The New World of NIL: How TikTok Could Make Female College-Athletes Rich

August 13, 2021

Last month, twin basketball players Haley and Hanna Cavinder from Frenso State made history as two of the first college athletes to sign deals off their name, image and likeness (NIL), thanks to a new partnership with Boost Mobile. Their appeal goes far beyond their jump shots. The female athletes have a trendy TikTok, with a 3.5 million fan following, filled with viral dance challenges.

After governance bodies adopted a uniform interim policy suspending NCAA name, image and likeness rules for all incoming and current student-athletes in all sports, the question became: Who is likely to cash in? Some experts bet that the move could level the playing field for women — who have been traditionally underpaid compared to their male counterparts. FN