Speaking (and Photoshopping) them into existence.
When name, image and likeness (NIL) first came onto the college football scene, I, like many others, thought we’d soon see an onslaught of college athletes in commercials and ads, be it local ones for lesser-known athletes or national ones for the more high-profile players. And while that’s happened to some extent, I think NIL has become much more about collectives and team-wide payouts much more than most of us expected. And that’s a shame.
There are lots of incredible partnerships to be had between college athletes and brands, and with it all being above board, that should be embraced.