NIL

The name, image and likeness landscape at LBSU

LBSU opposite hitter Skyler Varga serves up the ball against UCLA with over 1,000 students packed in the stands. Varga is one of the many men’s volleyball players who benefit from the men’s volleyball NIL collective. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko Name, image and likeness is the ever-growing hot topic in college athletics. It affects college […]

Published

4 weeks ago

May 5, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Name, image and likeness is the ever-growing hot topic in college athletics. It affects college sports’ current and future landscape daily, but some schools struggle more than others, like Long Beach State.

With incoming freshmen such as BYU basketball player, A.J. Dybantsa, having a reported NIL evaluation of $3.8 million, this creates an appealing situation for recruits when choosing which college to attend.

It used to be that players would commit to schools based on the coach, the program, the location or other factors, but now substantial money has become the biggest motivator.

“I do know that there have been a couple of athletes who have committed to particular schools, and then they change their commitment later because another school will come along and offer them a lot of money, like $200,000,” LBSU Sports Communications Professor and NIL Researcher Kevin Johnson said.

Many incoming players also hire agents to help with the NIL negotiation process, adding another factor to recruiting for college programs. Athletes and their families often still speak with coaches about the typical factors that would affect an athlete’s decision, such as fit and team culture, while agents communicate with programs about the money.

“As an assistant coach, or anyone on staff… a large percentage of your offseason is now just about NIL, that was never a part of the recruiting aspect before,” Ali Tavakol, director of basketball operations for LBSU men’s basketball, said.

According to Tavakol, managing and maintaining NIL money at a mid-major university like LBSU requires help from all staff.

“It’s everyone’s jurisdiction, from our head coach [Chris Acker] all the way down to our graduate assistant,” Tavakol said. “The second the season ended, every meeting is about number one, how to get players, and at the end of the day, that’s NIL.”

The student section was packed during Long Beach State’s last home game against UC San Diego. The Beach took down UCSD 3-0 as Long Beach State became the Big West regular season champions. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko

Fundraising is the name of the NIL game at LBSU. Coaches and staff attend events with Long Beach community members to try and garner new donors and boosters to increase the funds the program has available to offer players.

“The focus isn’t, ‘oh, how do we get money? The focus is how do we outreach to the community and get to the people that want to help us while we help them at the same time,” Tavakol said.

Athletics programs do receive funds from a budget distributed by university administration, but that money goes towards scholarships and basic needs funding, not NIL collectives, according to Tavakol.

NIL money is managed by what are called collectives, funds separate from the university that are managed by either an outside third party or by a staff member of an athletics program, according to Tavakol.

There are a myriad of NIL collectives, like the LBSU Men’s Basketball Alliance and the LBSU Men’s Volleyball Collective, which manage NIL funds for those specific programs. Money donated by boosters for NIL purposes is then added to these collectives to be used for compensating players.

“I’m excited for the creative possibilities, which includes NIL, which includes collectives,” Nick MacRae, LBSU men’s volleyball assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, said. “We’re super excited and hopeful that we will now have 12 scholarships, and then you can add on NIL and collectives, that’s very exciting in my lens.”

Another way to generate revenue is through merchandise sales. If the LBSU logo or name is a prominent part of the merchandise of collegiate athletes, then the school can take a larger cut. But if the t-shirt or jersey being sold just has the player’s name and number without including school or team logos, then more of the money goes to the athlete.

“When you bring in money, it turns the landscape into a professional sport,” Tavakol said “We’re beyond happy for these students… but it’s been absolutely flipped upside down.”

Link

NIL

TWO JACKS EARN CSC ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT HONOR

Story Links South Dakota State pitcher Jake Goble and outfielder Bryce Ronken were honored Tuesday as members of the 2025 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Baseball Team. The nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the diamond and in the classroom are recognized across four divisions: NCAA Division I, NCAA Division […]

Published

2 minutes ago

June 4, 2025

Your Sports Nation

South Dakota State pitcher Jake Goble and outfielder Bryce Ronken were honored Tuesday as members of the 2025 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Baseball Team. The nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the diamond and in the classroom are recognized across four divisions: NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.

A senior from Rapid City, Goble maintained a 3.59 GPA as a business economics major to earn a repeat selection to the CSC Academic All-District Team. He was an honorable mention selection to the all-Summit League Team for the second time in his career during the 2025 campaign and led the Jackrabbit pitching staff with 53 2/3 innings pitched and 51 strikeouts in 14 appearances.

Ronken, a sophomore from Sioux Falls, has compiled a 3.64 GPA while majoring in business economics and finished as the team leader with 13 doubles in 2025. He also contributed a .314 batting average and 36 runs batted in to go along with a team-best .448 on-base percentage.

To be nominated for CSC academic honors, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore in athletic and academic standing, maintain at least a 3.5 cumulative grade-point average and be a starter or key reserve.

-GoJacks.com-

Link

NIL

Chipper Jones calls out disrespectful college baseball coaches, teams ahead of Super Regionals

After a riveting round of regional action, there was more than a bit of controversy. And at least one prominent voice in the sport, Chipper Jones, is speaking up. Jones called out some aberrant behavior that he believes is bad for the sport, pledging only to view teams that play the right way going forward. […]

Published

23 minutes ago

June 4, 2025

Your Sports Nation

After a riveting round of regional action, there was more than a bit of controversy. And at least one prominent voice in the sport, Chipper Jones, is speaking up.

Jones called out some aberrant behavior that he believes is bad for the sport, pledging only to view teams that play the right way going forward. He won’t be a party to some of the nonsense he saw from various teams over the weekend.

“Spent quite a bit of time watching college baseball this weekend,” Jones wrote on Twitter. “I will only watch a select few teams from here on out. Reason? They have coaches that respect the game and their opponents and demand the same of their players.”

Chipper Jones would delve further into his reasoning, but he’s clearly advocating for a cleaner version of the sport. One in which things are done the correct way.

He outlined what he meant a bit more thoroughly. He explained.

“Any team that doesn’t wear the uni correctly, taunts the other team, and has a coach that condones this behavior, is a disgrace to the game,” Chipper Jones said.

He did, however, have one team that certainly fit his criteria for doing things the right way. That was one of the 16 regional host teams.

“Big fan of coach (Kevin) Schnall at Coastal Carolina!” Chipper Jones wrote. “Him and his team represent what college baseball should be like. Well done, sir! U stand for proper behavior.”

That, in and of itself, is interesting, because Schall was adjacent to arguably the biggest controversy of the week. That came when Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan was caught on camera multiple times berating NCAA Tournament staffers and Coastal Carolina officials over a game time being moved.

Schnall went off on O’Sullivan, though he didn’t call him out by name. He did note that the behavior was “absolutely unacceptable,” likely the exact kind of thing Chipper Jones was referring to.

“I believe in standing up for what’s right, and what transpired this morning on our field, another coach disrespected our associate AD, who works as hard as anybody in our entire program,” Schnall said. “He disrespected our field crew, who are the salt of the earth. These guys would do anything for our program. It’s not OK. And this needs to be brought up.

“Absolutely disrespectful. As a coach it’s our job to mentor young kids,” Schnall said. “And the way he treated the two site reps, the way he treated our associate AD, the way he treated our field crew is absolutely unacceptable. And I’m really, that’s what I’m most disappointed about.

“This is a national champion coach who thinks he can come in here and try to bully people around. Disappointed. Disappointed somebody that a lot of coaches look up to, for him to act that way, really disappointed. He disrespected a Hall of Fame coach who’s the site rep here. That’s all I’ve got to say.”

Coastal Carolina will certainly have a viewer in Chipper Jones. And if his message gets through, hopefully the sport will see fewer antics in the Super Regional round.

Link

NIL

Level Out the Playing Field

It’s no secret that men have overshadowed and dismissed women, throughout history. The past shows that women were never seen as equal, especially in sports. However, women’s sports have recently started to rise. If you ask anyone now about athletes like Caitlin Clark or Angel Reese, they’d most likely know things beyond the simple facts […]

Published

2 hours ago

June 4, 2025

Your Sports Nation

It’s no secret that men have overshadowed and dismissed women, throughout history. The past shows that women were never seen as equal, especially in sports.

However, women’s sports have recently started to rise. If you ask anyone now about athletes like Caitlin Clark or Angel Reese, they’d most likely know things beyond the simple facts – what position they play, which WNBA team they’re a part of, what college they played at – and that’s just within the scope of professional basketball. Imagine what people can say now about Olympians like Simone Biles, Trinity Rodman or even college stars with name, image and likeness (NIL) deals.

Women’s sports have truly taken over and are gaining more viewership than ever. According to the National Women’s Soccer League, their total viewership in the postseason garnered around 18 million views, five times more than in 2023.

Yet a statistic came along comparing the rookie season salary of the number one 2024 draft picks between the Indiana Fever’s (WNBA) aforementioned Clark and the San Antonio Spurs (NBA) Victor Wembanyama. The gap was nothing short of appalling. How can there be a 12,023,500-dollar gap between these two?

It is important to fact-check this number. At first, a twelve-million-dollar gap sounds unthinkable, but these numbers prove to be slightly inaccurate. According to ESPN Wembanyama was actually making around $12.7 million during his rookie season while Clark was only making around $76,000.

Clark’s final and record-breaking season at Iowa was one that truly propelled her fame and brought light to the WNBA, despite their loss to the University of South Carolina in the NCAA national championship. Most refer to this as the “Caitlin Clark effect,” where she is credited with the impact on the popularity of women’s basketball. According to the WNBA, with the help of Clark and other prominent women’s college basketball stars, the league picked up viewership by 170% in just the 2024 season.

So yes, everyone really does watch women’s sports.

“If you’re not watching women’s sports, you’re truly missing out. Now is the time to tune in, as the sky’s the limit for women’s sports,” Clark said in a 2023 interview after winning Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year.

There are some missed research and plot holes to consider in regards to the pay gap. The comparison used seventy-five thousand, which was only part of Clark’s total earnings in her rookie year. This is part of a four-year contract with the Fever with a salary of around $338,000. In fact, her total 2024 salary was not twelve million dollars short of Wembanyama’s, but only around 1.6 million, funded mainly through sponsorships and deals.

The kicker is, Wembanyama’s rookie season salary still remains at around $12.7 million for the same contract – a four-year deal with a team, the Spurs – and this doesn’t include sponsorships.

So why is it that women continue to get paid less than men? And why does it still matter now?

Firstly, there are new opportunities for women’s sports that are emerging in the United States. The WNBA continues to make headlines, but what about other professional sports leagues here? The American professional volleyball situation is a perfect example.

Recently, two new pro volleyball leagues developed and began their inaugural seasons here in the United States. 2024 saw the rise of the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF), debuting with seven teams that recruited some of the most well-known volleyball stars at the college and professional level from their draft. And just a year later, League One Volleyball (LOVB) began their inaugural season with some of the best volleyball veterans.

Another female pro team that has been gaining attention is the Women’s National Soccer Team. The team recently won gold at the 2024 Olympics and despite winning multiple World Cup titles, they continue to get paid short compared to the men’s.

On average, the salaries for a player in these two leagues range from around $60,000 to $245,000. PVF has listed their salary range from between $60,000 to $175,000, while the U.S. national soccer team has raised their salary pay to $245,000 to $327,000. Additionally, an average WNBA salary is calculated at around $60,000 to $140,000.

The main difference between the disputed pay gap between male and female athletes, however, lies within the salary caps and media deals set by each league. One of the better examples to look at is between the main basketball leagues: the NBA holds a higher and softer cap, while the WNBA holds a harder and lower cap.

Essentially a softer cap simply means that more factors add to the total. The NBA’s salaries are typically more due to higher ticket sales, different broadcasting and media deals and merchandise sales.

Viewership for the WNBA has historically been lower, even with growing popularity. Due to a “lack of fan interest,” WNBA athletes find it difficult to make a salary even comparable to their NBA counterparts.

Another factor to consider is the length of the leagues. The NBA is referred to as having a “50 year head-start” compared to the WNBA, allowing the league to earn more deals, revenue and sponsorships.

Finally, the revenue shares that add to salaries differ between each league. NBA players receive half of all the revenue earned, while WNBA players receive half of all of the league’s incremental revenue, according to Just Women’s Sports. Players in the W only receive their share of the revenue that is earned above the league’s yearly target revenue.

Basically, men’s sports leagues have all the advantages in this situation. So how can the issue of the pay gap be fixed?

Simply put, the women’s leagues would have to be given the same opportunities as men’s leagues. This would include increasing the media coverage, brand deals, sponsorships and investments. However, it isn’t that easy for these solutions to happen.

It is also important to consider that now with the league in the limelight, the W and other leagues can expand and make the changes that their players may be asking for. As the popularity of women’s sports continues to rise, so does the hope that these solutions happen as well. The WNBA has already begun to make better changes for their athletes, including chartering private flights and, namely, increasing salaries.

“As athletes, we have to fight. As women, we have to fight… And we need more people at our table to fight with us,” said WNBA player Skylar Diggins-Smith in a 2018 interview.

As the conversation about the pay gap continues, it is important to acknowledge women in sports. The pay gap is simply a part of a larger principle that demands equity and equality for female athletes. With our support, as fans, we can help push the narrative that female athletes deserve equal opportunities to the leagues to make the changes we aim to see.

NIL

Nebraska set to pay student-athletes over $20 million next year

Published

2 hours ago

June 4, 2025

Your Sports Nation

ROBIN QUANECIA BILL. THANK YOU. THE LANDSCAPE IS CONSTANTLY CHANGING WITHIN COLLEGE ATHLETICS AND THE MAJOR DRIVING FORCE. NAME, IMAGE, AND LIKENESS. EACH YEAR LOOKS DIFFERENT, WITH GUIDELINES STILL UP IN THE AIR. KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN’S EDDIE MESSEL IS HERE IN THE STUDIO WITH MORE FROM NEBRASKA ATHLETIC DIRECTOR TROY DANNEN, AND WHERE HE FEELS NEBRASKA IS SITUATED MOVING FORWARD. EDDIE ROB KEARNEY, NEBRASKA ATHLETIC DIRECTOR TROY SAYS THEY ARE WALKING INTO A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WORLD OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS, HOWEVER, FEELS LIKE NEBRASKA HAS DONE ENOUGH LEADING UP TO NOW TO COMPETE IN THE WORLD OF NIL. THE ROARS IN MEMORIAL STADIUM HAVE BEEN HEARD FOR YEARS, BUT BEHIND THE SCENES OF WHAT HAPPENS OFF THE FIELD WILL SEE A MAJOR SHIFT THIS UPCOMING YEAR. THE GREATEST CHANGE OF ALL IS WE’RE GOING TO BE PAYING OUR ATHLETES $20.5 MILLION THIS YEAR, DAN SAYS. TO SUPPORT THE PAYROLLS, UNIVERSITY HAS HAD TO CHANGE THEIR BUSINESS MODEL. OUR COACHES WILL TELL YOU THE MOST IMPORTANT DOLLAR THAT GETS SPENT IS TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN GOOD QUALITY STUDENT ATHLETES. DESPITE THE SETTLEMENT NOT EVEN BEING PASSED YET, DAN SAYS THE THIRD PARTY COLLECTIVE NIL WORKS IS CHANGING AS WELL AS ROSTER LIMITS. NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS IN THE SETTLEMENT, DAN SAYS THERE ARE CONTINGENCY PLANS IN PLACE FOR WHATEVER THE OUTCOME. NEBRASKA IS VERY FORTUNATE IN THAT, I THINK BECAUSE OF THE WISDOM OF OF ALL OF MY PREDECESSORS IN ATHLETICS, WE’RE IN AN EXTRAORDINARILY STRONG FINANCIAL POSITION, AND WE DIDN’T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING DRACONIAN TO GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE’RE ABLE TO SUPPORT THE ATHLETES TO THE FULLEST. ATHLETES WILL NOT BE EMPLOYEES OF THE UNIVERSITY, ACCORDING TO DAN. THESE WILL BE NIL RIGHTS CONTRACTS, MEANING THE UNIVERSITY IS PROVIDING A FEE TO UTILIZE ATHLETES RIGHTS TO THEIR NAME, IMAGE AND LIKENESS. IT TALKS ABOUT IF YOU VIOLATE ACADEMIC STANDARDS, IF YOU’RE IF YOU BECOME INELIGIBLE BECAUSE OF YOUR CONDUCT, THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT THESE CONTRACTS BECOME VOID. MOST OF THE DEALS WILL BE ONE YEAR CONTRACTS. SO IF AN ATHLETE CHOOSES TO LEAVE, THERE SHOULD BE NO ISSUES. DAN SAYS THERE WILL BE A FEW EXCEPTIONS FOR MULTIYEAR CONTRACTS. THE HOPES ARE THE DEALS WILL MAKE IT ATTRACTIVE ENOUGH FOR ATHLETES TO WANT TO STAY AT UNL. IT WAS SEEN A LOT OF MOVEMENT, I THINK, RELATED TO REVENUE SHARE AND NIL. IF THE SETTLEMENT WORKS AS INTENDED, YOU WILL SEE A LOT LESS PLAYER MOVEMENT BECAUSE OF THAT, BECAUSE THERE IS A FINITE AMOUNT OF OF MONEY FROM AMONG ALL THE INSTITUTIONS. THAT $2.8 BILLION NIL SETTLEMENT SETTLEMENT IS CAUGHT UP IN THE COURTS. THE ORIGINAL DEADLINE WAS SET FOR JUNE 6TH. A FEDERAL JUDGE GRANTED AN EXTENSION. THAT NEW DATE IS JUNE 27TH. THAT DEADLINE ALSO PUSHES THE TIMELINE FOR POTENTIAL RESOLUTION EVEN CLOSER TO THE EXPECTED START OF REVENUE SHARING PAYMENTS T

Nebraska set to pay student-athletes over $20 million next year in NIL contracts, Troy Dannen says

Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen says UNL is set to pay student-athletes over $20 million next year.

Nebraska Athletic Director Troy Dannen says they are walking into a completely different world over the next few years. However, he feels like Nebraska has done enough leading up to now to compete in the world of name, image and likeness licensing. The roars in Memorial Stadium have been heard for years, but behind the scenes what happens off the field will see a major shift this upcoming year.”The greatest change of all is we’re going to be paying our athletes $20.5 million this year,” Dannen said.Dannen says that to support the payroll, the university has had to change its business model.READ MORE: Nebraska athletic director says Memorial Stadium will no longer offer stadium re-entry because of alcohol sales”Our coaches will tell you the most important dollar that gets spent is to recruit and retain good quality student-athletes,” Dannen said.Despite the settlement not even being passed yet, Dannen says the third-party collective NIL works is changing, as well as roster limits. No matter what happens in the settlement, Dannen says there are contingency plans in place for whatever the outcome.”Nebraska is very fortunate in that I think because of the wisdom of all of my predecessors in athletics, we’re in an extraordinarily strong financial position and we didn’t have to do anything draconian to get to the point where we’re able to support the athletes to the fullest,” Dannen said.Athletes will not be employees of the university, according to Dannen. These will be NIL rights contracts, meaning the university is providing a fee to utilize athletes’ rights to their name, image and likeness.”It talks about if you violate academic standards, if you become ineligible because of your conduct, things like that, these contracts become void,” Dannen said.Most of the deals will be one-year contracts, so if an athlete chooses to leave, there should be no issues. Dannen added that there will be a few exceptions for multiyear contracts, but the hope is the deals will make it attractive enough for athletes to want to stay at UNL.”We’ve seen a lot of movement related to rev share and NIL,” Dannen said. “If the settlement works as intended, you will see a lot less player movement because of that, because there is a finite amount of money among all the institutions.”That $2.8 billion NIL settlement is still caught up in the courts. The original deadline was set for June 6, but a federal judge granted an extension, and the new date is June 27. That deadline also pushes the timeline for a potential resolution even closer to the expected start of revenue-sharing payments to athletes on July 1.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |

LINCOLN, Neb. —

Nebraska Athletic Director Troy Dannen says they are walking into a completely different world over the next few years.

However, he feels like Nebraska has done enough leading up to now to compete in the world of name, image and likeness licensing. The roars in Memorial Stadium have been heard for years, but behind the scenes what happens off the field will see a major shift this upcoming year.

“The greatest change of all is we’re going to be paying our athletes $20.5 million this year,” Dannen said.

Dannen says that to support the payroll, the university has had to change its business model.

READ MORE: Nebraska athletic director says Memorial Stadium will no longer offer stadium re-entry because of alcohol sales

“Our coaches will tell you the most important dollar that gets spent is to recruit and retain good quality student-athletes,” Dannen said.

Despite the settlement not even being passed yet, Dannen says the third-party collective NIL works is changing, as well as roster limits. No matter what happens in the settlement, Dannen says there are contingency plans in place for whatever the outcome.

“Nebraska is very fortunate in that I think because of the wisdom of all of my predecessors in athletics, we’re in an extraordinarily strong financial position and we didn’t have to do anything draconian to get to the point where we’re able to support the athletes to the fullest,” Dannen said.

Athletes will not be employees of the university, according to Dannen. These will be NIL rights contracts, meaning the university is providing a fee to utilize athletes’ rights to their name, image and likeness.

“It talks about if you violate academic standards, if you become ineligible because of your conduct, things like that, these contracts become void,” Dannen said.

Most of the deals will be one-year contracts, so if an athlete chooses to leave, there should be no issues. Dannen added that there will be a few exceptions for multiyear contracts, but the hope is the deals will make it attractive enough for athletes to want to stay at UNL.

“We’ve seen a lot of movement related to rev share and NIL,” Dannen said. “If the settlement works as intended, you will see a lot less player movement because of that, because there is a finite amount of money among all the institutions.”

That $2.8 billion NIL settlement is still caught up in the courts. The original deadline was set for June 6, but a federal judge granted an extension, and the new date is June 27.That deadline also pushes the timeline for a potential resolution even closer to the expected start of revenue-sharing payments to athletes on July 1.

Link

NIL

NIL Deals Led To A Lot Of Business Opportunities For College Players, But Anthony Davis Says ‘It Takes Away From The Integrity’

Anthony Davis has mixed feelings about NIL deals. What Is NIL? In June 2021, NCAA college athletes were given the opportunity to benefit financially from their name, image, and likeness (NIL) for the first time. This change came after governance bodies across all three NCAA divisions suspended NIL restrictions for current and incoming student-athletes in […]

Published

3 hours ago

June 3, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Anthony Davis has mixed feelings about NIL deals.

What Is NIL?

In June 2021, NCAA college athletes were given the opportunity to benefit financially from their name, image, and likeness (NIL) for the first time. This change came after governance bodies across all three NCAA divisions suspended NIL restrictions for current and incoming student-athletes in all sports, according to the NCAA.

However, it was clarified that despite the changes to the NIL landscape, “pay-for-play” arrangements and improper inducements would still not be permitted.

“This is an important day for college athletes since they all are now able to take advantage of name, image and likeness opportunities,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said at the time, per the NCAA. “With the variety of state laws adopted across the country, we will continue to work with Congress to develop a solution that will provide clarity on a national level. The current environment — both legal and legislative — prevents us from providing a more permanent solution and the level of detail student-athletes deserve.”

Anthony Davis’ Concerns Around NIL Deals Explained

The NCAA’s point about clarity was also recently flagged by Davis, a current Dallas Mavericks forward who believes NIL deals have impacted the sport in ways that are not all positive.

“It’s tough, because obviously they didn’t have that when I was in college,” Davis told Sports Illustrated. “It kinda takes away from the game a little bit because of—and I’m not hating—it takes away from the integrity in the sense of players are only going to certain schools because of the money.”

Recently PJ Haggerty transferred to Kansas State University after playing for the University of Memphis and withdrawing from the 2025 NBA Draft. He will now be receiving an NIL deal valued at $2.5 million, securing a $2 million base salary and $500,000 in performance incentives, notes Athlon Sports. Haggerty was reportedly seeking at least $4 million in NIL deals for the 2025–26 season after entering the transfer portal in April and was looking to play point guard rather than shooting guard, per Commercial Appeal.

This move led University of Memphis Head Coach Penny Hardaway to rebuild the team’s roster signing 12 new players. This reinforces additional concerns Davis had about NIL deals and their influence over the transfer portal, whether intentional or not.

“College basketball is still competitive, but the recruitment of it has kinda gotten a little wacky, especially when player can leave and enter the (transfer) portal and go anywhere. It just gets a little tricky,” Davis said, according to Sports Illustrated. “The coaches either a) have to be more strategic with their recruiting, or b) if you don’t have a lot of money for NIL, that kind of takes away your school, your program, as far as being a top recruiter for some of these players.”

He added, “Because one guy can leave the next year, transfer—it gets tough, when you start talking about culture. That kind of goes out the window, in my opinion.”

The post NIL Deals Led To A Lot Of Business Opportunities For College Players, But Anthony Davis Says ‘It Takes Away From The Integrity’ appeared first on AfroTech.

Link

NIL

ESPN’s Pat McAfee Amazed by NiJaree Canady’s WCWS Performance

NiJaree Canady’s impressive performance in the WCWS has caught the attention of one of the biggest names in the sports entertainment industry, Pat McAfee. McAfee, who is an ESPN personality, raved about the Texas Tech pitcher during Tuesday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show. The junior has pitched lights out all season and stepped it […]

Published

3 hours ago

June 3, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NiJaree Canady’s impressive performance in the WCWS has caught the attention of one of the biggest names in the sports entertainment industry, Pat McAfee.

McAfee, who is an ESPN personality, raved about the Texas Tech pitcher during Tuesday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show.

The junior has pitched lights out all season and stepped it up even more in the WCWS. Canady has thrown 300 pitches throughout her three games in Oklahoma City. She is 32-5 overall and has a nation-leading 0.86 ERA.

Canady made history when she signed to play for Texas Tech, becoming the first-ever college softball player to ink a one-million-dollar NIL deal. Now that Golden Arm has led the Red Raiders to the WCWS finals for the first time in program history.

On The Pat McAfee Show, McAfee expressed his excitement for Canady and the sport of softball.

“People are making a million bucks and its electrifying,” McAfee said.

McAfee wasn’t the only one impressed by Canady’s performance.

“She is an absolute dog,” Ty Schmit. “She has thrown every single pitch in the College World Series for Texas Tech so far, and behold, they’re in the championship series.”

“If women’s college softball is making a million dollars, I think that’s good for sports, and she’s lived up to it,” McAfee added.