Be good, get an offer, compete for a team, major in something, retire from the sport, make money. It’s the cycle of college gymnastics—or at least the old one. Now the money-making has moved up a bit, and it’s not student-athlete. Now it’s student-athlete-entrepreneur. For the top 1% of college gymnasts, like Olivia Dunne and Sunisa Lee, NIL is a major way to capitalize early and build a foundation for later business deals and marketing. For those up-and-coming who haven’t made their way to college, it’s inspiration and hope for the future.
NIL has been a hot topic of conversation for good reason, but what does it really mean for recruiting?
Utah Gymnastics signed a team-wide deal with a local pharmacy with a payout of around $4,000 for each athlete. Alabama joins the list with a deal from the fan-based platform, CrowdPush, which encompassed the entire team and noted the goal of paying $20,000 to each athlete at the beginning of the season. And, Michigan State clinched a deal with Charitable Gift America, signing the whole team as well.
Of course, seeing the full team deals provides a lot of hope and confirmation for prospects with the near-guarantee of an NIL deal when they get to college. If these deals last, they’ll receive a consistent payout…
