Review: "The Money Game" leads viewers on LSU athletes' whirlwind NIL explosion
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Flau'jae Johnson, Olivia Dunne and Trace Young take a selfie during a premiere event for "The Money Game" at LSU. Photo: Peter Forest/Getty Images for Prime Video
"The Money Game," a new docuseries from Prime Video, starts streaming Tuesday, taking viewers behind the scenes of the explosion of NIL opportunities at LSU for its star athletes.
Why it matters: NIL, shorthand for the policy that opened up the ability for NCAA athletes to profit off their own name, image and likeness, changed the world of college athletics forever.
Zoom in: LSU was quick to capitalize on NIL deals, and the six-episode series shows exactly what that means for the university's athletic department as it follows several student-athletes throughout the 2023-24 school year.
- Among them are gymnast Olivia Dunne, quarterback Jayden Daniels, track athlete Alia Armstrong and basketball players Flau'jae Johnson, Angel Reese and Trace Young.
The intrigue: As we now know, that year turned out to be pivotal for several of those stars.
- By its end, Dunne was part of LSU's first national championship-winning gymnastics team, Reese left for the WNBA and Daniels became a Heisman Trophy winner and first-round pick in the NFL Draft.
- But that's only part of what makes this show such a fascinating watch.
"The Money Game" feels like viewers get to pull back the curtain on an LSU hype video.
- Sure, there's a lot of razzle-dazzle, but these are also real young adults hoping to build generational wealth for their families, often with their families as they make six-figure business decisions between college classes and team practices.
- And all that's happening as the NCAA and state lawmakers figure out how NIL should actually work amid opinions flying from alumni, sports commentators and fans about whether, in the end, it's ruining college sports altogether.
Between the lines: The series is produced by Axios Entertainment, Campfire Studios and Shaquille O'Neal's Jersey Legends, a division of Authentic Studios.
Yes, but: I wasn't involved in the show's production, and though I'm an LSU alumna, I watched all six episodes looking to learn something new and hoping to see an interesting story unfold.
I got what I was looking for, and then some.
- The show goes behind the scenes on many of those key moments during a big year for LSU athletics, from Daniels' concussion in the game against Alabama to Reese's decision to leave LSU and Dunne's decision to stay.
- But the series is at its best when it makes space for the complicated whirlwind that has become these athletes' lives. As Armstrong says when she's asking LSU's NIL team for help to create a business around her brand, "I'm still a kid."
State of play: For many of the show's stars, college is the time for them to cash in on their brands while LSU is around to help them shine.
- As Johnson told me during a panel discussion at the docuseries' LSU premiere, "I don't have a $30 million contract waiting on me in the WNBA. As women … we have to seize the opportunity. We have to do it while we're here."
- But that holds true for Young, as well, who is clear-eyed about how his basketball career won't take him to the high-paying NBA. Instead, he describes staying at LSU as a good financial decision even though he has to pay tuition.
The stars' family dynamics are also fascinating, whether it's Johnson sparring with her mom over her priorities or Armstrong leaning on her own mother for athletic guidance.
- "I know I can also take care of my family … for generations, just from what I do here in college," Johnson says, acknowledging both the scope of the opportunity and its weight.
What's next: As the series wraps, it teases the latest decisions that open the ability for colleges to share revenue directly with their athletes.
How to watch: All episodes are available to watch starting Tuesday on Prime Video.
Go deeper: