The prevailing topic at this year’s SBJ Intercollegiate Athletics Forum held December 9-10 in Las Vegas, Nevada, was the ever-evolving name, image and likeness (NIL) landscape. The panel, Voices from the Arena: Student-Athletes on the Business of College Sports, provided the student-athlete perspective and extended the discussion to include mental health.
“It’s no question student-athletes today are managing academic expectations, pressures around performance and being in a really visible time in college athletics all while participating in a business ecosystem that continues to expand,” said moderator Dayali Carpenter, sports marketing company Learfield’s senior manager, NIL growth and development.
“I believe NIL is a choice, and everything comes down to your priorities when it comes to planning your schedule,” said Alex Orji, a quarterback at the University of Nevada – Las Vegas. “There are going to be non-negotiables, like practice and school and things like that, but as long as you’re allowed to slot them up to your discretion, then that’s when you fit the NIL and the business and the relationships all in between.”
Sprinter Jasmine Harris of the University of Nevada – Reno, a marketing major, was able to combine an NIL deal with her studies. “Something that I’ve learned in the classroom for so long I was getting to experience,” she said.
Carpenter asked about direct engagement with fans and critics on social media, which is a crucial part of NIL. “We could definitely do a better job nationwide of bringing awareness to the fact that sometimes athletes need somebody to talk to and just need to be heard,” said Orji.
Former student-athlete Meredith Page is now the assistant director of compliance at the University of Illinois and NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) chair. She said that when she sees a fumble while watching a college football game, she immediately worries what the fallout will be online. She said it’s essential to realize just how serious online abuse is.
“Although the House settlement, although NIL, although transfer portal are all really important discussions, we’ve got to look at what’s happening at our back door to our student-athletes and their mental health,” Page said. Division I SAAC speaks to commissioners, athletic directors, and administrators about where the mental health of student-athletes is in terms of their priorities.
“Another thing that we look at is what are our enforcement mechanisms in ensuring that the things that are in NCAA legislation for mental health are actually happening on campus,” said Page. “I know that it’s not happening at all of our small schools and even at our bigger schools with more resources … Something of such priority should be invested in.”