Analyst Offers Positive Take on NIL Transforming College Basketball Landscape

ESPN insider offers a refreshing perspective on how NIL is transforming the lives of college athletes and paving the way for generational wealth.

Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A growing trend in the conversation about NIL in college sports is the promotion of the new landscape by former athletes.

ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas is the latest supporter of name, image, and likeness, transforming the lives of players and providing a pathway for early financial literacy.

Bilas joined the Hey Now podcast with Dave Sims to give insight on his former playing days for the Duke Blue Devils and his thoughts on the current state of college sports and NIL.

The notable supporter of NIL continued advocating for its place in college sports, arguing that it’s a mere placeholder for the future of paying athletes directly by universities.

“I think we’re in a transition period with athletes being compensated,” Bilas said. “Name, image, and likeness is in a lot of ways just a stopgap to where the players are going to be compensated by the schools the same way they would compensate a coach or another type of employee at the university. But the schools don't want to do that right now. The employment is now the new amateurism; it's like the third rail. They can't be employees when they've got thousands upon thousands of [would-be] student employees at schools now.”

Bilas is right that the discussion of NIL and the future of universities paying players as revenue sharing becomes imminent with the House settlement, deeming NIL to be something it’s really not.

However, schools and the NCAA are reluctant to allow athletes to become employees, which is why Bilas envisions a waiting period for college sports. He eventually sees some form of collective bargaining that allows players to sign contracts with buyouts like coaches and adhere to certain conditions.

Said conditions could include a buyout should the player leave, mandatory class attendance, drug testing, and a GPA requirement. Bilas thinks college sports could easily have these parameters — they’ve simply chosen not to.

“They can do all that stuff if they want to, but so far, they haven't wanted to, because [they’re] waiting for Congress to come in and give them a law that allows them to limit players. But I'm really happy that the players are getting this opportunity because for so many of them, it's a life-changing amount of money.”

Bilas offered the perspective of how little he understood about money when leaving college to go play overseas. He signed a pro contract and had to deal with handling that amount of money and paying taxes, expressing gratitude for his family and those around him helping him figure it out.

While some have the opinion that young players receiving so much money at a young age brings concerns, Bilas sees it differently.

Critics fairly point out that the absence of regulations has created vulnerable situations where young recruits can fall prey. For Bilas, should players be able to handle those hardships, the sooner the better.

He believes that NIL gives these players an advantage in the real world due to their increased financial literacy. They need to recognize that advantage and capitalize on it, but he makes a strong point in favor of NIL for players.

Bilas shared an anecdote about former Michigan Wolverines running back Blake Corum that supported his advocacy.

He met Corum at an event in Detroit, where reporters asked about his decision to return for a final year at Michigan.

“Blake Corum is a very thoughtful person,” Bilas said. “He essentially said, ‘I know what I'm supposed to say. I'm supposed to tell you that I'm coming back to win a national championship, to get my degree, and to win the Heisman Trophy. All those things are true. I want to do all those things. But I've also had a strong interest in real estate, and with my NIL money, I put together a small real estate portfolio, and I wanted another year to build that portfolio before I went into the NFL.’”

There’s certainly a narrative of irresponsibility for young players coming into lucrative NIL deals and more money than most their age have seen. Bilas offers a refreshing rebuttal through his story about Corum, arguing that more players are smart with resources than most think.

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