NIL
TV Stations, Leagues And Sponsors Have Changed My Attitude Toward Sports. That's Why I …
Passover has recently ended. For those not of the Jewish faith, Passover commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. During the Passover Seder, four questions are asked, by the youngest person. The answers explain the meaning of Passover to young children. I’m often asked a fifth question by two younger members of my […]


Passover has recently ended. For those not of the Jewish faith, Passover commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. During the Passover Seder, four questions are asked, by the youngest person. The answers explain the meaning of Passover to young children.
I’m often asked a fifth question by two younger members of my extended family; Which teams do I root for, given that I watch sports on television and have had a lengthy career in various aspects of the sports industry. My answer is always the same:” I stopped rooting for a team during my early teens, when it became clear to me that the cartels that rule all aspects of the sports world don’t care a hoot about the fans, a belief that was reinforced during my career in the business.
And I told them that the actions of NFL brass regarding the televising of games last season once again corroborates my long held belief.
- Here’s why. But first, I want to go on record regarding two things:
1) I like sports and sports have been very, very good to me, first as a sports reporter and for much of my career as the sports marketing guru at Advance Public Relations, for 10 years, and at Burson-Marseteller, for almost a quarter of a century, before starting my own consultancy and being called in to formulate sports marketing strategies for various PR companies. (Although I must admit that as a sports journalist I couldn’t see myself spending a lifetime writing stories about hits, runs and errors or TDs for the remainder of my working days and asked to be transferred to a more important beat – politics or business. But before that happened the news outlet I worked at ceased publishing and one thing led to another, etc, eventually landing me into the sports marketing PR business.)
2) I’m not a great fan of television. I agree with what Newton Minow said, in part, when he was the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman to the convention of the National Association of Broadcasters on May 9, 1961. “Television is a vast wasteland.” And that was before those ridiculous reality shows became a staple of TV, or those before, mid-game or after games shows in which the “script” is for a coach or player never to say what they really think.
I originally stopped caring about which team won or lost because of the actions of team owners, threatening to move their franchise unless cities would pay for a stadium and raising the prices of tickets so high that many loyal fans couldn’t afford to go to a game, plus pricing hot dogs, peanuts and a drink as if a person was dining at a five star Michelin restaurant, instead of sitting next to foul mouthed, high and drunk fans.
But at least, until cable TV was forced upon viewers, I could sit back in the comfort of my home and watch a sporting event on television (without hearing juiced up fans shouting obscenities that were worse than any I heard during my days in the Army). But, slowly, that has been changing, as I predicted many years ago to the president of a Gillette company, when for eight years I managed its flagship sports marketing event, the fan balloting for Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game.
Asked what I consider could affect Gillette’s sports marketing sponsorships in the future, I said, “1 – “People not knowing which company was sponsoring an event because of the increasing clutter of brand commercials;” 2 – “The growing popularity of a “minor” sport in the U.S.,” (which in those days was soccer); and 3 – but most important, I said, “Was television’s movement to make audiences pay to watch an event.” That was in the early 1980’s. Today those predictions are now facts. (Paying to see a sporting event on TV began in the 1960’s but has accelerated in the past few years.)
Slowly, but assuredly, paid TV sports events are becoming the norm. I now predict that eventually watching a game on regular broadcast TV will become a rarity.
For several years, “tickets” to some games have been sold by Peacock, Cable and Amazon. The most recent trend of paying to see games occurred on Christmas Day, 2024, when the NFL awarded two games to Netflix, one featuring a halftime show by Beyonce’, (which I’d rather watch instead of listening to play-by-play announcers describe touchdown passes or
interceptions like it was the first time they ever occurred). The day after Christmas another NFL game was televised on Prime. So Christmas Day was not a happy occurrence for fans who couldn’t afford the Netflix “ticket.”
(The subscription service has a three-year deal for exclusive Christmas Day game rights. Not so Merry Christmas for NFL fans.)
On Dec. 24, a post by Fox Sports said, “This Christmas, NFL fans will be given the gift of a double-header for the holiday.” I always thought that gifts should be given without strings attached. But not so for the NFL and its pay to see partners.
A few days later, on Dec. 27, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published a story on the first page of its BUSINESS & FINANCE section about the Netflix games that quoted the streaming service’s chief content officer, Bela Bajaria. “Bringing our members this record-breaking day of two NFL games was the best Christmas gift we could have delivered,” said Ms. Bajaria.
On the same day, on page one of its main section, the WSJ published an article that said holiday spending showed a split, with gains driven by higher income households; lower income ones were squeezed by higher prices. It’s fair to assume that football fans in lower income households were blocked from having a Merry Football Christmas by the money hungry NFL, which sold its games to Netflix despite what Ms. Bajaria. said.
In its Dec. 28-29 edition, the WSJ published another article headlined, “Netflix’s Big Game Is Just Getting Started.” Football fans looking for information about details of the Christmas Day games had to be disappointed. The entire article was about Netflix’s entry into the pay-to-see sports business and said, “The NFL broadcast and last week’s deal to stream the next two women’s World Cup events suggest Netflix is finally on the verge of becoming a major player in live sports.”
It’s only a matter of time that what is considered “free” TV sporting events will not be available to viewers. But in actuality people have been paying to see “free” sporting events for decades; the ticket prices are included in monthly cable bills.
It’s been decades since beer commercials were allowed on NFL (and other leagues) TV games broadcasts. Then a few years ago, hard liquor commercials were added to the mix, followed by gambling commercials.
The Christmas Day present delivered to NFL fans by the leagues, sports marketing sponsors and television stations was “a devil’s choice:”
Subscribe to those pay-to-see services or forgo those Netflix games and, instead, use the money to bet on one of the legalized bookie concerns that are prevalent on TV sports events. And while you’re deciding what to do, “Drink responsibly,” – but drink.
Even though I’m still playing the same price for a “sports package,” which is forced upon me by my cable operator, Optimum, and for the last few years have not been able to see games that are not televised on cable since the trend to streaming is picking up and blocking out previously available games, I’ve yet to receive a refund from Optimum. Less games, higher costs to customers seem to be their business plan.
As for me, my feelings regarding the teams that win or lose on Christmas Day next year, or any other year, can best be expressed by my saying “”Bah humbug.”
Arthur Solomon, a former journalist, was a senior VP/senior counselor at Burson-Marsteller, and was responsible for restructuring, managing and playing key roles in some of the most significant national and international sports and non-sports programs. He also traveled internationally as a media adviser to high-ranking government officials. He now is a frequent contributor to public relations publications, consults on public relations projects and was on the Seoul Peace Prize nominating committee. He has been a key player on Olympic marketing programs and also has worked at high-level positions directly for Olympic organizations. During his political agency days, he worked on local, statewide and presidential campaigns. He can be reached at arthursolomon4pr@juno.com.
NIL
Charles Barkley Has Harsh Words for Auburn Tigers on NIL
Not all former college basketball stars are fans of the current state of college sports when it comes to name, image, and likeness. NBA TV analyst Charles Barkley can be added to that list. While he’s a fervent supporter of his alma mater, the Auburn Tigers men’s basketball team, he certainly won’t be contributing to […]

Not all former college basketball stars are fans of the current state of college sports when it comes to name, image, and likeness.
NBA TV analyst Charles Barkley can be added to that list. While he’s a fervent supporter of his alma mater, the Auburn Tigers men’s basketball team, he certainly won’t be contributing to their name, image, and likeness funds.
Barkley spoke about his love for Auburn in an appearance on a podcast with Outkick.com, but he balked at the notion of giving money to his college team.
“I’d do anything for Auburn, within reason,” Barkley said. “But I’m not gonna give Auburn millions of dollars so we can be good in football or basketball. That doesn’t help my life in any capacity. And let me tell you something: Black and broke does not work in any state. Guam, the District of Columbia, and all 50 states. I never want to be poor and Black. That does not work.”
Barkley elaborated that he would prefer to give his money to HBCU programs and support charitable efforts in his hometown—sending funds to those he believes need it.
“I just gave $10 million dollars to HBCU’s, that stuff is way more important to me,” Barkley said. “I just gave a couple of million dollars to ‘Blight‘, in my hometown of Birmingham, to tear down old houses and rebuild houses. That stuff is way more important to me than joining the cesspool that is college athletics. We’re such a sh–ty country, Dan. We’ve ruined college athletics, and I don’t wanna even get in that cesspool.”
That seems to be a consensus opinion, particularly of former college stars who didn’t traverse the NIL landscape and who have watched their college basketball teams get blown up by the season in the transfer portal.
“This notion that you have to come up with tens of millions of dollars to pay kids to play basketball and have them be free agents every year and transfer to another school and get more money every year. Like, we don’t even get to do that in the NBA. Can you imagine if players in the NBA got to be a free agent every year?”
Barkley clarified that he’s not opposed to players being paid for NIL, but that there’s no return on investment at all for those giving to multimillion players who may only be there for one season.
Barkley spoke about both the immediate problems and the bigger picture when it comes to asking fans and alumni to donate to NIL funds.
They may not last that long on the field or court. Off it, there are larger causes to give money to than the pockets of star college athletes.
NIL
NBA analyst Charles Barkley rails on NIL: ‘Not gonna give Auburn millions of dollars’
Charles Barkley isn’t about NIL. He is so much against name, image and likeness, the “Inside the NBA” analyst said he wouldn’t give money to his college team, the Auburn Tigers. And he would do anything for his favorite team. “Hey, I love Auburn, I do,” Barkley said during an appearance on “Don’t @ Me […]

Charles Barkley isn’t about NIL.
He is so much against name, image and likeness, the “Inside the NBA” analyst said he wouldn’t give money to his college team, the Auburn Tigers. And he would do anything for his favorite team.
“Hey, I love Auburn, I do,” Barkley said during an appearance on “Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich” on OutKick.com.
“I’d do anything for Auburn, within reason. But I’m not gonna give Auburn millions of dollars, so we can be good in football or basketball. That doesn’t help my life in any capacity. And let me tell you something, black and broke does not work in any states. Guam, District of Columbia, all 50 states. I never want to be poor and black. That does not work.”
That’s quite a statement from a man who continues to give in other areas.
“I just gave $10 million dollars to HBCU’s, that stuff is way more important to me,” Barkley said. “I just gave a couple of million dollars to ‘Blight‘, in my hometown of Birmingham, to tear down old houses and rebuild houses. That stuff is way more important to me than joining the cesspool that is college athletics. We’re such a sh–ty country, Dan. We’ve ruined college athletics, and I don’t wanna even get in that cesspool.
“This notion that you have to come up with tens of millions of dollars to pay kids to play basketball, and have them be free agents every year and transfer to another school and get more money every year. Like, we don’t even get to do that in the NBA. Can you imagine if players in the NBA got to be a free agent every year?
“I’m not opposed to players getting paid. I want to make that clear. But, this notion we got to give college kids tens of millions of dollars a year, and basketball is the worst because you’re only gonna get a great player for six months. I don’t even see how you’re gonna get the return on investment.”
Barkley also said the NCAA is a “bunch of fools and idiots.”
Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.
NIL
Donald Trump Getting Involved In College Sports NIL Policy
U.S. President Donald Trump floated the idea of an executive order to address college athlete payments and created a committee on the issue. The Wall Street Journal first reported Trump’s consideration of a potential executive order to “increase the scrutiny” of the “explosion” of NIL payments. The report followed a conversation between the president and […]

U.S. President Donald Trump floated the idea of an executive order to address college athlete payments and created a committee on the issue.
The Wall Street Journal first reported Trump’s consideration of a potential executive order to “increase the scrutiny” of the “explosion” of NIL payments. The report followed a conversation between the president and University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban. A record seven NCAA titles to his name, Saban is an outspoken critic of the implementation of changes from NIL antitrust lawsuits.
Sources with knowledge of the meeting said that Saban proposed not ending NIL but ‘reforming’ current policies related to athlete payments. Trump reportedly agreed with Saban and said he’d look into creating an executive order.
On May 1st, Trump travelled to Tuscaloosa to speak at the University of Alabama’s commencement ceremonies. There, he spoke with Saban as well as the Republican U.S. Senator from Alabama, Tommy Tuberville, about college sports. Tuberville said in a Tweet that the pair had a “great conversation” about the “importance of regulations in college sports”.
Following Trump’s trip to Alabama, reports said that his administration is creating a committee on college sports. It will be chaired by Saban and Cody Campbell, oil billionaire and founder of the Texas Tech NIL collective.
At this point, few specifics about the potential executive order or the committee are known. However, what is known is that the Republican Party – which holds the presidency and a majority in both chambers of Congress – tends to be more sympathetic to the NCAA and its traditional model that restricts student-athletes from profiting off their name, image, and likeness.
As cases such as House have made their way through the courts, however, the NCAA has signaled its support for a codification of House. The logic behind this is that the governing body wants to solidify the specifics of this settlement to avoid the risk of having to pay more in the future. Read SwimSwam’s post-election coverage of this subject here.
Legislator Support of Regulation
Apart from Trump and Tuberville, another prominent Republican politician who has supported college athlete pay regulation is Ted Cruz. Like Trump, Cruz has met with Nick Saban and discussed the football coach’s frustrations with the new NCAA payment system.
The Texas Senator stepped into the Chair position on the Senate Chamber of Commerce this January. Prior to his appointment, he said that college sport regulation would be a “very, very high priority” if he got the position.
Though Trump did speak with at least one Senator (Tuberville), other legislators from both sides of the aisle were surprised to learn about the White House’s involvement in the issue.
One thing is certain – any bill or executive order on the subject would be incredibly complex. As Tulane sports law professor Gabe Feldman said, “The challenge with any ruling or order is that there are multiple levels that would need to be addressed. This is not just an antitrust issue; it’s also a labor and employment issue. It’s also a Title IX issue. There’s also contract issues, right of publicity issues. There’s a lot in there.”
NIL
Donald Trump Getting Involved In College Sports NIL Policy
U.S. President Donald Trump floated the idea of an executive order to address college athlete payments and created a committee on the issue. The Wall Street Journal first reported Trump’s consideration of a potential executive order to “increase the scrutiny” of the “explosion” of NIL payments. The report followed a conversation between the president and […]


U.S. President Donald Trump floated the idea of an executive order to address college athlete payments and created a committee on the issue.
The Wall Street Journal first reported Trump’s consideration of a potential executive order to “increase the scrutiny” of the “explosion” of NIL payments. The report followed a conversation between the president and University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban. A record seven NCAA titles to his name, Saban is an outspoken critic of the implementation of changes from NIL antitrust lawsuits.
Sources with knowledge of the meeting said that Saban proposed not ending NIL but ‘reforming’ current policies related to athlete payments. Trump reportedly agreed with Saban and said he’d look into creating an executive order.
On May 1st, Trump travelled to Tuscaloosa to speak at the University of Alabama’s commencement ceremonies. There, he spoke with Saban as well as the Republican U.S. Senator from Alabama, Tommy Tuberville, about college sports. Tuberville said in a Tweet that the pair had a “great conversation” about the “importance of regulations in college sports”.
Following Trump’s trip to Alabama, reports said that his administration is creating a committee on college sports. It will be chaired by Saban and Cody Campbell, oil billionaire and founder of the Texas Tech NIL collective.
At this point, few specifics about the potential executive order or the committee are known. However, what is known is that the Republican Party – which holds the presidency and a majority in both chambers of Congress – tends to be more sympathetic to the NCAA and its traditional model that restricts student-athletes from profiting off their name, image, and likeness.
As cases such as House have made their way through the courts, however, the NCAA has signaled its support for a codification of House. The logic behind this is that the governing body wants to solidify the specifics of this settlement to avoid the risk of having to pay more in the future. Read SwimSwam’s post-election coverage of this subject here.
Legislator Support of Regulation
Apart from Trump and Tuberville, another prominent Republican politician who has supported college athlete pay regulation is Ted Cruz. Like Trump, Cruz has met with Nick Saban and discussed the football coach’s frustrations with the new NCAA payment system.
The Texas Senator stepped into the Chair position on the Senate Chamber of Commerce this January. Prior to his appointment, he said that college sport regulation would be a “very, very high priority” if he got the position.
Though Trump did speak with at least one Senator (Tuberville), other legislators from both sides of the aisle were surprised to learn about the White House’s involvement in the issue.
One thing is certain – any bill or executive order on the subject would be incredibly complex. As Tulane sports law professor Gabe Feldman said, “The challenge with any ruling or order is that there are multiple levels that would need to be addressed. This is not just an antitrust issue; it’s also a labor and employment issue. It’s also a Title IX issue. There’s also contract issues, right of publicity issues. There’s a lot in there.”
NIL
WIAA, NIL, OMG! with Jimmie Kaska
Today we’re joined by Civic Media’s very own Wisconsin sports expert Jimmie Kaska. Jimmy brings us an update on the changes coming to high school athletics. How will name, image, and likeness rules impact the average young athlete in our state? Is NIL going to change the game, or is it just a small part […]



Today we’re joined by Civic Media’s very own Wisconsin sports expert Jimmie Kaska. Jimmy brings us an update on the changes coming to high school athletics. How will name, image, and likeness rules impact the average young athlete in our state? Is NIL going to change the game, or is it just a small part of our overall athletic culture? And what impact will Alex’s Orange Chicken have? Jimmie has all the answers, and Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci bring plenty of questions. So join us, won’t you? For an exciting episode of BustED Pencils!
BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Go to bustedpencils.com for swag, all of our episodes, and for information on partnering with us! For information on all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!
NIL
Pima Community College Becomes First in Arizona to Offer NIL Opportunities for Student
Pima Community College (PCC) has become the first community college in Arizona to provide Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities for its student-athletes through a new partnership with Opendorse, a leading NIL platform. The initiative, announced Thursday by PCC Athletics, positions the college among the first National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) institutions nationwide to […]

Pima Community College (PCC) has become the first community college in Arizona to provide Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities for its student-athletes through a new partnership with Opendorse, a leading NIL platform.
The initiative, announced Thursday by PCC Athletics, positions the college among the first National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) institutions nationwide to implement formal NIL support following the association’s 2023 decision to permit such opportunities at the two-year college level.
“This opportunity to partner with Opendorse is great for our student-athletes who are interested in building their individual brand while competing at Pima Community College,” said PCC Athletic Director Ken Jacome. “It also allows us to strengthen relationships with local businesses and community members in ways that uplift both our athletes and our region. We’re proud to lead the way in the evolving landscape of college athletics.”
Through the Opendorse platform, PCC student-athletes can create individual profiles connecting them with local businesses and fans for potential NIL partnerships. The system provides additional resources including online educational courses, mental health support through MindMoves by Movember, and access to NIL Real Estate—a program offering student-athletes the opportunity to earn a free real estate license.
The initiative allows student-athletes to develop their personal brands at no cost while at PCC, with the added benefit that they can maintain their Opendorse profiles if they transfer to other institutions.
“I look forward to coming back as an alum and seeing how Pima student-athletes have taken advantage of this venture,” said Rori Hoffmeyer, a 2025 PCC graduate and former student-athlete. “Future Aztecs are going to be able to market themselves, take advantage of educational opportunities, and access mental health services all at no cost.”
The partnership reflects a growing trend in collegiate athletics to provide equitable opportunities for student-athletes at all competition levels. While NIL deals have transformed the landscape at four-year institutions since the NCAA policy changes in 2021, community colleges have been slower to formalize such programs. PCC’s initiative represents a significant step in expanding these opportunities to the two-year college sector.
College officials indicate the program aligns with PCC’s broader commitment to student success by fostering personal growth, professional development, and community connections that extend beyond athletic competition.
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