Duke students learn to build a brand around name, image, likeness
Duke University has more than 600 student athletes in sports like basketball to football, track and rowing.
Equity in Athletics data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that these students generate more than $152 million for the school. Since 2021, the students playing those sports have been able to cash in on their name, image and likeness – or NIL.
"College athletics has been fundamentally changed by NIL," said Ezra Kucharz, an adjunct professor at Duke. "It has created an opportunity for student athletes to make money while in college."
Kucharz is teaching a course all about NIL this semester. It is part of the university’s innovation and entrepreneur initiative. While we couldn’t sit in on the course, he says it’s business-centric.
"This is a unique course, as far as I know," he said during an interview at JB Duke hotel. "It is more about being an entrepreneur and how to create a business around it; not like 'Hey I'm going to pad my social media accounts.' This is like how do I go out and create something that is sustainable and has viability."
About one-third of those in the class are student athletes, while there are also other influencers and some students interested in the business model. He says every entrepreneur needs to be resilient.
Since the beginning of the semester, there have been changes to NIL. For example, in February a Tennessee judge ruled that the NCAA can’t enforce rules prohibiting athletes from negotiating and signing deals with donor-funded NIL collectives before enrolling at a college.
"It’s incredible to watch how it shifts every couple of weeks," he said. "What has been amazing for the students and myself is looking at what is changing and what's evolving. [It is also interesting to] see what other student-athletes are doing. It forces you to stay on top of it and changes all the time."
