Page 16 - aruba-today-20220901

A16 sports
Thursday 1 sepTember 2022
NIL deals put just a few bucks in most athletes' pockets

By DAVE SKRETTA BYU to help put some ex-
AP Sports Writer tra money in the pockets
Texas offensive lineman of Cougar athletes. "We've
Christian Jones remembers given out thousands and
walking up to Bijan Robin- thousands of dollars to the
son not long ago and ask- athletes, but we haven't
ing for a lift, figuring it was given out millions and mil-
least the All-American run- lions of dollars to the ath-
ning back could do for one letes."
of the big guys doing all the According to the NIL plat-
blocking. form INFLCR, the average
"He said there's a height lim- transaction involving a
it," Jones said with a smile. college football player is
Turns out there's not much $3,396, while a similar plat-
space in a Lamborghini form called Athliance puts
for a 6-foot-6, 328-pound it at $3,391. But those num-
teammate. bers are skewed by excep-
"The suspension would tionally large deals signed
probably be messed up," by elites such as Robin-
Jones added. Texas' Christian Jones (70) blocks against Louisiana-Lafayette during the second half of an NCAA son and Ohio State's C.J.
Thanks to a bold new era of college football game on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, in Austin, Texas. Stroud; the median deal
name, image and likeness Associated Press through INFLCR's platform is
compensation deals across just $53.
college sports, plenty of ride. But for every NIL mil- like Jones who have hardly haves and the have-nots," That's hardly enough for a
star players are cruising lionaire like Robinson, there struck it rich. said Jake Brandon, who tank of gas in Robinson's
around campus in a fancy are thousands of athletes "For sure, you have the founded a NIL collective at flashy orange Lamborghini.
"The most common re-
quest I get from athletes
is, 'Can you help me get
a NIL deal to get grocer-
ies this month?' Or, 'I got a
flat tire in my sidewall and
I don't have the money to
cover it. Can you help me
get a NIL deal?'" Brandon
recalls telling a local Utah
business. "So the majority of
people in college football,
if you look at the broad
spectrum, are not walk-
ing away with six-figure NIL
deals. They're more likely
to be walking away with a
couple extra thousand dol-
lars."
They're more like the deals
found on the Opendorse
platform, where Tennessee
fans can get a recorded
shoutout from linebacker
Tyler Baron for as little as $10
or an autograph for $25.
Kansas State quarterback
Adrian Martinez will author
a targeted social media
post starting at $125 while
Memphis defensive back
Quindell Johnson is open to
custom requests.
The Opendorse offers are
take 'em-or-leave 'em op-
portunities, allowing ath-
letes to decide what makes
sense for them.
"For me, it's been nothing
more than fun," said Marti-
nez, the prolific former Ne-
braska quarterback who
will start for the Wildcats this
season.
"I've never wanted it to
stress me out." q