National NIL Day is here

For Immediate Release: National NIL Day is a thing

Not breaking news — July 1, 2021, marked a new era in college sports. For the first time since the NCAA was established in 1906, scholarship athletes could profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL). Before then, athletes couldn't monetize their skills or fame, the change more or less forced by a mix of state laws after NCAA legal battles.

Soon after the NCAA v Alston Supreme Court decision that affected athlete compensation, NIL rights for all college athletes became highly anticipated. For that reason, sports publicist and communications veteran, Gail Sideman, created National NIL Day.

“Before NIL, we had to be cautious using athletes’ images,” Sideman, who started her career working in sports information, said. “National NIL Day recognizes college athletes' ability to capitalize on a time that could be their biggest earning period in sports.”

And now …

NationalNILDay.com, which is scheduled to launch this weekend, shares ways to celebrate and empower college athletes, parents, businesses and school personnel with a focus on publicity. There is also a Twitter page (@NationalNILDay) that will highlight information and thoughts from others in the sports industry. Sideman plans additional material and catalog listings for National NIL Day as well.

“Anyone who knows how NIL has played out knows it’s far from perfect. In the meantime, National NIL Day celebrates the increasing power of college athletes to learn and earn,” Sideman said.

** National NIL Day stickers: https://auntiegailgreetingspr.printify.me/products

© Gail Sideman; gpublicity 2024

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