On March 12, 2024, Senator Ted Cruz hosted a roundtable discussion to address the ongoing challenges and potential solutions surrounding student-athletes' NIL rights. Key stakeholders, including Nick Saban, recently retired head coach of the University of Alabama football team, were in attendance to discuss this evolving landscape in college athletics.

NIL 101: The Good, The Bad, and The Unforeseen 

The current NIL policy allows college athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness through endorsements, sponsorships, and other opportunities. While many, including Senator Cruz, view the ability for athletes to earn money as a positive development, concerns exist about potential imbalances within the system. The ever-evolving landscape of NIL legislation can create uncertainty and challenges for athletes navigating this new world.

Balancing Opportunities and Fairness 

Like many, Senator Cruz acknowledges the intricacies of NIL. He recognizes the right of athletes to benefit from their hard work and talent, as he believes that “it is a good thing that young men and women have worked incredibly hard to develop fantastic skills that in turn can generate enormous activity.” However, he also highlights the need for fair regulations that goes beyond the Power 5 conferences and high revenue-generated sports like football and basketball. The focus, he argues, should be ensuring fairness for athletes in smaller schools throughout all divisions of play and sports with less media exposure, while still concentrating on the academic experience for all student-athletes.

Nick Saban's Concerns about NIL

Nick Saban, who recently retired after a distinguished 50-year coaching career, has been vocal about the challenges of NIL. During the roundtable, Saban shared that what he has believed in throughout his coaching career “no longer exists in college athletics.” His main goal has always been to develop players and help further his their success. Now, Saban and his wife have observed a shift in player focus, placing more emphasis on potential NIL earnings and how much they will be paid, rather than caring about how their program can develop them into better versions of themselves. 

While Saban desires a high quality of life for players and believes NIL offers a “great opportunity for athletes to create a brand for themselves,” his observations have led him to believe that “we,”  referring to the NCAA, coaches,  legislators, etc., are generating “a circumstance that is not beneficial to the development of young people.” To him, it's paramount to the future of college athletics that, as a community, we devise a system that fosters development alongside NIL opportunities.

The Future of NIL 

As many voices were heard, the roundtable aimed at gathering different perspectives to inform solutions for the evolving NIL landscape. The projected result that most stakeholders are looking for is for policymakers to develop meaningful ruling addressing NIL concerns, which the discussion served as a helpful forum for discussing these complexities. 

While challenges remain, specifically in areas like fairness across sports and development opportunities, the session underscores the need for continued collaboration and open communication among people in power. While NIL holds the potential to empower student-athletes, the long-term influence remains uncertain.  

* Originally published on March 26, 2024, by Daesha Harper