NIL’s Next Era Looks Like Michigan Football’s Lakers Outing

Much of the discourse surrounding name image and likeness compensation is painted in a negative light with cautionary tales and sky-is-falling anxiety about the broad direction of college sports. There’s the ever-evolving debate of pay for play, or how it’s used as an inducement for visits or commitments, but there are also the regular transactions that show the system can work as a normal exchange of services, specifically in the social media era. Consider the Los Angeles Lakers’ 133–112 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Dec. 28. A few Michigan football players were in section 102 with prime seats to take in the action. The seats routinely retail for over $500 on the secondary market, but thanks to NIL, when Trevor Keegan requested a few tickets, UM’s Champions Circle Collective was able to make a quick deal for a few players (Zak Zinter, Cornelius Johnson and Keegan among them) to receive tickets in exchange for an Instagram story.