OXFORD, Miss. ( WJTV ) – University of Mississippi researchers published an influential study on changing attitudes about athletes making money on their name, image and likeness (NIL) rights.

The NCAA and several college athletics administrators continuously lobby Congress to step in and help regulate the changing landscape. Brennan Berg, associate professor and program director of sport and recreation administration; and Andre Simmond, instructor in sports and recreation, assert that most relevant legislation exists on the state level.

They collaborated with researchers at the University of Houston, Memphis and South Florida. Their findings, published in the Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, drew widespread praise. The College Sport Research Institute recently named the report as co-winner of its 2023 Outstanding Article Award.

Researchers found that the NCAA focused most of its legislative and legal efforts at the federal level. The organization was noticeably absent in the three states within the study: Florida, Tennessee and Texas. Researchers like Simmond deem it essential for the NCAA and other collegiate athletics organizations to help craft state policy.

“The world of collegiate athletics is ever-changing, and I believe it is important for scholars to continue to examine those changes and how they relate to key stakeholders,” Simmond said.

State universities would likely be at a competitive disadvantage by not having name, image and likeness legislation in place. As a result, researchers concluded that the universities in each state, particularly those with Division I FBS athletic departments, are the most influential stakeholders informing elected officials on why and how NIL legislation should be crafted.

College athletes often had minimal representation or input in the policymaking process. The team is continuing its examination of policy-making for college athletics. An upcoming report will evaluate best practices for supporting college athletes in the new NIL landscape, using data from athletic administrators at multiple universities.

The American Athletic Conference funded the study. The conference includes the universities of Memphis and South Florida. Berg anticipates studies like these to continue.

“My hope is that more conferences, and perhaps athletic departments, will regularly fund research on issues affecting college athletics and athlete well-being,” Berg said.

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