Thursday, November 14, 2024

Money in NCAA sports has changed life for a few. For many athletes, college degree remains the prize

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PHOENIX (AP) — Sponsorship deals were far from Jonny Bottorff’s mind when he transferred to Northern Arizona University on a football scholarship. As money-making opportunities for college athletes have boomed since then, the offensive lineman has earned a few hundred dollars through name, image and likeness deals, but nothing that has changed his life.

Bottorff, 23, earned an undergraduate degree and is now working on his master’s degree at the Division I school in Flagstaff, Arizona. He transferred from Missouri Western State University, a small Division II school in Saint Joseph, Missouri.

“I think the reality for most college athletes is things haven’t really changed that much. We just got an extra little bit of cash in our pockets that probably needed to happen,” Bottorff said.

For some players, money from NIL deals has transformed what it means to be a college athlete. But outside the highest-profile athletes, who now can earn millions of dollars while still in school, many players say a college degree remains the ultimate prize.

College athletes graduate at rates that are comparable to and often higher than non-athletes. For Division I schools, the NCAA last year reported data showing a record 91% of athletes are graduating.

Before the Supreme Court ruled in 2021 that U.S.-born athletes could earn money from advertisements, autographs and university boosters, college athletes were under a simple agreement with their institutions: compete in exchange for a degree.

Money received through NIL agreements has changed the equation for athletes like Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels and Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, who leveraged their personal brands while still in college, securing endorsement deals with the likes of Reebok, Powerade and Beats by Dre.

Where academics rates as a priority varies with each individual. But several Division I athletes said in interviews the money available to them through NIL remains a small consideration compared with earning a degree and competing in the sports they love.

Anthony Leal, a guard for Indiana University’s basketball team, said he is coming back as a fifth-year senior because of school, even though he received his undergraduate degree last year. He said earning a master’s in business administration was always the goal.

“I’m about 70% through the program in the Kelley School of Business,” he said. “I wanted to get that degree.”

NCAA eligibility rules allow athletes five years to compete athletically across four seasons. Under the redshirt eligibility rule, many receive an athletic scholarship and practice their first year, but do not compete in games or matches. The NCAA also allowed athletes to extend their eligibility by a year if their team was affected by the pandemic.

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