Report: Athletes Pocket $917 Million in Year One of NIL

NIL reached far and wide into Pitt athletics, but football was unsurprisingly still king.
Report: Athletes Pocket $917 Million in Year One of NIL
Report: Athletes Pocket $917 Million in Year One of NIL /

PITTSBURGH -- If you're looking for the Pitt Panther athletes that profited the most from the influx of NIL money in college sports, you're likely to find them at the football team's practice facility on the South Side. Football players were unsurprisingly the biggest beneficiaries of liberalized Name, Image and Likeness rules, as they hauled in nearly half of all NIL compensation during the past year.

NIL has existed in its current state for a little over a year and athletes have made a collective $917 Million during that period, according to a report from Axios published on Wednesday. 49.9% of that money went to football players and there was a big drop off between them and athletes from other sports. 

Men's basketball players took home a 17% share of that money and women's basketball trailed with a 15.7% share. No other sport even approached double digits. women's volleyball made up 2.3% of the total money, followed by softball (2.1%), women's swimming and diving (1.8%), Baseball (1.7%), men's swimming and diving (1.4%) and both men's and women's track (2.2% combined).

According to the same report, more than 100,000 athletes signed deals and the average transaction was worth $1,815. 

Pitt has made a conscious attempt to promote the charitable ways in which their athletes have used their NIL rights. Quarterback Kenny Pickett and offensive tackle Carter Warren hosted events at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania, long snapper Cal Adomitis raised money for UPMC Children's Hospital and receiver Tre Tipton founded an organization working advocating for the mental health of athletes in particular. 

But Pitt athletes are also exercising their rights to benefit themselves. Pickett signed a deal with Bowser Automotive that earned him a new truck, various football and basketball player created branded merchandise and multiple women's soccer and volleyball players have partnered with and promoted a few local businesses. 

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and so much more!

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Published
Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work: