• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
Tuned In returns to NYC on September 16. Hear from the biggest names in sports media. Click here to get your spot

Lessons to Learn

  • The NAIA has proven that unrestrictive NIL rules can work if done correctly.
  • There are other lessons the NCAA can learn from the NAIA’s experience, too.
Photo: NAIA/Design: Alex Brooks

After launching NIL rules in perhaps the strangest year in college sports, it appears the program was a success. And it’s also clear that unrestrictive NIL rules can work if done correctly.

What else can the NCAA learn from this? 

Looming Competition

High school athletes are even considering forgoing NCAA Division II or III for the NAIA because of its NIL rules, according to emails Mitchell has received.

It signifies just how much making money means to college athletes.

False Fears

With the change in NIL laws, the NCAA’s biggest concern has been preserving amateurism. 

The NCAA is terrified that unrestricted NIL would get in the way of athletes going to class and studying — that is, more than sports do already.

Mitchell had two responses to that. First, she noted that NIL endorsement posts are easier and quicker for college athletes to make money than many other jobs.

And second, Mitchell thinks NIL actually educates athletes on an important skill: How to grow their personal brands. She’s seen evidence that athletes are more careful about their behavior while in school now that they can profit off their NIL. They fear that an inappropriate post or broken rule could lose them endorsement opportunities. 

“My teammates are now, more than ever, cognizant of their behavior off the court because bad behavior could cost them income potential,” Mitchell said.

Fearmongering

In a Senate hearing last year, Power 5 officials and Republican lawmakers threatened that unrestricted NIL could negatively impact women’s sports. 

They implied that revenue used to fund women’s sports — from men’s basketball and football — may decrease with NIL. (The only way that would happen is if athletic departments competed with athletes for the same sponsorship dollars, and athletic departments lost.) 

If revenue decreased, officials would then cut women’s sports, they said.

They said this, of course, despite the fact that Title IX requires schools to provide equitable women’s sports opportunities no matter how much money a school makes.

Mitchell, as a women’s sports athlete, disagrees with this fearmongering. “I think that argument is very fallible. … There are more than enough donor dollars to go around.”

And either way, women’s sports athletes are now able to catch the attention of brands and make money — undoubtedly a better position than they were in before.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Rutgers

Rutgers Finds New Athletic Director After Almost a Year

Rutgers’s previous athletic director, Pat Hobbs, resigned in August 2024.
President Donald Trump speaks during the American 250 kickoff event on July 3, 2025, at the Iowa State Fairgrouds.

Trump Signs Executive Order on College Sports Pay

The order marks Trump’s first foray into legislating college sports compensation.

‘ACC Huddle’ Joins College Football’s TV Road-Show Race

This season, “ACC Huddle” will broadcast from the conference’s weekly marquee game.

Featured Today

Las Vegas sign

College Sports Embracing Vegas After Years of Cold Shoulder

The Big Ten became the latest newcomer to Sin City.
2000, Jupiter, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Montreal Expos pitcher Hideki Irabu in action on the mound against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium during Spring Training
July 28, 2025

Dead Sports Franchises Are Alive and Well on Twitter

The Expos, Sonics, and Whalers have active social media accounts.
Limited Hype
July 27, 2025

Sneaker Reselling Was Once Easy Money. Success Is Now Complicated

Vendors need to evolve what they’re selling and how they do it.
HAPPY GILMORE 2. BTS - (L to R) Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore and Rory McIlroy as himself on the set of Happy Gilmore2.
July 26, 2025

‘Cool As Hell’: How ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Hooked Golf’s Top Stars

The process was “cool as hell,” Adam Sandler tells FOS.

UNC’s Bill Belichick Brings His NFL Swagger to ACC Media Days

UNC is becoming one of the most interesting stories in college football.
Jul 22, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort.
exclusive
July 23, 2025

As Other Power Leagues Shy Away From PE, the Big Ten Continues..

Tony Petitti told FOS conversations were ongoing.
July 24, 2025

ACC’s Phillips on FSU, Clemson: ‘It Can Never Be About a School..

The commissioner isn’t worried about more conference realignment.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
Bill Belichick
July 23, 2025

UNC Sells Out All Football Tickets for Belichick Debut Season

Consistent drama around Belichick’s first college season has only helped ticket sales.
exclusive
July 23, 2025

Jim Phillips: ACC Cautious With Sports Betting Deals, Not Sold on PE

The conference is implementing new rules about injury reports.
A view of the United States Capitol on Wednesday, April 24, 2024.
July 23, 2025

Pro-NCAA Bill Passes Two Markups in Path to House Floor

The bill faces bigger challenges in the Senate.
University of Texas, Arlington
July 23, 2025

UTA Sees Upside in Women’s Flag Football Amid Nationwide Sports Cutting

UTA sees a path in women’s flag football.