If You Build It: A Structural Analysis of the NIL Impact on Women’s College Sports

This manuscript analyzes the evolving impact of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) on women’s college sports in the United States. Since the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) changed its long-standing policy on student-athlete compensation in 2021, collegiate athletes have been granted the ability to profit from their personal brand. This change dismantled the outdated amateurism model and opened doors for student-athlete empowerment. The NIL era has also introduced a complex web of challenges, particularly for female athletes. We examine how NIL has both exposed and exacerbated gender disparities in college athletics. This manuscript explores how opportunities to monetize NIL are influenced not just by athletic ability, but also by societal expectations tied to appearance and femininity. We investigate how athletes in both aesthetic and contact sports are differentially affected by the NIL market and the influence of social media. In addition, this manuscript situates the NIL landscape within the broader historical and legal context of gender equity in sport, particularly Title IX. We discuss the implications of recent legal settlements in addition to the NCAA’s new revenue-sharing model set to begin in Fall of 2025. By combining legal precedent, sociocultural analysis, and analyses of economic trends, this manuscript sheds light on the dual-edged nature of NIL in women’s sports. NIL could offer new pathways for recognition and financial support, but it also risks replicating older inequalities in new, more subtle ways. Therefore, a proactive and equitable approach is critical to ensuring NIL contributes to the long-term growth, representation, and success of all athletes, including women in college athletics. Without intentional structural reforms in college sport, NIL could further exacerbate existing gender disparities instead of addressing and potentially correcting them.