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University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
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NIL: the one-year anniversary of a money-maker or just one more thing for the athlete to deal with?
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NIL: the one-year anniversary of a money-maker or just one more thing for the athlete to deal with?
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Content
NIL: The One-Year Anniversary of a Money-Maker
or Just One More Thing for the Athlete to Deal With?
By
Nicole Shearin
A Thesis presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ANNENBERG SCHOOL FOR COMMUNICATION AND
JOURNALISM
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS
(SPECIALIZED JOURNALISM)
August 2022
Copyright 2022 Nicole Shearin
ii
Table of Contents
List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………………….iii
Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………...iv
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..1
Chapter 1: Name, Image, Likeness………………………………………………………………..2
Chapter 2: The Female Lens……………………………………………………………………....7
Chapter 3: Madison Campbell Tackles NIL With Two Companies………………………………7
Chapter 4: Two Twins Bump, Set and Spike NIL………………………………………………...9
Chapter 5: USC’s “Big Dog” … Football………………………………………………………..15
Chapter 6: NIL Success - It Takes a Village……………………………………………………..17
Chapter 7: An Organization Helps the Trojans Navigate………………………………………..19
Chapter 8: The Los Angeles Appeal - Impact on Recruiting…………………………………….22
Chapter 9: Donor Dollars May Shift……………………………………………………………..23
Chapter 10: A Track Star Can Finally Jump Over the Hurdle…………………………………...24
Chapter 11: Is Football Really the King?………………………………………………………..26
Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………..29
iii
List of Figures
Figure 1: Madison Campbell in the hospital preparing for her herniated disk surgery…………...1
Figure 2: Madison Campbell posting for BeReal on her Instagram profile……………………....8
Figure 3: USC volleyball players, Nicole Nourse and Audrey Nourse, compete in a
match during their 2021 season…………………………………………………………………...9
Figure 4: Audrey Nourse and Nicole Nourse after a match during their 2021 season…………..10
Figure 5: Nicole Nourse and Audrey Nourse’s beach volleyball Instagram account
called @beachvolleyballtwins…………………………………………………………………...12
Figure 6: Audrey Nourse and Nicole Nourse post on social media for their partnership
deal with X2 sports drink in the fall of 2022…………………………………………………….13
Figure 7: Wide receiver Drake London at the USC / Notre Dame game
on Oct. 23, 2021………………………………………………………………………………….15
Figure 8: Madison Campbell during a game in the Galen Center……………………………….18
Figure 9: Madison Campbell throws up a “Fight On” peace sign at practice……………………22
Figure 10: Halle Hazzard runs in a track race during her time on the team at Virginia
before transferring to USC……………………………………………………………………….25
Figure 11: USC football players gather in a huddle at practice………………………………….26
iv
Abstract
For decades, schools profited from their athletes’ performances while players gained no
compensation in return, beyond the potential of a fully subsidized education. On June 21, 2021,
the landscape of college athletics changed. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that restricting
“education-related benefits” was illegal, citing antitrust law. Ten days later, on July 1, the NCAA
announced that college athletes would have the opportunity to profit off their name, image and
likeness – also known as, NIL.
Athletes now have the ability to profit off of their name, image and likeness, whether that be
through endorsement deals, sponsorships, clinics, merchandise, etc. The star quarterback can
now make millions by partnering with various companies, the point guard can now hold
basketball clinics for profit.
High revenue sports, such as football and men’s basketball, have taken on this new policy by
storm. Less prominent “non-revenue” sports have witnessed the equality disparity come to light.
Alabama star quarterback, Bryce Young, announced a deal with BMW of Tuscaloosa. He is one
of college football’s highest paid athletes, also netting deals with Subway, Cash App and
Logan’s Roadhouse.
However, Oregon State female gymnast and Olympic gold medalist, Jade Carey, recorded the
biggest deal at that university of $200,000 in 2021. Of the deals logged, 18 were female athletes
and 35 were non-football players.
v
On the other hand, the University of Oregon logged 273 deals, 156 for females and 215 for non-
football players. Defensive end, Kayvon Thibodeaux, had the largest deal of $100,000.
It’s far from clear that NIL marks a positive change in the college athletic landscape. Many
unanswered questions remain; any number of loose ends could make this policy a ticking time
bomb. The rules are being written as we go along. Without standardized rules, the stability of
college athletics could be in jeopardy.
In this research study, we will take a deep dive into NIL through the eyes of the female athlete at
the University of Southern California.
“NIL: The One-Year Anniversary of a Money-Maker or Just One More Thing for the Athlete to
Deal With?” is a narrative piece that focuses on the role NIL has already played in athletics at
USC. Three female Trojan athletes will share their journey and outlook for the future.
1
Introduction
LOS ANGELES – In September 2019, Madison Campbell was dribbling down the court with a
determined look on her face during her very first week of practice as a USC Trojan. Just as at
any other practice, head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb blew the whistle, and it was time to scrimmage.
A few minutes later, as she ran down the court for a breakaway layup, Campbell’s life changed
dramatically.
She collided with a teammate and found herself down on the hard, wooden court. In the coming
weeks she tried everything: rest, rehab, two epidural shots, rehab again, rest again. The feeling in
her arms and legs was all but
gone for three months. Routine,
everyday tasks seemed
impossible.
As she sat in the doctor’s office,
the word finally came: She was
eligible for surgery. Of course
she was. She had suffered an 8-
mm herniated disk. She later faced surgery that would put her out of action for months. The
words still play in her head: “You could have been paralyzed from this accident.” As it was, she
did not play the sport she loved for 12 months. A full year.
Figure 1: Madison Campbell in the hospital prepping for surgery. A photo of her herniated disk x-ray
on left. Photo provided by Madison Campbell.
2
The time away gave her a chance to grow, physically and mentally.
“I medically redshirted and have started to get my feel back since my injury,” Campbell said. “I
have just grown in every way. I have become extremely strong and I say that with full
confidence.”
The time gave Campbell the ability to reflect on what it meant to be a college athlete and to
appreciate the game even more when it was taken away from her. During this time off, too,
something else would happen that would change her collegiate experience dramatically.
Chapter 1: Name, Image, Likeness
While Madison Campbell was rehabbing, the rules of the game changed – for her, for hundreds
of so-called “student-athletes” at SC and thousands more around the United States.
The rules hold the possibility to transform – economically – the way athletes go through college,
in big-time sports such as basketball and football. But athletes in less prominent “non-revenue”
and so-called “Olympic sports” including women’s gymnastics and track and field, can also
benefit.
Is every college athlete now in line to be a millionaire? Hardly likely.
A TV star? Probably not.
3
But … is the door now open for each and every college athlete to strike a deal? Yes.
That’s the fundamental change. That’s why NIL is a potential game changer, even for athletes
such as Madison Campbell.
So what is NIL, and what took so long to effect what seems to many such a common-sense
change?
With the one-year anniversary quickly approaching, it is only fitting to take a closer look into
this new policy.
First, some background.
For decades, the NCAA religiously guarded the myth of the college “amateur” athlete. Member
schools were making millions from the labor of athletes while denying compensation to the
players beyond a fully paid education (Cheng 2021).
On June 21, 2021, in a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, citing antitrust law,
that the NCAA’s rules restricting “education-related benefits” were illegal (Berkowitz 2021).
The ruling didn’t mean that all student-athletes could rush into signing endorsement deals. Yet it
sent a clear message to the NCAA and member schools that restrictions on “reasonable” benefits
would be subject to antitrust scrutiny (Marino 2021).
4
The NCAA, for its part, knew what was coming.
Ten days later, on July 1, it announced that college athletes would have the opportunity to profit
off their name, image and likeness – that is, NIL.
USA Today suggested the policy change might well prove as significant as the Title IX 1972
civil rights law, which ended sex-based discrimination in access to sports by institutions that
received federal funds. “The NCAA stands on the edge of the most fundamental change to the
college sports landscape since Title IX, the gender-equity law that was implemented nearly 50
years ago,” the newspaper’s Steve Berkowitz wrote (Berkowitz 2021).
To understand the potential impact of NIL, consider the case of Reggie Bush, USC’s 2005
Heisman Trophy-winning running back. Five years later, Bush had to give the Heisman back for
accepting benefits that included cash, travel expenses and a rent-free San Diego home (Bhagat
2010).
Since the availability of endorsement opportunities allows an athlete to legally seek certain
benefits, Bush would certainly have attracted NIL endorsement deals. This would have replaced
his willingness to accept direct, rather than illegal, booster donations.
Yet guidelines for implementing NIL are complex and often vary from state to state, according to
ESPN staff writer Dan Murphy. “There are 28 states with NIL laws already in place and multiple
others that are actively pursuing legislation,” Murphy said (Murphy 2021).
5
But the bottom line is, college athletes can now pursue sponsorship deals without fear of penalty.
“Initially it was scary and very unknown. This is going to change the college athletic landscape
tremendously,” Spencer Harris, director of player personnel for USC football, said. “It got to a
point where we had to look internally and say, ‘This is happening. This is coming.’ Being at
USC, this is going to greatly benefit us and our student-athletes.”
Harris was right. It has greatly changed the college athletic landscape.
In football specifically, players are now choosing schools and programs based in some cases on
sponsorship deals.
High school junior quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, commits to Tennessee after rumors of an $8-
million deal. Biletnikoff Award-winning wide receiver Jordan Addison enters the transfer portal
from Pittsburgh and commits to USC. TV weekends are flooded with Peyton Manning in catchy
Nationwide commercials or Tom Brady snacking on a $5 footlong for Subway. Imagine these
commercials with college athletes instead of the pros. Collegiate players now have the
opportunity to solidify deals with various companies, hold sports clinics in their name, leverage
social media for pay and profit off a personal brand.
For many athletes, this is the culmination of a process they have been waiting far too long to
begin.
6
Yet not everyone is convinced that the change is positive (Moore 2021).
Head coaches are getting into arguments over rumors of paying players. Consider the spring
2022 feud between Alabama’s Nick Saban and Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher, coaches who once
were on the same staff backstabbing each other, Saban all but accusing Fisher of buying players.
Mark Emmert, the president of the NCAA, announced on April 26, 2022 that he is stepping
down (NCAA 2022). He stated that his move has nothing to do with the current NIL situation.
The reality … NIL is creating a frenzy with no clear endpoint in place.
There is still strong opposition to straight “play for pay” and a fear that NIL could evolve into
just that, unless direct payments to athletes by institutions are barred. That would completely
debunk any notion of the amateur athlete and pit schools against each other on a purely financial
basis.
“As a former student-athlete, I think there is a lot of benefits to amateurism,” Opendorse CEO
Blake Lawrence said in an article. “Any movement to institutions being able to pay student-
athletes directly could do a lot more harm than good to the overall ecosystem” (Libit 2021).
NIL is already confusing in itself, but without a unifying approach, this entire process is about to
get even more jumbled than it is now. The spiral is in full swing.
7
Chapter 2: The Female Lens
Football and men’s basketball. Those are the big-time revenue sports at most universities across
the country. USC is an example of one of those schools.
There are other sports, however, that may not bring in the same revenue but nonetheless perform
at a very high level.
The Trojans’ women’s beach volleyball and water polo teams were 2021 NCAA champions.
Beach volleyball made that two in a row winning in 2022, as well. USC women’s soccer star
Penelope Hocking broke the school scoring record and was named Forward of the Year.
Teammate Croix Bethune was named Midfielder of the Year. Nicole and Audrey Nourse, USC
beach volleyball twins, were both named members of the USA Beach U21 Women’s team.
These female athletes may not have the star fandom of the first-string quarterback, but they have
the same opportunity to create a name for themselves. NIL has opened the door for even more
possibilities.
Or has it?
Chapter 3: Madison Campbell Tackles NIL With Two Companies
Coming to the gym from class, Campbell rolls up on her black electric scooter. Her hair is
slicked back in a ponytail as her long, blonde hair falls down her back. She takes off her
backpack and, standing outside of Heritage Hall, the longtime SC athletic department
headquarters, offers a deep dive into life as a new NIL athlete.
8
“It was exciting because I was thinking about all that we can do and everything that I would be
interested in doing,” Campbell said with a big smile on her face and a hopeful look in her eyes.
“I have been a part of some smaller things that I love, and it is great to get your name out there
and network and make connections.”
Tackling the NIL possibilities completely on her own, she used her own judgment to explore
initial opportunities. Campbell began working with BeReal and ReliePh, two companies that fit
with her values.
BeReal is a social media platform that allows users to share daily activities through photos or
video clips. She will post her own content three times a week, advocating and promoting their
brand while being paid $130 by the company for doing so (Perreau 2022).
“I like the transparency that the app offers,” Campbell said. “I don’t like the way social media is
going and so it’s very cool to see
them bringing back the authenticity.”
At random, users are notified to
share a photo within two minutes.
There is no time for airbrushing skin
or whitening your teeth.
Figure 2: Madison Campbell posting for BeReal on her Instagram profile.
Photos provided by Madison Campbell.
9
ReliePh is a massage therapy, body butter and body sculpting company owned by one of her
friends.
“I would take photos for her body butter brand, get products and promote, plus one free massage
a month,” Campbell said. “I am paid by them in products, not dollars.”
Being a member of the women’s basketball team is, of course, different from being a five-star
recruit football player.
Campbell knows she isn’t going to make football-type money right now. Whether she should, or
whether that is ever a possibility for female athletes – looking far off into the future – is another
subject entirely. She says so herself.
Chapter 4: Two Twins Bump, Set and Spike NIL
While Madison Campbell is attacking on the hardwood, Nicole Nourse is a star on the sand.
It’s match day and Nicole and her twin
Audrey never miss a beat.
What’s for breakfast? Overnight protein
oats with berries. It’s the perfect way to
fuel their body for the match ahead.
Figure 3: Nicole Nourse and Audrey Nourse compete in a match during their
2021 season. Photo provided by Nicole Nourse.
10
“We even brought pre-packaged oats to Gulf Shores for five days,” Nicole said, referring to Gulf
Shores, Ala., site of the 2021 NCAA women’s tournament. “We got our trainer to bring oat
milk, too, because we always have it with oat milk.”
Faith has always been a major part of their lives. Nicole and Audrey sit together and write one
word they are grateful for.
Then it’s game mode. Oakleys on, long blonde hair secured up in a ponytail as they bury their
feet in the sand.
The two are a dynamic duo that continue to dominate on the sand.
Qualifying for the AVP
tournament, competing in the
One Star tournament in high
school, winning the NCAA
tournament for the second year in
a row in 2022 and traveling to
Thailand for the world
championships.
Well, one of them traveling to Thailand.
Figure 4: Audrey Nourse (left) and Nicole Nourse after a match during their 2021
season. Photo provided by Nicole Nourse.
11
Nicole.
The twins are inseparable on and off the court. Match partners. Roommates. Best friends.
Inseparable to the point where they both suffered elbow bone injuries within three months of
each other.
In the Thailand qualifying tournament, Nicole played through her elbow injury.
“I was so happy that we won, but I was also so happy that I could stop playing volleyball at that
point,” Nicole said, icing her shoulder. “My body was exhausted, and I needed time to heal. I just
started crying. It was really a surreal moment.”
The twins went through rehab together all fall.
This past December rolled around and it was time for that trip to Thailand.
But one piece was missing.
Audrey.
When Nicole found out her twin was not going to be able to make the trip to Thailand due to an
elbow hyperextension, she was … well … what we would all expect.
12
Devastated.
“It was really, really hard. Every international tournament we’ve played in, we’ve played in
together. This was such a big deal and it was so crushing to not have her there,” Nicole said. “I
was borderline depressed.”
“Especially as twins, we have such a close bond and those trips are super-instrumental in how
you grow as an athlete. For us to do it together would have been very helpful for our team.”
Audrey and Nicole go through every phase of life together. A new chapter they are embarking on
is NIL.
The first step these two took in building their brand was establishing a major following on their
Instagram account.
Currently, they have 139,000 followers
on their @beachvolleyballtwins account.
Every day means more.
“You need to build up your Instagram,
engagement and interaction with users.
Building your brand is very important. It
Figure 5: Nicole Nourse and Audrey Nourse’s beach volleyball Instagram
account.
13
is all about getting people to want to watch you,” Nicole said. “What you are able to do with
your sport and your results are key.”
They have partnered with various companies: Degree, Your Super Foods, H&R Block, X2 sports
drink and more.
They don’t just seek out any brand that comes their way. They choose each one with a purpose.
“When we try to partner with brands, we try to look at brands that are reflective of us and how
we approach things.”
You could definitely say that establishing your
brand on social media runs in the family.
Their mom, Sherri Nourse, runs Ambition Media
… a social media Instagram marketing business.
Sherri was a major figure in helping the twins build
their page.
Establishing their brand and gaining sponsorships
continue to be a battle for the twins and other
lower-revenue female sports.
Figure 6: Audrey Nourse (right) and Nicole Nourse (left) post
on social media for their partnership deal with X2 sports drink
in the fall of 2022.
14
“If we were basketball players, I think we would be getting deals left and right,” Nicole said.
“But beach volleyball is not as well known and not as accessible … even to watch.”
So, of course, it all comes back to one thing: money.
“You either have to be a very established, top-10-in-the-world athlete, or an elite player in a
high-paying, highly viewed sport,” Nicole said.
The root of the issue comes back to inequality in male and female sports.
“It’s not even fixing NIL. It’s fixing the broader inequity among male and female sports that’s
corrupting the professional level,” Nicole said. “NIL doesn’t change until that changes.”
The dream – three or four brands that are top of the line.
Nike, Adidas, Oakley, Therabody or Hyperice, to name a few.
Then, on the side, do little brand deals, like post for a superfood brand or protein company. They
have the skills to perform in their sport and on social media.
But for now, the Nourse twins will continue to eat their pregame overnight oats and dominate on
the sand until one of them decides she no longer wants to play volleyball.
15
Chapter 5: USC’s “Big Dog” … Football
At USC, the 2021 season hardly played out the way fans and boosters had hoped. The coach:
fired. The starting quarterback: hurt. The backup quarterback: hurt. Oregon State came into the
Coliseum and beat SC for the first time since 1960.
Still, SC football is … SC. A high-profile head coach, Lincoln Riley, was hired away from
Oklahoma; a quarterback and wide receiver, Caleb Williams and Mario Williams, respectively
followed. Then came Jordan Addison from Pitt.
Suddenly, SC had the top transfer portal recruiting class in the country.
So who might get what, NIL-wise? Did that have an influence on their decisions?
“Some of our athletes have signed with
marketing representatives and we
encourage that,” Harris, the director of
player personnel, said. “At the end of the
day, we don’t want our athletes entering
into bad deals and into opportunities that
may hurt them down the line.”
Without that guidance, he said, players could find themselves distracted by the process – a
thought some assuredly will find paternalist if not problematic.
Figure 7: Wide receiver Drake London at the USC / ND game on Oct. 23,
2021. Photo by Nicole Shearin.
16
All the same, the new NIL policy brought the disparity between men’s and women’s sports to
light, but the gap in fame and dollars was expected (Associated Press 2021).
“Men’s basketball and football bring in the most money for the school, so I think it is right that
they get more deals,” Campbell said. “But I do think it is unfair that they are primarily sought
after. Our female name, image, likeness could help and does help.”
For some athletes, the deals and sponsorships came rolling in.
Williams, the star quarterback, made his way to Los Angeles and within weeks had a deal with
Beats by Dr. Dre.
Instead of stopping there, he decided to spread the love to other USC athletic teams, teams that
don’t always get the attention they believe they deserve.
One day after practice, Williams showed up with a special surprise for the USC women’s
basketball team. He gave Beats headphones to every member of the squad. Madison Campbell
got to witness this firsthand.
“It was a pretty cool surprise. Our team is so thankful. As women, it is awesome that we are
getting love from our quarterback, the Beats brand and the university,” Campbell said with a
smile on her face. “Thank you, Caleb!”
17
The new policy adds one more complexity to an athlete’s everyday schedule and athletic career.
Now, they are juggling athletics, academics and the possibility to profit off their name. Some
athletes treat this as the last priority on their checklist, while others jump at the opportunity.
Campbell came to USC with high hopes of continuing her basketball career at the professional
level. Before every game, she listens to R&B music while doing her hair, eats a Fuji apple, laces
up her red Nike kicks and tucks in her No. 23 jersey – the same number that Michael Jordan
made famous with the Chicago Bulls a generation ago. The Nike sock on her right leg falls down
to her ankle and her gameday shorts are rolled a few times at the waist. Running onto the
cardinal-red Trojan logo at center court in the Galen Center, she hears the buzz of fans in the
stands but has long had a key focus: meshing with her teammates.
Chapter 6: NIL Success - It Takes a Village
Campbell made clear she is lucky to have teammates who stand by her side regardless of
sponsorship status. The tone in her voice changed from full of excitement to somewhat
apprehensive.
“There are some people who don’t want anything to do with it [NIL]. This is because either it is
too stressful or they don’t want to spend time on that,” Campbell said. “For me personally, I
know what I want and my teammates respect that.”
18
For coaches and supporters of college
athletes, NIL is not an easy thing to
grasp. Nor to monetize.
It takes full understanding from an
athlete, coaches, family and support staff
to approach this new concept without
running into major complications. Gottlieb, the SC women’s basketball coach, for instance, can
typically feel a strong connection to her athletes. She will blow the whistle at practice, make
them run sprints, perfect their defense and treat every practice with the intention of winning
games. But, her role does not stop off the court.
It had become a weekly routine for Campbell to go to a certain smoothie place near campus to
get her favorite: Nutella and banana acai bowl topped with strawberries and macadamia nuts.
After Gottlieb started noticing her pattern, she approached Campbell and said she should ask
them for an NIL deal.
“My coach is all for it and I love that,” Campbell said. “She is all about us building our brand
and image. She is helping us in any way she can.”
To put Campbell’s experience with her coach into perspective, there are about 5,000 professional
athletes in North America (QOD 2022).
Figure 8: Photo provided by Madison Campbell.
19
By contrast, the student-athlete endorsement space is nearly 100 times bigger, with more than
450,000 athletes (Dixon 2021). Will the young would-be sports stars who are faced with
managing finances, calculating taxes and complying with local laws find the NIL opportunities
to be a distraction from their performance in their sport?
Are there enough Lindsay Gottliebs out there to be guides to their athletes? Are coaches now
themselves supposed to be financial managers, accountants, financial planners and more – or,
you know, coaches?
One possible solution is the current requirement by the state of Florida that schools provide
financial literacy workshops to athletes after enrollment. States will need to incorporate that life-
skills training into its NIL laws (Dixon 2021).
Chapter 7: An Organization Helps the Trojans Navigate
A star athlete on the USC women’s soccer team is approached by a booster who owns a local
company in Los Angeles and is interested in sponsoring this athlete. With a confused look in her
eyes and hesitation, many questions run through her head.
“Can I wear my USC uniform or school logos in a promotion for this company?”
“How do I avoid potential recruiting violations?”
20
“Do I need an agent to negotiate this deal?”
“Does this partnership make sense for me as an athlete?”
Altius Sports Partners has partnered with USC to help answer all of those questions.
Casey Schwab, the chief executive, graduated from the Gould School of Law at USC.
The Trojan Athletic Department realized that this new NIL era is ever-evolving. Sufficient
understanding by all participants involved is the key to a successful implementation of the
policy.
“It’s one thing to say as a school that you support athletes in NIL deals,” Schwab says in a Sports
Illustrated article. “They [partnered schools] are putting their money where their mouth is”
(Dellenger 2021).
Celine Mangan, a senior account executive at Altius Sports Partners, spends her typical week
working with different college athletic departments.
She may be calling an athletic director about that school’s overall goal with NIL, hopping on
multiple phone calls with coaches, or talking with various players. Then, she said, it is up to the
coaches or athletes to seek out guidance.
21
“We are not agents. We don’t want to be agents. We do want to educate them, so they feel they
make a good decision,” Mangan said. “We want to be there when they need us … not when they
don’t.”
Mangan continued to emphasize the need for equality as she spoke on the phone during a
business trip in Indianapolis. Altius Sports Partners takes prides in the notion of equal
opportunity.
“We are very intentional,” Mangan said. “If we meet with a male team, we will meet with two or
three female teams.”
Madison Campbell uses social media with BeReal, and Nicole Nourse utilizes Instagram to build
her brand. This is critical in today’s social media-driven society.
It’s creative. It’s fun. And it’s the perfect way to market yourself.
Athletes in lower-revenue sports such as women’s soccer, women’s basketball or women’s beach
volleyball need to lean on this sort of branding in order to make themselves known.
Mangan heavily encourages athletes to do so.
22
“Their ability to be creative, innovative and want to look into this space to capitalize on their
name image and likeness is huge,” Mangan said. “They are taking something that is minimally
small and making a very large impact.”
It’s all about teaching these athletes how to fish. Not fishing for them.
Chapter 8: The Los Angeles Appeal - Impact on Recruiting
Los Angeles appeals to the eye with the warm weather, sandy beaches and palm-lined streets. It
is no coincidence that famous athletes and celebrities swamp this city.
NIL not only impacts the athletes
themselves, but also affects the overall
college recruiting process. Student-athletes
are not just looking at a school for its
athletic and academic programs, but are
also considering factors of sponsorship
accessibility and a school’s willingness to
support and guide the effort.
“Los Angeles has always been a very attractive place for recruits. That’s because USC athletes
and football players have been capitalizing off of their name, image and likeness forever. It just
hasn’t been when they’re in college,” Harris said. “The stage that this place provides is unlike
any other that a high school athlete can find in the country.”
Figure 9: Photo provided by Madison Campbell.
23
Harris adds that L.A. is “a feeding ground for NIL. Not just for USC, but for professional
athletes. There’s a reason why LeBron came to Los Angeles or Kobe was doing some really
special things post-career. He was capitalizing on his brand in Los Angeles.”
However more modestly, Madison Campbell hopes to do the same thing.
“Los Angeles is an amazing spot to make connections and network. I definitely think there are
more opportunities here,” Campbell said. “In bigger cities, they may be able to sell that more.
For example, they could sell L.A. as a major city where many sponsorships and collaboration
deals exist. I could see that happening.”
Chapter 9: Donor Dollars May Shift
Some observers of NIL, however, worry that donors could siphon off their support of traditional
university sports programs in favor of NIL athlete endorsements.
“Local businesses and sponsors are going to shift their dollars from the university to student-
athletes,” Lawrence said in a SportsPro article. “Not 100% of it, but maybe about ten percent of
the budget might shift to student-athletes” (Dixon 2021).
But the bigger concern? Will the booster who happens to own a car dealership be able to
influence recruiting by promising major endorsement deals to athletes he would like to see come
24
to the school he’s supporting? That’s opening the back door to booster support that schools are
supposed to avoid.
How does a school such as TCU, in the heart of Fort Worth, Tex., compete with the likes of
USC?
For that matter, how does USC compete with, say, Alabama, where potentially every football
player is positioned for a deal?
Chapter 10: A Track Star Can Finally Jump Over the Hurdle
Madison Campbell is not the only USC athlete dealing with this new policy day by day.
While Campbell is taking a big bite out of her apple before her game and grooving to R&B
music, Halle Hazzard wakes up at the crack of dawn, packs her gray bag for the day with an
extra pair of sweatpants, dresses in her Nike athletic leggings and cardinal Dri-Fit shirt and runs
laps at track practice wearing her white, red-stained sprint spikes. Each step she takes on her way
to practice, she listens to music in her gray Beats to either calm her nerves or pump her up.
Since high school, she had dreams of holding a track camp in her name. She would come home
from school, finish her homework and go on and on with her mom about this long-term goal.
But there was one major obstacle.
25
The NCAA did not allow it.
Fast forward four years and she finds herself running track for the Trojans during her time in
graduate school. And thanks to the new NIL policy, she finally has an opportunity to pursue her
dream.
“When this whole policy came about, I
realized I could actually pursue that. I am
very excited to be able to embark on that
journey that I have been thinking about
for so long,” Hazzard said, smiling from
ear to ear.
She is building bonds with her Trojan
teammates and already believes that she is slowly forming lifelong relationships.
One player could be using the profits for a brand-new shiny car, while the other continues to ride
the bench. Some may think that the new sponsorship opportunities could generate hostility and
jealousy in the locker room. But Hazzard sat there in the hot, beaming sun, telling me that it is
more about the individual.
“It is really about how you market yourself instead of it being a competition,” Hazzard said. “I
think as student-athletes we need to look at it in that regard instead of a competition thing.”
Figure 10: Photo provided by Halle Hazzard.
26
Blake Lawrence of the social platform Opendorse, believes that most athletes will never have an
agent or reach stardom through social media portals such as TikTok (Dixon 2021).
“TikTok takes a talented creator, and YouTube does as well, to create quality content and
monetize it,” Lawrence said in the same SportsPro article. “Only one to two percent of student-
athletes on a campus have the skillset to succeed” (Dixon 2021).
Chapter 11: Is Football Really the King?
Many people think that the star players in pads have these deals in the bag. Yet in football, it’s
hard to recognize the man behind the mask
“Yes, the star players will make big
money. But outside of that, football
players are wearing helmets,” Harris
said with a chuckle. “They’re hard to
identify and build a brand with.
Whereas female athletes, there are a lot
of them who have a huge following on Instagram and TikTok and they’re able to capitalize just
as much as maybe our best tight end, for example.”
This shows some distinct advantages for women’s sports. The starting five of the women’s
basketball teams at this past March’s NCAA Tournament weekend had an average of nearly
Figure 11: Photo by Nicole Shearin.
27
twice the Instagram followers of the male teams competing, according to the Athletic Director
U-based Student Athlete NIL newsletter (Athletic Director U 2022).
Darryl Seibel, a longtime sports executive and founding partner of Stadion Sports, an NIL
advisory group, said, “Sports that you may not traditionally or typically associate with having the
same sort of commercial reach or pedigree as football or basketball actually could turn out to be
very successful in whatever the new landscape ultimately looks like” (Athletic Director U 2022).
So what took so long to pass this policy in the first place? It took a lot more than a court case.
“Once rules are passed, you really start to scratch your head on why it took so long,” Harris said,
resting his head on his knuckles. “But at the end of the day, it’s excitement, it’s new, but it’s also
really unknown and such an educational process.”
So as Campbell eats her apple, listens to R&B music and slips on her No. 23 jersey before her
big game, she feels a whole new perspective as a college athlete.
She runs out onto that hardwood court in the Galen Center and, as she hears the loud cheer come
from the stands, she feels like she has a different relationship not only to but with the fans and is
at the vanguard of an entirely new era with the university.
For that matter, with college sports.
28
With what it means to be a college athlete.
Campbell really hopes they win the game that night. As soon as she gets home after the game,
she will be posting to her BeReal social media account and would love to be able to brag about a
victory.
USC has been able to capitalize on her image in promoting its program, and now she gets to do
the same.
29
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Shearin, Nicole Elizabeth
(author)
Core Title
NIL: the one-year anniversary of a money-maker or just one more thing for the athlete to deal with?
School
Annenberg School for Communication
Degree
Master of Arts
Degree Program
Specialized Journalism
Degree Conferral Date
2022-08
Publication Date
07/28/2022
Defense Date
07/27/2022
Publisher
University of Southern California
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Tag
Altius Sports Partners,athlete,Audrey Nourse,beach volleyball,boosters,coaches,college athletics,college basketball,college football,Company,donors,Drake London,female athletes,Halle Hazzard,High School,image,likeness,Lindsay Gottlieb,los angeles,Madison Campbell,Money,name,NCAA,Nicole Nourse,NIL,OAI-PMH Harvest,play for pay,Profit,recruiting,social media,Spencer Harris,sponsorships,student athlete,Trojans,USC,USC basketball,USC beach volleyball,USC Football,USC track and field
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Tags
Altius Sports Partners
Audrey Nourse
beach volleyball
boosters
coaches
college athletics
college basketball
college football
Drake London
female athletes
Halle Hazzard
likeness
Lindsay Gottlieb
Madison Campbell
NCAA
Nicole Nourse
NIL
play for pay
social media
Spencer Harris
student athlete
Trojans
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USC beach volleyball
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