Alpha

Discover

BusinessJun 10, 2025

NCAA Will Allow Universities To Revenue Share With Student-Athletes, Kicking Doors Open to ‘Big Money’ in College Sports

Amateurism Settlement

Noah Weidner

Go Deeper

Related stories

media rights

FIFA Is Bringing World Cup Rights Back To Market

Semiconductor

Apple Expands US Manufacturing Footprint in Multiyear Broadcom Pact

retail sector

Why Major Retailers Are Slashing Food Costs

Electric Vehicle

Fiat Targets Niche US Market With New Electric Topolino

airline

Airlines Capitalize on Changing Traveler Habits

After years of litigation, amateurism is dead in college sports — and it’s the Wild West all over again. Last week, a federal judge OK’d a settlement that would allow the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and powerful conferences like the Big Ten and SEC to share revenue with athletes.

Leveling the playing field, universities will now be allowed to direct $20.5M per year in “revenue sharing” from their own budgets to student-athletes for use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL) — money that’ll likely come from ticket sales and TV contracts.
Before this, the NIL system was a wildly unregulated marketplace where brands and ‘school-affiliated’ collectives were the only ones permitted to pay student-athletes, often as an incentive to transfer to their program.

Forward-looking: NCAA President Charlie Baker said the settlement “opens a pathway to begin stabilizing college sports.” New legislation by Congress even seeks to add predictability through a national NIL law, which would effectively regulate it. However, there is the possibility that the influx of money into college athletics could lead to further fracturing and political maneuvering — producing more uncertainty for TV deals, emerging businesses, and colleges.