Resources for Student Athletes
SUPPORTING COLLEGE and HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES
Today’s Talent. Tomorrow’s Success.
“Everyone is going through something that we can't see. The thing is, because we can't see it, we don't know who's going through what and we don't know when and we don't always know why. Mental health is an invisible thing, but it touches all of us at some point or another. It's part of life.”
Former UCLA basketball player Kevin Love
About NIL Insight
My name is Brian DiNapoli, from Atlanta. I’m an all-time sports fan, especially in high school and college sports. This website is intended to support high school and college athletes and their families as a resource while navigating the NIL space. I want to encourage young athletes to have good health physically and mentally. I provide links to resources on NIL opportunities, mental health, player safety, substance abuse prevention, academic, financial, volunteer, and other resources that can help you succeed as a student athlete and beyond your playing career.
Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL)
Former UCLA basketball player, Ed O’Bannnon, paved the way for student athletes for the right to profit off their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) after he sued the NCAA in 2009 over their licensing department using his name, image, and likeness in a NCAA basketball video game. This eventually led to the following ruling, in July 2021, when the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) released an official College Athletes Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) Policy after a Supreme Court ruling in favor of amateur athletes, growing calls for fairness and mounting pressure from lawmakers across the country allowing college athletes across the country to get paid for their Names, Image, and Likenesses (NIL) without risking their right to play at their school. In the past, earning money through anything - including signing autographs - risked ruining a student's eligibility.
This is a game changer for student athletes while they bring in billions of dollars for the NCAA. College athletes from all walks of life welcomed this news with open arms not just for the opportunity to earn a slice of the pie, but because college is so expensive. Only a small percentage of athletes end up getting a full-ride scholarship. The rest are limited in the time they can work due to their time commitment to sports. Now, those problems are at least partially solved with athletes given the opportunity to earn from their efforts.
As exciting and momentous as the College Athletes Name Image Likeness (NIL) policy change is, it is not all blue skies for college athletes – there are complexities since each state can regulate NIL regulations and the process of negotiating deals with brands, companies, and organizations is complicated. Many student athletes are now left to make deals on their own.
NIL is a fantastic way for students to take their true value into their own hands and to reap the rewards of their hard work. College athletes can now become entrepreneurs. At the same point, however, there's a lot of work necessary to seek out the deals, vet their legitimacy, negotiate specific terms, and maintain those professional relationships - all while students, still must continue performing at elite levels on top of going to college full-time.
Please check the NIL rules and regulations in your state, university, college, or school. NIL rules and regulations can vary across the country.
Please contact me if I can help you obtain more resources and subscribe below to be added to my email list, I wish you the best as you pursue your academic, entrepreneurial, and athletic dreams, and remember to love the game and it will always love you back:
