Sports are undoubtedly very profitable. Even while that has long been the case in the NBA, the amount of money associated with the game has skyrocketed in recent years. Even the least valued club is now worth several billions of dollars due to the explosion in franchise valuations. Just from its most recent media rights agreement, the league is making almost $75 billion. The contracts these superstars sign are worth well over $200 million.
The introduction of name, image, and likeness (NIL) has caused a more significant change in college basketball than in the NBA. Players can now earn money long before they become professionals, which is fantastic for labor justice but has also had some unexpected repercussions.
Matt Barnes opens up on the influence of NIL
During his recent appearance on Big Boy’s Hangout, NBA veteran and All the Smoke podcast host Matt Barnes discussed how NIL has altered the game, both positively and negatively.
Barnes stated:
“NIL is like the Wild Wild West right now,”, “’cause we always fought for money. I’m talking on a college level, it’s starting as early as high school now. But on a college level, we know these colleges are making millions upon millions and billions of dollars, mostly off black players’ backs.”
“I remember Chris Webber talking about the Fab Five, like, ‘They’re selling my jerseys in stores, I don’t even have money to get a sandwich.’ So there’s just certain situations where we fought for, we finally have it, but there’s no regulation on it now, so it’s wild.”
The frequency of athletes switching schools, sometimes even several times during their undergraduate careers, has skyrocketed as a result of NIL money. It is no longer typical for a player to wait for his chance as a junior or senior while riding the bench as an underclassman.
