The change in the NCAA’s name, image, and likeness regulations for college athletes was preceded by many ridiculous arguments in favor of the status quo. One such argument was that athletes already get a “free education.” That was never true, but, under the new NIL policy, it might become reality.
Built Brands, LLC, a Utah-based energy bar company, was already a corporate partner of Brigham Young University. Now, the university and the company announced “an enhanced multi-year agreement to support the Cougar football program” and reached agreements with individual members of the football team.
Those agreements could change college sports forever. Built reached an agreement with all 123 players on BYU’s roster. That includes 36 walk-on players who do not have athletic scholarships. They did not have the “free education” that defenders of the NCAA’s amateurism model asserted college athletes had. But now they do (at least for one year), as Built agreed to cover the cost of tuition in their deals with all 36 walk-ons.
To be clear, Built isn’t just giving these players money. It’s an endorsement deal: BYU’s practice helmets will include Built branding, and players will participate in promotional events. But now, 36 players who had to cover their own cost of tuition will now be getting that “free education” so many people insisted college football players were already getting.
This landmark deal will change the college sports landscape, especially in football. The NCAA limits football teams to a maximum of 85 scholarships, with an annual cap of 25 new scholarship players per year. There are roughly 4,000 walk-ons in Division I football alone. That is 4,000 athletes in a sport where less than 2% of athletes make it to the NFL who could see the kind of financial aid that could set them up for a nonfootball-related career.
There will be growing pains with the new NIL rules, of course. BYU is effectively bypassing scholarship limits through this deal. But this means that more people are benefiting, and it’s not like college football’s parity issues can get worse. This is a net positive for college sports, whether or not this kind of deal becomes widespread.
