James September-October 2024 web - Flipbook - Page 50
Because schools still cannot pay athletes directly,
supporters of Georgia colleges and universities have
launched their own NIL collectives— independent,
nonprofit organizations that serve to link donors and
athletes while remaining separate from their schools’
athletic departments. UGA’s “Classic City Collective”
is the largest such organization in the state, and one
of the largest in the country. But it is far from the only
collective operating in Georgia.
Georgia Tech’s “The Tech Way” allows businesses
and individuals to connect with athletes and hire them
for autograph signings, endorsements, special appearances and more. Kennesaw State has the “KSU Owls
Exchange,” Georgia Southern the “Eagle Nation Collective” and Georgia State the “All Blue, All NIL.”
They function in many ways similarly to Super PACs
in politics— technically independent, but crucial in providing the financial muscle needed to compete in the
modern athletics landscape. NIL collectives are on the
front lines of paying current players, making offers to
incoming high school recruits and luring transfers from
other schools.
UGA Athletic Director Josh Brooks told James that
NIL has presented challenges, but ones that benefit
student athletes and that the school is taking head-on.
“Name, Image and Likeness has created tremendous
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opportunities for student-athletes,” Brooks said. “It has
helped our student-athletes develop financial literacy
skills as they manage contracts and endorsements, while
also allowing them to build their personal brands. It has
presented us with unique challenges, but our focus, first
and foremost, is on student-athletes and making sure we
educate and support them in any way we can.”
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
Running parallel to the NCAA’s saga is NIL in the
world of high school football. In October 2023 the Georgia High School Athletic Association (GHSA) voted to
allow NIL deals for student athletes. It became the 30th
state to do so.
Naturally the decision sparked debate, with many
coaches and parents concerned that predatory third
parties could take advantage of athletes— many of
whom in this case are minors. Others argued that it
would help less-fortunate students financially. In the
first year of the program around 85 students profited
from NIL— the vast majority in football.
In July of 2024, the GHSA tightened its bylaws, with
its board of directors voting unanimously to make NIL
collectives illegal.
“We want to make sure we’re doing the right thing
for the high school space,” said Robin Hines, executive
director of the GHSA. “People incorrectly try to compare
high school NIL with what’s going on in the NCAA.
That’s just not the way it works. The NCAA has collectives. They have these pools of money that they are
offering students as well the transfer portal. We don’t
want to get anywhere near that.”
High school athletes can still profit from their name,
image and likeness, but cannot be associated with
their school, its logos, or facilities, and cannot receive
money from any NIL collectives or clubs. Critics of the
rule change say it benefits only the very top tier of high
school athletes, (read: blue chip football and basketball
prospects) and leaves the rest of the state out of the NIL
conversation. Supporters counter that, when it comes to
amateur athletics, that’s for the best.
