NIL: Do players, colleges benefit?

Opinion

By Anthony Fandozzi

Something people say is,"Oh, NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) is bad" because only big-time brands are benefiting from it. Another thing you hear is how the richest team is going to win because they are getting all the money. Lastly, players lose the love of the game and small school don't benefit. You would think this at a small school is not benefitting. You would think Duke, Notre Dame Alabama, and Florida. I could go on.

Even at the University of Connecticut some would say they are a State school so they benefit more than other school, especially in how they invest all this money into their basketball program. But one thing people don’t realize is that small schools are benefiting too from it, but not getting as much coverage from it. Schools like Central Connecticut State University and the University of New Haven are becoming interested in NIL.

There are students benefitting from this righ now, including Jimmy Oresate who has just won the weight throw for NEC and is one of the best weight throws in the small division school.

How does he benefit?

He benefits by endorsement around hometown brands like pre-workout. In a conversation Oresate told me, “Yeah, such huge blessing to get this endorsement because I can get some money where I can pay for thing I would be able to pay for with not having like bills and other stuff with my family.”

This is huge because he is getting money from endorsement where there was rule at times where you couldn’t receive any money from sponsorship where if you did you would get suspended or worse have expulsion. Reggie Bush when he took money from USC to go there, ended up getting his Heisman taken away due to this.

Jimmy isn’t the only benefit from other track athletes who are getting too, so they can find a way to get a little extra money for themselves. It’s not only track. It's football also. Dante Keitt from New Haven talked to me about how he gets money. He said, "Yeah this something that first didn’t want mess with but then sfter seeing how it can benefit me in help with stuff, college, I like using it.”

This is not the only D1 Central that has benefited off this where they have not only been getting endorsements then able to give some money to athletes. Grayson Gelada talked about his endorsements and money from college .

“Yeah. It (is an) honor to be able to get money for playing sports at first when they offered it, I didn’t think (this) was true but then I realized how I could benefit off this. How can I use it for my needs, which is amazing.” It's crazy how small schools are doing so well. But what's also amazing how now is how athletes get what they deserve after working very hard for countless hours.