Could NIL Save College Bowl Games??

Shaking Up Sports – Could NIL Save College Bowl Games??

By Ricard Jensen and Ryan Dastrup

December 29, 2021

I used to love watching college football bowl games!

If you were a fan of a particular team (mine was the Washington State Cougars), going to a bowl game was the celebratory cap after a successful season.

You got to see the star players of your team play one more time.

You got to see if your team could boost their reputation by beating another quality opponent.

But in this year’s bowl season, I’m dismayed and put off by what I am seeing.

First, so many college football stars are choosing to opt out and not play. I guess I understand the logic; their agents and handlers may be telling them to skip the bowl game for fear they might get injured and that could lessen the amount of money they could make in the NFL.

So,?when I saw Mississippi State lose to Texas Tech, for example, I saw a roster that barely looked like the team that had a good regular season. The Bulldogs were missing two key offensive linemen,?their best linebacker, and several good defensive backs, all of whom had opted out and chosen not to play.

As a result, Mississippi State got whacked by a very good Texas Tech team.

The other reason college football squads are getting decimated in bowl games this year is the health threat?posted?by covid omicron, which is devastating many rosters.

I know we?have to?protect public health and preventing players who may have the virus is the prudent choice. At least 3 bowl games have had to be canceled due to covid concerns and several universities and their fan bases may suffer a huge financial loss because the team won’t be able to play.

That being said, perhaps?covid omicron may be less of a concern now that?many sports organizations are lessening the quarantine period for people who may have covid symptoms to 5 days rather than 10 days.

I would love it if people could find a way to save the college bowl season by making sure that more star players could continue to participate.

I wonder if marketing the Name, Image & Likeness of athletes in bowl games might be the answer.

We all know that water?flows uphill to money.?Could the same principle apply to college football bowl games?

Imagine this scenario.?

For example, the Fiesta Bowl is sponsored by PlayStation. Could PlayStation?offer a significant amount of cash to a star player to entice them to play in the game by offering them a one-off NIL deal?

It could work like this.?

PlayStation (or any other sponsor) would benefit because they could feature the player in marketing and advertising for their product.?

The player would benefit by growing their brand and earning some money.

The broadcast networks (ESPN) would benefit by earning a bigger audience.

The sponsors would love it.

The bowl games would profit by getting more fans and growing interest in their contests.

I am not sure if this idea is plausible, but I’m tired of people who are just throwing my hands in the air and complaining, “There’s nothing we can do about this!”

I’d like to think that creative marketing can solve any challenge, even something as complex as reviving?struggling college football bowl games.