When the NCAA provided its extremely vague guidelines for NIL approval, it gave states free-reign to legislate as they saw necessary to protect their student athletes.
10 months into the NIL era of collegiate athletics, and we are seeing the states that did in fact pass legislation and their athletes are having the hardest time being successful within the NIL space.
You can check out a visual comparison of the different NIL legislation across the United States: https://opendorse.com/blog/comparing-state-nil-laws-proposed-legislation/
Many states are in the process of amending their legislation, or fielding different input from stakeholders within their states. Alabama outright repealed its NIL legislation giving athletes and potential brand partners A LOT of room to incorporate new, and unique deals.
The 5 states with the highest number of NCAA institutions are:
- New York: 101 - Legislation proposed
- Pennsylvania: 97 - Legislation in effect
- California: 57 - Legislation in effect
- Massachusetts: 55 - Legislation proposed
- Texas: 53 - Legislation in effect
3/5 of these states have NIL legislation, and the others are only in the process, so it would be even easier to hit the brakes, and reverse.
These repeals are even more interesting with the news of the Director of the NCAA stepping down once his replacement is found. It has not been an easy few years for the NCAA: the pandemic, no stance on NIL, poor stance on trans athlete rights.
It will be interesting to see the next NCAA Director's focus and direction for the future of collegiate sports in the USA. Whatever the direction is, ASHR MGMT is always on top of news and developments within the NIL space. To learn more about the services ASHR MGMT offers, click here.