USF athletes making (some) NIL side money
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South Florida guard Elena Tsineke drives against Tennesee in November. Photo: Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
University of South Florida student-athletes are getting paid routinely for appearances, social media posts and sports camps under new rules allowing them to profit off such deals.
Driving the news: Per USF records provided to Axios, Bulls have capitalized on their "name, image and likeness" (NIL) at least 111 times for a total of nearly $13,000 since the new rules went into effect this summer.
Why it matters: Nobody's making huge money, but $100 for a social media post or $50 for a public appearance can go a long way toward helping college athletes get by.
- The largest payment by far was $3,500 for an undisclosed deal.
Flashback: The NCAA's new NIL rules, which took effect July 1, let student-athletes benefit financially from their college careers while they're still playing.
- As Axios' Kendall Baker wrote, the change marked a major shift for athletes, many of whom don't go pro, and ushered in a new era of amateur sports.
Zoom in: USF gave us limited information — no names or specifics about each paid gig. But the data does give us a picture of how the change in policy is playing out on campus.
- Some 60% of the disclosures filed through early December involved athletes being paid in exchange for social media posts.
- Athletes also got paid for working at camps and giving lessons — between $50 and $325 per experience.
- Five public appearances earned between $50 and $80.
The bottom line: The cost-benefit equation could change as the market grows and groups start helping athletes make the most of the deals. USF has nearly 450 athletes on 19 teams.
- USF launched a program called BOOST in June, a bundle of NIL programs offering student-athletes instruction in financial literacy and how to build brands and manage assets, as well as a streamlined fair market value evaluation and compliance exchange.
- And Tampa-based Florida Funders has invested in Philadelphia-based NOCAP Sports, a startup that provides a free platform for athletes and schools to conduct NIL-related transactions with oversight from third parties.
