A new wave of NCAA rulings — in particular, the NIL rule — is changing the frontier of college sports, giving student athletes the opportunity to monetize themselves. Athletes are now essentially influencers, which opens up new doors for them.
But what does that even look like? Our team at Rella spoke to Sam Howell, quarterback for the UNC Tar Heels, about his perspective on the ruling.
Photo from @sam7howell on Instagram.
It isn’t uncommon for agencies to sign unfair contracts with new influencers who aren’t educated on the true value of their worth. The same now goes for student athletes. “A lot of schools haven’t done a good job on educating their players. You’re really not getting any help with this.” Howell said. “You’re trying to manage things on your own, and I think a lot of people are going to make mistakes. And some companies are scamming kids bad. Sometimes they don’t even pay these kids anything, just give them free merch.”
Of course, there’s a bright side to things too. The ruling has been exciting for athletes looking forward to new ways to make money. “It’ll make people work harder, too, just so they have more opportunities. And Rella’s vision is great for helping kids navigate all of that.”
With the NCAA ruling causing waves, Rella is making it our duty to ensure that student athletes don’t get taken advantage of. We’re hosting information sessions and office hours to teach student athletes about safely navigating business deals and help them become better, more well-informed influencers. You can find that and more by signing up as an influencer at our website!
