I believe NIL money should be paid upon signing the agreement. From that point forward, it’s up to the athlete to stay grounded and hungry. For some, delaying access to the money might help them stay focused. For others, they can handle success without losing their edge.
I also think a trust fund is a great option but it should be the athlete’s choice. At the end of the day, discipline is what separates those who rise from those who fade.
Requiring athletes to stay through their junior year to access money they’ve already earned isn’t empowerment. It's more like control. It shifts NIL from being rightful compensation for their value into a conditional reward for loyalty, which undermines the whole purpose of NIL.
Are they amateurs or professionals? No offense, but those with views like you always seem to walk the middle of road and are hypocritical on this topic.
Regardless of the money generated by college athletics, it remains an “amateur” activity. They are referred to as “student-athletes”. They are not peers of their coaches, who are actively in their professions. Thus they shouldn’t be paid, or at the very least drastically overpaid, while still retaining amateur status and being a student athlete still working to earn a degree.
Furthermore, I never said anything about requiring them to stay through their Junior year to access the money. I said that, sans a reasonable monthly stipend, the trust shouldn’t be paid out until graduation or declaring pro. For basketball, that could be one and done.
Regardless, the point is — it shouldn’t be paid out until the student-athlete is no longer a student athlete and no longer an amateur.
You’re arguing for amateurs to have the benefits of professionals. That’s walking the middle of the road and having it both ways.
I think it’s reasonable for them to be compensated for all the revenue they are helping to generate. I just also believe it’s unreasonable to allow them access to the lion share of it while they are amateur student athletes. A reasonable monthly or quarterly stipend seems like a reasonable compromise so that those w/o means can bridge whatever financial gaps they may face as a student athlete.
But amateur student athletes driving expensive sport cars and otherwise flaunting wealth is definitely not the right answer.
Consensus of medical experts claim that the human brain isn’t full developed until around age 25. Most the amateur athletes are between the ages of 17 and 23 prior to graduation. If they declare pro at those ages, they get their NIL and all the rules are out the window. But those that remain in school until graduation or declare pro after 2-3 years of college will be in a much better position to not blow through their NIL as they more likely would have if given access from day 1 as a 17 or 18 year old. Hell, some of these kids already have NIL from their HS days so going w/o their college NIL shouldn’t be such a hardship.
A myriad of college athletes dating back decades and decades seemed to survive w/o it. These kids will too. Waiting a few years isn’t going to kill them.
