Soon after an NCAA interim rule written in 2021 made it possible for student-athletes to pursue profitable opportunities from their names, images, and likenesses (NIL), Stadium & Main jumped into action.
The collective is headed by U-M alumnus and former star running back Jamie Morris, who went on to play in the NFL. It’s an independent business that connects fans, businesses, and charitable organizations with Michigan student-athletes, along with advising student-athletes on how they can monetize their NIL.
“When college sports divisions can make millions off the NIL of college student-athletes, (and) when coaches get paid millions to coach, I have to ask, what do the athletes get?” Morris says.
They do get a college education, and that’s something, he acknowledges. But, he points out, most student-athletes won’t make their living as pros. And just as basketball star Michael Jordan was able to gain control of his image from the NBA, it’s only fair that student-athletes have the same right.
The NIL collective is open to any athlete who falls under NCAA bylaws, and U-M is just one of many such organizations around the country.
“The question I’m asked most by student-athletes is, ‘How much money can I make?’ I tell them it’s usually not life-changing money,” Morris says. “They can make money on a local, or even state, level. The biggest misunderstanding student-athletes have is that they’ll get rich quick, that this is easy money. But they have to work at creating a social media presence.”
One way to do that might be to post a selfie wearing a particular shoe. This type of exposure gets the attention of major companies like Nike or Adidas.
Stadium & Main helps students with product shout-outs on video, live chats, virtual coaching sessions, autograph signings, and social and media endorsements, along with participation in camps and clinics, charity events, and special appearances. The students can be paid monetarily or via non-fungible tokens, or NFTs.
Many people are uncomfortable with the new reality, says Morris, who was a development manager for U-M’s athletic department from 1998 to 2010, where he helped raise more than $100 million.
“As to the future, we expect that there will be a lot of new rules from the NCAA,” Morris says. “We also believe the students will challenge those new rules. If the NCAA wanted to be involved, it should have planned ahead. Right now they’re playing catch-up, and that’s always tough.”
