NIL’s Next Chapter: From Permission to Infrastructure

By Alexis Ferruccio, of Michelman Robinson Money is officially part of the game. The NCAA's longstanding limits on paying athletes have fallen away, universities can now share revenue with their players directly, and the market around name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights has grown from a novelty into a real and thriving commercial marketplace. Corporate sponsors, marketing agencies, multimedia-rights companies, booster-funded collectives, and outside investors have all rushed in, each with a s