What he said ???
"NIL" needs a rebrand. I talk about two types of NIL every day on calls, and they couldn’t be more different. Here’s the breakdown: 1?? Pay-for-play This is what everyone’s calling the "wild wild west"—athletes being recruited and paid through collectives to play at specific schools. It’s messy, unregulated, and exactly what all the vague language in the recent House settlement is trying to address. 2?? Influencer marketing partnerships (where MarketPryce sits) This is about helping brands tap into student-athletes as creators and influencers—leveraging their celebrity off the field (mostly on social) to create real value for both sides. It's not messy, not unregulated, and 100% not the "wild wild west". Outside of money going into student-athletes’ pockets, these two "NILs" have zero in common. Right now, all the attention is going toward pay-for-play, leaving the real opportunities in influencer marketing overlooked. I wish schools would focus more on this second bucket because, while I believe they see the opportunity for athletes and brands, they don’t (yet) realize the massive potential it holds for the school itself. Here’s the problem: Schools aren’t investing enough in educating athletes on how to build their personal brands off the field. There is SO much long-term value for the school here. We tried selling this kind of solution to schools, but they didn't care enough to allocate budget towards it. I believe that's a mistake. Because if schools help athletes grow thier audiences, the school benefits too. Think about how much attention Angel Reese and Livvy Dunne have brought to LSU. More attention on your athletes = more attention on your school. It helps recruiting, builds the program’s profile, and EVENTUALLY cann make the school a lot more money. It’s a longer game, but it’s 100% worth it. If I’m running a university, I’m building an NIL program in-house with proper resources—or hiring people like Samantha Green. Sam just pulled off an incredible “Queens Retreat,” educating 20 top female student-athletes on creating better content for brand partners like Dove. In just one weekend, she likely gave these athletes more actionable NIL insights than their schools have provided all year. One of those athletes, Geanice Morales, has 27k followers on IG. Her college, Wagner College, has just 13k. That’s the opportunity schools are missing. My guess? Schools are too caught up in the chaos of pay-for-play to do anything meaningful with this second bucket right now. But I hope that changes—because when NIL is done right, it’s a win for everyone.