College athletes make money for their school but not for themselves. College athletes in the past have not been able to make money from their NIL (name image or likeness). They cannot make any money on social media with these rules in place. The Supreme Court is working with the NCAA and individual states to help these college kids make money just off themselves. Some states have gone through with the decision to allow these college students to support themselves just off their individual appearance and name. This should not be a state-by-state matter as it should be nationwide.

College athletes should be able to make their own income off their own figure. Yes, student athletes can get a part-time job. The issue with this is that practice and other sports related events take up a majority of their non-school time. They can’t even make money independently (Tiktok, YouTube, ads, sponsorships). Donald De La Haye (Deestroying) had a very successful and profitable YouTube channel when he was a kicker for the University of Central Florida (UCF) in 2017. He was told to either delete his channel or at least demonetize it so he couldn’t make money off his name. Deestroying took his own path, quit college, and quit the team to pursue YouTube and content creation. Today, Deestroying has 3.9 million subscribers on YouTube and 1.4 million followers on Instagram. He has made over a million dollars off his YouTube, ads, endorsements, and his own clothing brand (The Eleven). When asked about the decision Deestroying said, “It was hard. It was no walk in the park. I’ll admit I cried a lot those nights trying to figure out what was best.” Deestroying is still putting out YouTube content but he hasn’t given up his kicking dreams. He, amongst many others, thinks he has “NFL type” talent and he works hard every day towards that goal. He also helped pave the way for The NIL rules to be changed and became an ambassador for many others like him. This man dropped a 4-year scholarship and college job because he wasn’t allowed to make money off his own content and his own name.

Colleges use players and their faces, names, likeness, etc. to sell tickets and make money for their program and don’t see a dime when this happens. When it comes to college promos and commercials for upcoming games these players see themselves and wonder why they can’t get paid when their face is being used to make money for other people. Brandon Wimbush, quarterback at Notre Dame in 2017, was very successful and one of the most exciting players in college football at the time. Leading up to the game against Miami, ESPN used a picture of him all over their networks for promos and commercials. The game sold 65,000+ tickets not to mention the millions Walt Disney co. (ESPN parent company) spent on their broadcasting rights. Wimbush has then started a company called MOGL. MOGL works on connecting athletes to compensation deals with businesses, foundations, and individuals. MOGL is also going to be doing their best to help impoverished schools and poverty stricken students. This is big as it is giving an outlet for other athletes to help themselves pay for all other expenses that aren’t covered with their scholarships. Wimbush is one of many doing their part to help these college students be less restricted within their colleges.

With the NIL rules being changed, athletes in some states are seeing the benefits and making money off themselves. This allows them to sign with companies, do endorsements, and commercials. Paige Bueckers is a star women’s basketball player for the University of Connecticut. She is one of the most decorated players in college basketball right now and she just signed a deal with StockX to be the brand ambassador for the company. She signed with Wasserman Media Group to help her with NIL business. The 20-year-old is now estimated to make over $1 million with this partnership. StockX is a business that sells and auctions shoes, memorabilia, and collectibles. StockX will use her name, image, and likeness to help sell their product. In return, she will be paid and compensated for. Bueckers said, “It’s about the product I love and about shining a light on all the creatives that drive culture.”  Bueckers has also said she wants to start her own apparel with the nickname “Paige Buckets”. She has already filed for a trademark application. She is going to start paving a way for college athletes and more importantly being a face for women’s independence and success in college sports.

I would love to see the NIL rules change for all states allowing all college athletes to help themselves with their own figure. Deestroying had his college opportunity taken away by trying to help himself financially and follow his passion. Brandon Wimbush made his own company to help college athletes after his issue in 2017 for using his face to sell tickets and not seeing a dime. Paige Bueckers is showing how much good the NIL rule change can do for a college athlete. Giving freedom to these athletes will help everyone and give more college athletes money and help them financially in college.