Male Athletes Lead Way in NIL Money, According to Third-Party Data

Male athletes are leading the way six months after the NCAA cleared the way for college athletes to earn money on their celebrity.

They lead in total name, image and likeness compensation and have more NIL deals than women, according to third-party data from July 1 through Dec. 31 for some 125,000 athletes — about a quarter of the nearly 500,000 in the NCAA’s three divisions.

NIL opportunities are clearly uneven, among genders and Power Five schools.

The Washington State women’s volleyball team, for example, has zero deals. Several of its international players are not eligible for them, but coach Jen Greeny, whose teams have gone to the NCAA tournament six straight seasons, said women’s teams just don’t seem to be a priority.