College Basketball Athletes Find New Revenue Streams in Evolving Sports Landscape

College basketball players can now be compensated during the postseason through imagery or text on fan gear. The new NCAA NIL License permits this for all sports, in hopes of achieving fair compensation for athletes postseason. Maybe this too will bridge players and fans closer together.

History Made! College Basketball Players will now Benefit from NCAA Tournament Apparel Sales / NIL Store powered by Campus Ink

Thanks to the NIL Store’s Implementation of the NCAA’s new NIL Event License, college basketball players will receive direct earnings from the sale of NCAA Tournament officially licensed merchandise. The NIL Store Team announced the launch of its license last week in Las Vegas at the 2025 Sports & Licensing Tailgate Show.

This new opportunity gives athletes the chance to profit from gear that celebrates their team’s big wins, including Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four, and National Championship swag, extending all the way through the postseason.

Jan 27, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) shoots over North Carolina State Wolfpack forward Ben Middlebrooks (34) during the second half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils won 74-64. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images / Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

“Not only do fans win, not only does the school win, but for the first time, athletes win as well.” Both male and female players will have the opportunity to earn from this as individual players or entire rosters are able to earn money from every item sold. 

From this landmark moment, athletes will earn from both individual and team designs featured on merchandise, boosting their potential earnings. Personal designs will generate direct payments, while team designs will result in split payments, allowing athletes to benefit from the collective success of their team. This creates multiple revenue streams, ensuring athletes are properly compensated for their contributions in individual and team-related sales.

The NIL Store team is actively working to sign entire basketball rosters to ensure maximum participation across the board. This strategy is aimed at including every player on the team, allowing them to profit from their name, image, and likeness. 

A bunch of top teams have already signed up. According to the AP rankings, the women’s teams that have joined so far include UConn at #6 and LSU at #7. On the men’s side, the top three teams already signed up are Auburn at #1, Duke at #2, and Iowa State at #3. These teams show how quickly the NIL Store is gaining traction in both men’s and women’s basketball, and the momentum this initiative can become.

Adam Cook, Vice President at the NIL Store, says, “This is a landmark moment for collegiate athletes.”

He highlights how tournament apparel represents pride, honor, and excitement for both the players and their fans. But he points out that the players haven’t really benefited from this until now. Thanks to the commitment from the licensing team, athletes will finally get fair pay for their contributions. Cook expresses this thankfulness as athletes will now be properly rewarded during the postseason.

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The efforts that have made this possible now allow athletes to be recognized and rewarded for their postseason contributions.

Luckily, this new earning avenue is not limited to college basketball. Instead, the license expands to all other sports, guaranteeing that players are compensated whenever their NIL is included in the text or imagery of product designs. 

Fans can purchase custom NIL merchandise for each round of the women’s and men’s basketball tournaments, along with NCAA Tournament apparel to support their favorite school, team, or player.