UGA’s student section at Sanford Stadium, the home of the Georgia Bulldogs.
By Tripp Teague
If you have been paying attention to college football for the past couple of years, you have probably heard of NIL. The term stands for name, image, and likeness, and allows collegiate players to profit from their individual identity. These rules give athletes more agency in the college football industry, contrasted to coaches or college programs themselves. NIL definitely grants better opportunities and benefits, but it has also caused some challenges for the sport itself. It has impacted the transfer portal by allowing college programs to entice players with financial compensation. Programs with more money can offer better deals, prompting significantly more transfers to pop up. Players can also earn money through revenue sharing, like programs selling their specific jersey or features in advertising for other businesses and markets. Nevertheless, how does NIL affect the public relations of college football, and how can we navigate this new age?
To be frank, the answer depends on who you are representing. NIL deals have opened new opportunities for public relations professionals in the form of representing players themselves. Some of the players with the biggest names in the sport have their own PR teams, such as Shedeur Sanders before playing professionally, and currently Arch Manning. Since they are truly their own operator now, a public relations professional can help their player get brand deals, evaluate possible transfer options, and maintain their own image. That last aspect is quite important in the NIL world. Players’ actions and character are under more observation and scrutiny than ever due to their independence. One slip-up or immature move can cost them everything in the modern era. College athletes need a public relations manager to help with image crises or even prevent something like that from happening in the first place.
A public relations professional can also represent a coach or a program. These roles are more traditional but have also seen change since the new NIL rules, especially for coaches who seem to be losing their jobs more often. Recently, the head coach for Penn State, James Franklin, lost his job in the middle of the season after working there for 11 years. He must now rely heavily on his public relations team to communicate his response to this shocking turn of events. One way they achieved this was by setting up an appearance on ESPN College GameDay to share how he felt about getting fired. Penn State’s football program’s PR team has also been quite active since this event, addressing the fans who might feel hurt by this move and explaining the decision to other stakeholders. Additionally, they must communicate with the media to land a story that will highlight their perspective. The firing of James Franklin demonstrates how many different individuals are impacted by one action, each of whom can use public relations to navigate their own path forward.
The key takeaway on how NIL rules have impacted college football is that every person involved in the sport needs to leverage public relations assistance. Each program, coach, and player is their own brand that interacts and collaborates with others. They need to be able to communicate effectively with other brands both within and outside of the college football industry. NIL rules have provided public relations professionals with opportunities through new jobs and markets to reach.
