“We do everything on our own”: FBS Athletes’ Perceptions of NIL Value and Support

Name, image, and likeness (NIL) has altered the landscape of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Specifically at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level, college athletes are engaging with organizations through NIL opportunities and receiving financial and product-based compensation. While FBS college athletes have access to the lucrative NIL marketplace, NCAA member institutions are largely prohibited from facilitating deals on their behalf. Given the pervasiveness of NIL compensation, however, many collegiate athletic departments have implemented NIL educational programming for athletes and partnered with third party NIL-based companies (e.g., Opendorse, Postgame). As athletic department institutional members (e.g., administrators, coaches) are permitted to educate but not facilitate NIL compensation, the present study sought to examine college athletes’ perceptions of their NIL value and institutional support. Findings indicate that college athletes’ have little perception of their NIL value and believe greater institutional support is necessary as they navigate the NIL marketplace.