COLUMBIA, Mo. — The University of Missouri athletics department has spent more than $31 million on name, image and likeness compensation for its athletes during the past year, according to financial records.
Mizzou’s NIL spending reflects the university’s push to compete in football and men’s basketball under the terms of a modern college sports landscape that has spawned a lucrative market for athletes.
The records show that nearly two-thirds of the money in 2024 went to football players and about a fourth to men’s basketball. The remainder was split among baseball, women’s basketball and lower-profile programs.
MU’s spending in the past month alone shows how the school has tried to take advantage of a disruption in the NIL market, distributing an influx of cash to athletes before the landmark House v.