With NIL prep schools emerging and clever Mormons (yup) pulling off what may be the savviest of NIL deals we’ve seen yet, the world of college sports is transforming faster than… technology?
Okay, maybe not that fast, but clearly things are moving in a new direction when it comes to college sports thanks to the NIL rulings.
And, speaking of things moving quickly, we are already about to head into basketball season.
Basketball is one of the BIGGEST money-makers for the NCAA. In fact, March Madness alone brings in enough revenue to fund nearly every sport in the entire NCAA.
So, it may not come as a surprise that college basketball players have some serious earning potential when it comes to NIL monetization.
NIL Social Media Study on College Basketball Players
In a new study from Bet Arizona, they’ve tallied up the Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok followings of the top players on the 2021-2022 season rosters to calculate the potential earnings for those taking the NIL monetization route.
The potential revenue was calculated across the 3 platforms at a rate of $0.80 per follower per year.
Some of the top findings from the report:
- Three of the top 25 college basketball players have followings that could earn them over $1 million in brand sponsorship revenue: Shareef O’Neal of LSU, Adrian Nunez of Michigan, and Paige Bueckers of UConn.
- LSU’s O’Neal has enough followers to earn an estimated $3.5 million annually. This amounts to more than a third of the revenue that LSU, his alma mater, generates from basketball.
- Twelve of the top 25 potential earners in college basketball are women. UConn’s Bueckers leading the pack among women’s basketball players.
Check out the findings in their visuals below:
College basketball is upon us. It will be interesting to see the impacts of NIL.
Congrats to all these players on being able to monetize their name, image, and likeness. It’s long overdue!
