On June 30th, 2021, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) announced that college athletes in all sports and divisions could receive money for their name, image, and likeness (NIL). While many states had already passed bills allowing athletes to become getting paid, it is now fully approved by the NCAA among all college athletics. Athletes can make money from many activities they could not before: autograph signings, brand deals, appearances in commercials, and more. 

Many college football stars have already pounced on this opportunity. Bryce Young, the new starting quarterback for the University of Alabama (Alabama), has reportedly already made more than $800,000 in deals and possibly more than 1 million dollars. Another Alabama player, freshman Kool-Aid McKinstry, just signed a brand deal with Kool-Aid and posted it on social media. Current high schoolers, such as Peyton Manning’s nephew Arch Manning, are ready to sign huge partnerships once he steps foot on the college scene. 

The NIL Deals will affect the future EA Sports College Football game, rumored to come out in around 2022. With athletes receiving compensation for their name and likeness, they can now be featured in video games, which is how the Madden NFL video games work. For more information on this video game, you can click here.

College athletes across all sports have been signing deals with many different companies, such as Barstool Sports. While some people believe that athletes should not or do not deserve to be paid at such a young age for their sport, it benefits all athletes across all colleges and sets them up better in the long run.