Five years later, the most commonly searched Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) query remains: “What is NIL?”

Those of us who closely follow the evolution of NIL in college and high school sports would like to know, too. NIL, like PR, needs PR.

At its core, NIL involves athletes striking service deals with businesses, including endorsements and sponsored social media posts, in return for pay. 

Since states stepped in and forced the NCAA to allow athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness like other scholarship students, the system has … well, there isn’t a system. That’s what happens when you kick an important issue down the road so far that someone else grabs the reins just to keep the horse moving.

National NIL Day was created to recognize landmark rulings that put power in athletes’ pockets. It also serves as a reminder that without athletes, many of the people who control access and pricing wouldn’t have their jobs.

National NIL Day recognizes NIL’s original purpose: fair compensation for fair service, whether it’s directing camps, making personal appearances, creating specialty swag or posting sponsored social media information. One of the benefits: we can now see athletes we didn’t know before because they’re in commercials and enjoy promotional face time that supports stories told by sports information communicators. It allows fans to recognize athletes for roles off the field, something that works in their favor long after they leave school. 

National NIL Day is listed in Chase’s Calendar of Events 

Twenty-twenty-six marks the first year that National NIL Day is recognized by Chase’s Calendar of Events and other specialty calendars. Let’s celebrate creative and entrepreneurial athletes who are strengthening their communications and business skills while building connections through sports.

There’s a long way to go before the masses fully understand athlete empowerment off the field. Until then, we’ll celebrate every step forward.

This July 1 and every year: Happy National NIL Day.

** Show off your support for National NIL Day with a custom sticker! Reply to this note to receive one via snail mail. Or you may download a PDF at nationalnilday.com. We hope you’ll support it in years to come.

PR SIDEeffect – One of the most fundamental parts of public relations: When you don’t write and tell your story, someone else will. Athletes believed they deserved to own the rights to their name, image and likeness, not the NCAA. They fought for that right. Today, we celebrate athletes’ growth and their finding their voices.

— NATIONAL NIL DAY —

Kenny Klein’s life was incomplete.

Strange thing to say about someone who squeezed every ounce out of his 66 years. Earlier this week, those of us who loved Kenny gathered in his adopted Kentucky hometown to mourn and celebrate him.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about what made Kenny a superstar in one of college sports’ most demanding yet often underappreciated jobs. Naismith Basketball Memorial Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino learned not only to respect Kenny but to adore him when they worked together at the University of Louisville. Pitino realized he didn’t want to coach without Kenny nearby, so he created a spot for him when he went to St. John’s. Pitino’s eulogy perfectly described Kenny as a tireless professional and a one-of-one human. So have stories from reporters, co-workers, community leaders and peers. Shoot, some of us learned for the first time that the priest who conducted his service arrived at U of L as a sports information work-study student (more of that story in Eric Crawford’s piece below).

The city of Louisville felt strange without Kenny there. A flood of memories returned – balloons and flowers waiting in my hotel room during a conference trip, just because I once said I dreamt it (hey, we were dreamers – I guess I still am). I thought about the way he lifted me off the ground every time we hugged and I’d tell him to stop so he wouldn’t jack his back. It didn’t matter whether we were meeting for sports business, pregaming🍹🍹for a Jimmy Buffett concert, hangin’ out in a hospitality room or dancing at a night spot after a long day of games. Kenny was Kenny. He made everyone feel extraordinarily special (see below).

Incidentally, and related to National NIL Day, I told him a couple of months ago he should write a book about the changing eras of college sports. He said, “I’ve thought about it and might” — but he emphasized that he’d hold off until he was truly done working with people and in an industry he loved.

Since I’ve written and deleted anything remotely coherent, I hope you’ll take a minute to know this man who’s been praised, loved and remembered around the globe in the last few weeks.

Read why we need more Kenny Kleins in this world. Seek them out. Better yet, be like him, because, again, Kenny was one-of-one: WDRB-TV Louisville’s Crawford and basketball analyst and Hoops HQ owner Seth Davis.

###
©2026 Gail Sideman; gpublicity.com; SIDEbar