Earlier this month, Utah announced that they would be implementing a strict NIL bill regarding the NIL deals that student-athletes can obtain.
The Utah State Senate passed this bill by an overwhelming majority. This new NIL bill will give universities more control over the partnerships that student-athletes make.
Utah student-athletes cannot promote the following:
- Alcohol
- Marijuana
- E-cigarettes/vapes
- Other tobacco product
- Gambling/sports-betting
- “Sexually-oriented” businesses
- Any firearms that the athlete cannot legally possess
While it was uncommon for athletes to have partnerships with any companies associated with the items listed above, the biggest change in Utah's policy is that athletes have to not only inform their schools of their deals, but the schools now have to sign off on every big deal.
Utah has the largest Mormon population in the United States and the state tends to vote pretty conservatively, so this new bill against any partnerships containing alcohol and tobacco products isn't surprising. However, some state senators are still very against the bill.
Some argue that NIL deals should stay out of the hands of universities and state policy. However, according to Fortune, most universities have said that they are comfortable with the new bill.
Another argument against this bill is that state universities in Utah have brought in tons of money from student-athletes and the athletes don't receive any of it. Last year, the University of Utah brought in over $82 million in revenue and over $16 million in profit from athletics. Athletes generate all of the money, but the only way they can see any of the money is through things like facility upgrades. Why should universities be able to restrict athletes' income even further after profiting off of them for so long?
* Originally published on March 26, 2024, by Bella Nevin
