The Perspective We Need Right Now
In the last three months, I’ve had more conversations than ever with DI mid-major, DII, and DIII athletic administrators. And a word that keeps coming up (thankfully!) is “values.”
Unlike P4 athletic departments, which rushed into NIL to win PR battles, bolster recruiting, and fortify their Collectives, mid-majors, DII, and DIII schools are not scrambling to “keep up” or throwing money into the NIL arms race.
They are building NIL programs that align with the mission of their athletic departments.
Honestly, this perspective is exactly what NIL (and all of college sports) needs right now.
Here’s How Forward-Thinking Schools are Tackling NIL
These schools are working to integrate NIL in a way that doesn’t just benefit a handful of athletes but instead enhances their entire athletic culture and campus community.
They’re prioritizing balance—ensuring that NIL doesn’t cannibalize traditional fundraising, disrupt team chemistry, or further divide student-athletes from the broader student body.
They’re also taking proactive steps to maintain fairness across teams, ensuring that NIL isn’t just about which sport has the wealthiest or most engaged alumni base.
Here’s how and why:
1. Manage NIL Without Cannibalizing Athletic Fundraising
One of the biggest concerns I hear from ADs at these schools is balancing NIL opportunities with traditional fundraising efforts.
Alumni and donors are the lifeblood of many athletic departments, and the fear is that NIL fundraising will cannibalize the athletic fundraising needed to support teams and facilities.
My suggestion is to address this head-on with donors and alumni about how NIL and traditional fundraising can coexist.
Let’s be honest: alumni mostly live in a vacuum with a hyper-focus on the team that they played for or otherwise support. They need to be educated about how supporting a Collective, contributing to the general athletic fund, or directly sponsoring an NIL opportunity will impact the overall health of the athletic department.
2. Engaging Coaches to Protect Team Culture
One major criticism of NIL in the P4 world is how it has disrupted team dynamics. While I have some suspicions that this is not exactly as cut and dry as some coaches describe, they believe that their locker room chemistry has suffered.
Mid-majors, DII, and DIII athletic departments should proactively bring coaches into the NIL conversation, allowing them to help shape clear guidelines that maintain team culture and fairness. This collaborative approach prevents NIL from becoming a distraction and ensures that all student-athletes feel supported, regardless of their NIL earning potential.
3. NIL Programs that Support the Campus Community
One of the unintended consequences of NIL is that it’s created yet another divide between student-athletes and the general student body. NIL is seen as a benefit provided to a privileged group that other students don’t have access to.
But mid-majors, DII, and DIII schools, don’t need to treat it that way. NIL can be integrated into the university experience in a way that fosters unity rather than division. Rather than limiting NIL workshops and resources to athletes, institutions can offer NIL education to all students.
Many aspects of NIL—such as personal branding, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and content creation—are skills that any student can use to build their career.
Here are a few ideas:
Open NIL workshops to all students, allowing business, marketing, and communications majors to learn alongside athletes.
Develop a campus-wide “Brand Building & Monetization” course that benefits both athletes and non-athletes.
Encourage interdisciplinary collaboration where student-athletes work with non-athlete students on NIL-related projects, such as marketing plans, business pitches, or social media strategies.
By integrating NIL education into the broader campus community, schools can eliminate the stigma that NIL is only for athletes and instead position it as a learning opportunity for everyone…
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