I think more likely than the union perhaps would be some sort of trade association where athletes around the country are able to do group licensing agreements and ultimately group licensing deals , allowing things like a college football video game to return with athletes names , images and likenesses . So what happens now overarching federal regulation for nil may be some way off , but with more college players making more and more money , the old rules of amateurism are finished and public opinion is shifting in favor of athletes being paid to play and not just through nil deals . The NC A A's reputation may have taken a hit but the game goes on .
Although college athletes still are not paid a share of the revenue . 2021 saw a major shift in the college athletic financial ecosystem to see just how some of today's athletes are taking full advantage of the new NIL rules . I traveled to the University of Tennessee to document Grant King student athlete and entrepreneur for a day in the life .
And college athletes are still not getting paid to play . But for the first time in history , they can make money off their name , image and likeness and they're using social media to build their personal brands and businesses off the courts and outside of the lines with some of today's top athletes garnering million dollar endorsement deals with the new rules , even the playing field or destroy college sports . And will the NCAA ever pay athletes a share of its billions in revenue in this film ?
We talked about how today's college athletes can best choose deals and partnerships that maximize their earning potential . I think being able to earn money from nil for college athletes is so important just because it teaches you a lot about business , a lot about your brand and what you stand for . And a lot of athletes now are not only seen as athletes , but they're also influencers .
So where are we today with federal regulation ? I asked the ft's Sarah Germano for the latest , what I've heard from sources on the hill is that there are quibbles over what federal legislation might look like for college athlete compensation . You have Democrats on the far left saying NL isn't enough , we need to do more than that .