NIL Deals Have a Visibility Problem
Fewer than 1 in 5 Americans have seen, read, or heard about most major Division I NIL deals — and even fewer have bought something because of one. That should alarm everyone in this ecosystem. College athletes are outperforming traditional influencers on every measurable platform metric, yet most brands stop at athlete selection and skip activation entirely. A pro sports endorsement gets a creative brief, a media plan, and a measurement framework. A typical genuine NIL deal gets a DM and a deliverables list. That's not a partnership — that's an assignment. Here's why brands hold the biggest lever in fixing genuine NIL's visibility problem, and what it will take before the only deals left are the synthetic ones.
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NIL Opportunity Index: The Case for Women's Lacrosse
Most brands chasing NIL opportunities in non-revenue sports are overlooking one of the best cost-per-engagement plays in college athletics. It's not women's soccer or volleyball—it's women's lacrosse. My NIL Research Poll data shows these athletes deliver higher engagement rates, better brand satisfaction scores, and stronger deal completion than their peers. And they're priced 40% below comparable engagement in other sports. Here's why women's lacrosse is the market's most undervalued NIL opportunity.
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Most NIL Deals Pay Less Than a Used Honda
The median NIL deal is $60—not $60,000. While headlines trumpet seven-figure quarterback contracts, the gap between perceived NIL wealth and reality is poisoning the ecosystem. Brands don't engage because they assume athletes expect fortunes. Universities field complaints about "all this money" while most athletes have earned less than a textbook stipend. And the public resents wealth that doesn't exist. Here's what the data actually shows—and why it matters for brands, universities, and the future of college sports.
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This Year's NIL Playbook: What Athletes Want from Brands, Universities, and Advisors
Our survey of 1,061 student-athletes reveals a sobering reality: 58% say at least one deal "didn't deliver what was promised." Their message for 2026? Fewer deals, simpler terms, and partners who actually respond. Here's what brands, universities, and advisors need to change.
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2025 Year End NIL Report: What 1,000+ student-athletes told us
Our survey of 1,061 college athletes reveals 58% had deals that didn't deliver what was promised, and 44% want to do less NIL in 2025 — the ecosystem isn't keeping up.
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