Name, Image, and Likeness: A Chance for Recovery

Autumn Saturdays. The days every college campus comes to life. Here at the University of Southern California, a sea of cardinal and gold ascends the campus, in the form of parents, alumni, students, and fans. This year though, our community is darkened by the dystopian checkpoint tents and masked workers along our borders. The only cardinal and gold in sight are in the signage that reads “Stand Apart.” How did we get to the point where game day looks so grim?

The coronavirus shutdown has inflicted a debilitating blow to the entire college experience. The financial impact on college athletics in general and has left every university scrambling to stay afloat. Over 80 non-revenue generating programs were cut from existence, affecting roughly 1,500 student-athletes, according to an Oct. 6 report in the Washington Post. These premature decisions only exposed the insufficient economic model of college sports. As these decisions were being made, it became increasingly clear that the college athletic space needs significant financial change to remain financially sustainable.

Looking for answers to this problem with current legislation may lead to many dead ends, but a major change is coming. Since signing a bill on LeBron James' show “The Shop,” Gov. Gavin Newsom may have changed collegiate athletics forever. The NCAA's proposal, “Amateurism — Use of a Student-Athlete’s Name, Image, and Likeness,” would allow athletes to "Promote private lessons and business actives … Profit from endorsing products through commercials and other ventures … Be compensated for autograph sessions … solicit funds through crowdfunding.”

If there is a solution to the problems in the NCAA's economic system, the answer could be in this legislation, and NCAA members would be crazy not to take the opportunity arising. Right now, and still, within these new rules, student-athletes are busy. They will inevitably need someone to negotiate sponsorship deals and appearances for them. What if the schools took this opportunity to bolster their athletic department in a way that would allow them to represent their student-athletes? Schools have connections with corporations interested in collegiate sports marketing, businesses surrounding the school, and media and marketing specialists. It would not be hard for the athletic department to set up appearances, sponsorship deals, and social media marketing for their athletes in return for the standard 5%-10% that an agent would take.

Athletic directors could also put student-athletes in a position to succeed by having in-house, real-world marketing education. These schools have libraries and departments full of marketing, business, and social media resources and staff that they could tap into to help their student-athletes. This would enable them to grow, succeed, and drive revenue for the athletic department at the same time. Rewarding student-athletes for their contributions as dynamic brand ambassadors is simply good business. And it will only strengthen long-term partnerships between colleges and their student-athletes.

Imagine if JuJu Smith-Schuster had grown his formidable gaming-focused brand during his time at USC. That is a squandered opportunity to bring in a completely new demographic of Trojan fans, boosting revenue through merchandising, tickets, and television viewership, much like he is doing for the Steelers now. "So we grab the fans from TikTok and get them to tune in,” the ex-USC receiver explained about his ability to grow the Steelers fan base using social media in an Oct. 24 ESPN interview.

Social media is where the real money will be made for student-athletes with name, image, and likeness legislation. An ESPN study estimated that All-American athletes would be able to make anywhere from $500,000 to $1 million in an average year using only social media. This is not including commercials or apparel deals, or any of the ancillary benefits of marketing student-athletes.

This social media revenue is also virtually pandemic-proof. Athletes made up some of the most-viewed Instagram livestreams over the early quarantine shutdown period. For example, Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe, two former college athletes, brought in some of the most considerable Instagram Live viewership during March and April of 2020. Imagine if student-athletes were allowed to profit from similar marketing opportunities. The athletic departments could see a percentage for helping educate and grow their brand, much like an agency does.

Experimenting with a personal brand is what college is about for so many students, and it should be for student-athletes as well. Student-athletes could maximize their potential, and athletic departments could drive revenue. Shouldn't that be the goal of an athletic department anyway?

Burke Magnus IV is a senior at the University of Southern California and student worker for USC football in both the video and recruiting departments. This summer he also worked as a marketing intern for Wasserman Media Group.