Recap: Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) Panel Discussion at 2022 Sports PR Summit
To kick off the afternoon portion of the 2022 Sports PR Summit, Ric Bucher moderated an engaging discussion focused on name, image and likeness (NIL).
Rutgers University alumnus and motivational speaker Eric LeGrand, former Rutgers men’s basketball player Geo Baker, and Seton Hall women’s basketball player Andra Espinoza-Hunter comprised the trio of panelists offering unique perspectives toward the evolving topic of NIL.
NIL deals come in all sizes and delve into various sectors, ranging from 2022 March Madness breakout star Doug Edert’s deal with Buffalo Wild Wings to Texas Longhorns running back and 2023 NFL Draft prospect Bijan’s Robinon’s deal with a Lamborghini dealership in Austin.
Viewing the NIL landscape through a business owner lens, Eric LeGrand strives to work with athletes who seek exposure and are willing to work in tandem with businesses. While many brands utilize NIL to expand awareness and loyal consumers on a national scale, LeGrand partners with athletes like Baker to attract local patrons of Legrand Coffee House and demonstrate small businesses’ support toward student-athletes. NIL agreements can go beyond simply being transactional, a fact illustrated by Baker and Legrand sharing a friendship and common interest in strengthening Rutgers University’s relationship with the community through athletics.
NIL’s Impact on Female Student-Athletes
With NIL providing many resources, platforms and opportunities never before available to generations of collegiate athletes, Espinoza-Hunter emphasizes this to especially be the case for female athletes. “NIL is helping female collegiate-level athletes empower ourselves as we females have always been viewed as a step below our counterparts,” she said. “With NIL, we are able to show the world who we are and what we are capable of.”
On the heels of a deal with Barstool Sports, Espinoza-Hunter added Chipotle and Olaplex to her portfolio. Yet before inking deals with brands, she recognized she needed to take an intentional and measured approach to her pursuits. “I had to sit down and figure out who I am outside of being a basketball player, and ask myself ‘What is my brand?’ and ‘What do I want to show the world?’”
Bucher acknowledged Baker’s instrumental influence on NIL through his determination to improve student-athletes’ accessibility to networking and brand development. In light of the pandemic and the financial insecurity many student-athletes were facing, Baker joined fellow student-athletes who were speaking out about what they believed was an exploitative system. Collectively, they organized the #NotNCAAProperty movement. Although Baker faced significant pushback and criticism at the time, he is now recognized as a leading and early advocate for advancing NIL opportunities for athletes both in the present and future.
NIL, Recruiting and the Transfer Portal
Just as new NIL deals arise frequently, debate and concern about NIL’s impact on recruiting and the transfer portal often follows closely behind. “Especially when talking to younger athletes when they are talking to other schools during the recruitment process, NIL does come up and I do think it is playing a role in the recruitment process,” Baker said.
Espinoza-Hunter noted she would not have viewed NIL as the determining factor in her recruiting process upon her graduation from Ossining High School (NY) if the NCAA had not prevented student-athletes from pursuing deals with brands before its groundbreaking reversal on July 1, 2021.
Ezpionza-Hunter stays true to her own ambitions, saying, “I don’t think it (NIL) would have influenced my recruitment process. I am a first-generation (college student) and my grandparents are immigrants. My biggest thing when going to college was to make sure I could get my degree in a topic which interests me.”
Baker echoed that sentiment. “I think for a lot of people it would have been different. But for me, not much would have changed. I was very under-recruited coming from a small town where I didn’t have a large social media presence, and I’ve always been a blue-collar guy.”
Moving Forward with NIL
The panelists noted some universities provide little to no information or resources for athletes to learn about NIL, with the onus of understanding the financial and business aspects of NIL often falling on athletes themselves. Baker advocates for student-athletes to enhance their business acumen and utilize NIL to shed light on their individuality. As athletes, businesses and consumers each continue to learn about the NIL landscape and navigate its future, Legrand, Baker and Espinoza-Hunter agreed all parties involved in NIL deals need to do the necessary research to ensure they receive what they are looking for.
With recruits considering NIL opportunities during the recruiting process in addition to an instituion’s academics and potential to foster a professional sports career, all stakeholders must understand the paradigm across college athletics has shifted with NIL opportunities now widely available.
