College athletics have been increasingly toeing the line between amateur and professional programming in recent years. With the rise of NIL and increased commodification of student athletes, the line is only getting thinner.
As the landscape of collegiate sports evolves, industry focus has seemingly shifted towards generating revenue rather than maintaining an image of amateurism, mirroring the larger narratives that make sports and athletes so marketable.
The emergence of NIL, which allows student athletes to profit off their personal brand, has made it so more collegiate programs operate with dynamics similar to those seen in professional leagues.
As policies continue to shift, new conversations about athlete compensation are taking place. House vs NCAA is a current legal settlement looking at the possibility of allowing universities to directly pay their student athletes. The case is also discussing roster limits and the existence of a third party tasked with the management of marketing deals for athletes and programs.
Broadcast deals, combined with ticket sales, merchandise and donations have provided athletic programs around the country with millions of dollars, a reason that backs the decision to potentially give athletes a cut. This crosses the line into professionalism, straying away from the amateur model that has defined college sports as what they are today.
Commodification of college athletes is also rising consistently, with more big-name brands such as Nike and Gatorade providing brand deals to student athletes. NIL has provided some college athletes with upwards of $1 million in brand deals; Arch Manning, a quarterback at Texas, has an estimated NIL valuation of $6.5 million as a first-year, making him the highest paid college athlete.
This practice has greatly changed sentiments surrounding college sports culture, essentially warping student-athletes into mini celebrities, elevating their fame and painting them in a similar light as professional athletes. They’re no longer recognized just for their skill, but for their personal brand and narratives.
The transfer portal has redesigned the dynamic of college sports as well, with athletes seeking out opportunities for better NIL deals and leaving programs with gaps to fill. Alongside athletes who enter the portal for more media exposure and branding, university athletic programs are allegedly promising lucrative NIL deals to athletes in the portal, making it more appealing to commit.
The transfer portal has become a student athlete’s version of free agency.
Athletes are no longer only seeking a transfer for more playing opportunities or a chance at a trophy, but more revenue and compensation for their abilities. Professional sports have an incredibly transactional nature, one that puts business over anything else. Allowing college sports to adopt similar practices will push them completely away from their amateur status.
The drive away from amateurism was probably inevitable once NIL became a thing. However, a report from Forbes claims that this shift has done nothing to drive fans away from college sports. If anything, it’s grown college athletes’ platforms and allowed them to develop notoriety before entering the league.
The continued evolution of college sports is leaving behind the narrative of amateurism and adopting a new model that follows business practices found in professional leagues. This raises the question of how far universities, especially those in the power five, will allow their programs to go before functioning like a pro franchise.
This story was written by Lilly Peacock. She can be reached at lilly.peacock@marquette.edu or @lillypeacockMU on Twitter/X.