Ever since its inception, the NIL era has proven to be the most controversial period in the history of gridiron football, as many, including Nick Saban, now believe that it has reached a tipping point.
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During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show in December of 2024, the former head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide highlighted that “Each year, it’s gotten a little worse.”
“The first year we had name, image and likeness four, five years ago, we had a $3 million [roster], and everybody was happy. Then the next year it was $7 million, then the next year it’s $10 million. Then this year it’s $13 million. Now they’re looking at $20 million. I mean, where does it end?”
Saban has been ringing this alarm for quite some time now, but few have listened. The price to field a competitive college football team is at an all-time high, and as a result, the President of the United States himself, Donald J. Trump, is getting involved.
In an official statement released by the White House, President Trump suggests that the introduction of the NIL era has resulted in an “out-of-control, rudderless system,” one that is as disingenuous as it is uneven.
“Players at some universities will receive more than $50 million per year… Entering the 2024 season, players on the eventual college football national champion team were being paid around $20 million annually. By the 2025 season, football players at one university will reportedly be paid $35-40 million.”
According to the Trump administration, “this not only reduces competition and parity,” but it also threatens the existence of sports and programs that do not generate as much revenue as football and basketball, particularly women’s sports. Now, the 47th President of the United States is issuing an executive order that aims to preserve and expand scholarship opportunities and “collegiate athletic competition in women’s and non-revenue sports.”
Simply put, any program that surpassed $125,000,000 in revenue during the 2024-2025 athletic season will be required to provide more scholarship opportunities for non-revenue sports than they did during that same time period, while also providing the maximum amount of roster spots. For programs that collected $50,000,000 in revenue, they’ll need to offer at least as many scholarship opportunities as they did last year while also providing the maximum amount of roster spots, so on and so forth.
In a nation that seems to value exponential growth over nearly everything else, including common sense, such restrictions are bound to ruffle some feathers. Nevertheless, it appears as if, at least for now, guardrails are being put in place to ensure that the wealth is at least shared somewhat fairly.
It’s a rare instance in which a Republican President has decided to ensure the survival of lesser programs and women’s athletics, so at least in that regard, the current administration deserves some semblance of credit for having its heart in the right place.
