As college athletics continue to evolve, so do its players and the ways they promote themselves. As name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals are starting to become more popular among college athletes, many controversies have been raised over them. However, there are also a few advantages to these deals that we often tend to overlook.

One positive aspect of NIL deals is that they can help athletes financially, especially those who are not from particularly wealthy families. A 2019 study conducted by the National College Players Association found that 86% of student-athletes living off-campus live below the federal poverty line. With NIL opportunities, these athletes can make enough money to feed their families for years to come. Take Travis Hunter, a two-way football player for the University of Colorado, as an example. The NIL Top 10: Who are the highest-paid college athletes? states that Hunter has earned around $3.7 million through deals with companies such as EA Sports, Celsius, Cheez-It, 7-Eleven, American Eagle, and Leaf Trading Cards. He is projected to be a top pick in the NFL draft this April and can make even more money once he reaches the pros, on top of what he has already earned.

But performance on the field isn’t the only way for student-athletes to raise their value. A good example is Livvy Dunne, a senior gymnast at LSU, has boosted her value through her social media accounts, where she has almost 14 million followers. Her widespread presence has garnered the attention of several brands, and has led to her making around $3.8 million from NIL deals (The NIL Top 10: Who are the highest-paid college athletes?).

If student-athletes did not have these chances, then who knows how different their lives would be, especially from a financial standpoint.

Another advantage that NIL deals have is that they can help to prepare these athletes for the future. Usually, most of them do not learn about marketing and managing their money and brand until they become adults, and enter the real world, where some of these athletes make it to the professional level. Through these deals, they can develop important negotiation and money-management skills that will be helpful for them in their future endeavors.

This also brings up another positive: These deals help to value these athletes for all of the hard work and sacrifices they have made to get to this point in their careers, and how important they are to their schools.

A common argument against NIL deals is that they can be a distraction, and take away from these players’ academic and athletic goals. However, they can actually serve as an incentive. According to Sportstrepeneur, “By maintaining high performance on and off the field, athletes can enhance their marketability and attract more lucrative endorsement opportunities for these potential sponsors. No matter how talented someone is as a player, many companies will care more about how good of a person they are.” While this can create pressure for these student-athletes, it is important to remember that they have been under pressure to perform well their whole lives, so this is nothing new to them.

College athletes are already required to perform well both in the classroom and for their schools’ teams. Through NIL deals which help to value them and teach them important financial skills, they can be better prepared to navigate the difficult paths that life after college can present.