NIL | Think About It Hawaii

NIL-ism – MidWeek May 20, 2026

admin MidWeek Column May 20, 2026April 27, 2026#collegesports, #johnfink, #midweek, #thinkaboutit, john fink, midweek, midweek hawaii, NIL, think about it 0 Comment

As more and more college athletics’ coaches throw in the proverbial towel nowadays (including locally), perhaps it’s time to take a look at what’s going on in the crazy world of college athletics. College athletes (in all sports) can now get paid for usage of their name, image, and likeness (NIL). It began in 2021 as the Supreme Court ruled that college athletes are entrepreneurs (not employees) and can cash in on their athletic prowess beyond a free scholarship. So much for “student-athletes”. They’re here today, gone tomorrow…

Quarterbacks at big-name schools can rake in $5 million in NIL money annually and outside hitters in women’s volleyball can get upwards of $200,000; pitcher NiJaree Canady receiving $1.1 million to leave Stanford and pitch for/attend Texas Tech. She pitched so well that Tech played in the 2025 college softball national championship game for the first time ever.

UH has seen numerous student-athletes come and go in different sports. UH is now preparing to compete with most sports in the Mountain West Conference this fall. NIL uncertainty is truly the wild, wild West. Athletes can enter the NCAA transfer portal annually as not only does the grass appear greener, but so does the money.

Imagine you’re a college coach, teaching student athletes life lessons through being disciplined, accountable, responsible, dealing with ups and downs, time management, teamwork, and hopefully realizing some landmark accomplishments (wins?) along the way. Your reward for this effort used to be job security, along with the lasting memories created and the gratification of teaching young men and women.

Nowadays? Many student-athletes are mercenaries, going wherever the highest bid takes them- sometimes moving four times in four years! Capitalism at its finest. Coaches who’ve acted as surrogate parents are now mere intermediaries as athletes move on down the road. Maybe a coach gets to spend four months with a player, and then he/she is off to see the wizard of ahhhs at another (higher paying) institution of learning.

How’d you like to run a company whose workforce is decimated annually? Teamwork, continuity, growth- all concepts stunted by the NIL world as many athletes are one and done. It’s tough for fans, too- no reciprocal loyalties.

So the next time an asocial media troll comments about a coach’s apparent failings, keep in mind this new world along with university fiscal responsibilities that make the college coaching profession tougher than ever.

Think about it…

The NIL Conundrum – MidWeek April 30, 2025

admin MidWeek Column April 30, 2025April 14, 2025#johnfink, #midweek, #thinkaboutit, college sports, john fink, midweek, midweek hawaii, NIL, think about it

Under a 2021 Congressional law, still being tweaked regularly by the NCAA and individual states- student-athletes can earn compensation for their “name, image and likeness” (NIL), which has opened up Pandora’s Box. The rich get richer (Big Ten, ACC, SEC, Big 12) while mid-majors (like UH in the Mountain West and Big West) ponder an uncertain future competing in the now wild, wild west world of transfers, poachers, and increased funding opportunities. On3 estimates that more than 20 college athletes will make more than a million dollars in 2025.

Historically, coaches bolted schools for greater money/opportunity in a nanosecond, leaving stunned recruits behind. Nowadays, sponsors fund athletes (via NIL deals) and then might cut out funding athletic departments they used to contribute to. Coaches don’t have years to develop strategies involving teamwork, cohesion, or situational analysis, while they also appease an increasingly, results-oriented fan base. Home is not where the heart is in Division I college athletics, but rather where the money is.

Ahhh… to be a Division I coach today. Dan Hurley, head coach of 2023 and 2024 men’s basketball champion UConn, lamented on “60 Minutes” that as UConn entered the 2025 NCAA basketball tournament (seeking a rare threepeat) “…50% or more” of his roster were already primed to enter the NCAA transfer portal. And UConn was two-time defending champs!

While one can counsel 20-year-olds that the grass isn’t always greener and things that look too good to be true just might be, Div. I athletes today have opportunities to make more money during their college year(s) than they might earn throughout much of their adult careers. Adding to this confusion, revenue-sharing between schools and athletes will become a reality in 2026!

If a 20-year-old, promising engineering student gets a contract offer at Google/Alphabet Inc., we say “good on him.” But its murkier when we talk about beloved college sports- our alma mater, age-old loyalties, the student-athlete model, etc. You might well be rooting for a mercenary in your school’s colors, knowing that he/she might be one-and-done- off to greener pa$ture$ next season.

UH, offering the unique opportunity to play/live in Hawai`i, has reaped transfer rewards; other mid-majors might not have those opportunities in the crazy, morphing NIL world. A player unhappy with playing time, limited endorsement opportunities, and/or an alluring chance elsewhere is likely gone after one year. ‘Tis the new reality of DI college athletics.

Think about it…