El Podcast

E148: From Student-Athlete to Influencer-Athlete: The Future of College Sports

Episode Summary

Graham Hillard, editor at the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, explains how NIL deals, antitrust rulings, and the House v. NCAA settlement are rapidly professionalizing college sports, especially football and men’s basketball. He outlines the legal battles, Title IX complications, and economic pressures that could lead to a super league for revenue sports and a return to amateurism for others.

Episode Notes

Graham Hillard, editor at the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, discusses the rapid professionalization of college sports under NIL, the legal chaos reshaping athletics, and the uncertain future of the NCAA’s role.

Guest bio:
Graham Hillard is the editor at the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal and a contributing writer for Washington Examiner magazine. He writes on higher education, athletics, and public policy, with a focus on costs, governance, and legal trends.

Topics discussed:

• NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) payments and the House v. NCAA settlement
• Professionalization of college football and men’s basketball
• Antitrust rulings (NCAA v. Alston) and their ripple effects
• Potential spinoffs of athletic programs into for-profit entities (e.g., Kentucky model)
• Title IX implications for revenue sharing
• Economic sustainability of non-revenue sports
• The growing role of courts in regulating college athletics
• Fan experience in the NIL era
• Potential super leagues and conference realignment
• Employee status for athletes and possible collective bargaining
• Donor influence and university politics in athletic decisions

Main points:

• College football and men’s basketball are moving toward an NFL-style salary cap model, with NIL and direct university payments legalizing player compensation.
• The NCAA’s authority is eroding, and many governance questions are now being decided in the courts through high-profile lawsuits.
• Only a small percentage of athletes will significantly benefit from NIL, while most may lose the scholarship-based perks they previously enjoyed.
• Title IX could require revenue-sharing with women’s sports, creating complex financial and recruiting implications.
• Schools may eventually split: a “super league” for money sports, and an amateur model for others.

Top 3 quotes:

• “College football has to start where the NFL was in 1930—none of the business rules are in place yet, and it’s the wild west out there.”
• “We just ruined the whole thing to make 1,000 eighteen-year-olds millionaires, and it wasn’t worth it.”
• “If we’re going to treat high-dollar college athletes as professionals, then they have to honor their contracts—this fast-and-loose system is not tenable.”