic events.

The PayPal-owned peer-to-peer social payments platform will collaborate with the Big Ten and Big 12 to facilitate acceptance for real-world campus spending, including purchases at bookstores. Students will also be able to earn in-store and onlikne rewards if they choose to also sign up for the Venmo Debit Mastercard. And they will be able, for a limited time, to earn up to 15% cash back from select national brands.

Link