NIL Collective Regulation

College athletics is undergoing a significant shift as a result of state laws and federal rulings that affect the payment of student athletes. Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) refers to the ability for college athletes to earn compensation depending on how their name, image, and likeness are used in the commercial space. NIL is an emerging concept within college athletics as coaches, athletes, and administrators are still trying to understand the best approach. The goal of this research was to examine the role of collectives within the world of college athletics and what is being done to help regulate these entities. Incorporating data from interviews with 10 different college athletes and administrators, this study identified four major themes: enforcement, little or no guidance, federal legislation/higher entity regulation, and relativity. This research aims to gain a better understanding of the approaches that are being taken to help ensure consistent regulation, as well as highlighting areas where uniform regulation may be necessary. The results of this study showcase the attitude towards the current NIL system and examines what can be done moving forward to help regulate the collectives and other NIL entities. Future implications of NIL and how it may impact specific areas of college athletics moving forward are addressed

2026: Aram Mrjoian

Aram Mrjoian teaches creative writing at the University of Michigan, where he is the managing editor of the Michigan Quarterly Review. He is the author of the novel Waterline and editor of the anthology We Are All Armenian: Voices from the Diaspora. He holds an MFA in creative writing from Northwestern University and a PhD in creative writing from Florida State University. He lives in Michigan.https://thekeep.eiu.edu/lionsinwinter_writers/1057/thumbnail.jp

Daily Eastern News: January 21, 2026

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2026: Alice Bolin

Alice Bolin is the author of the essay collections Dead Girls: Essays on Surviving an American Obsession and Culture Creep: Notes on the Pop Apocalypse. She has been nominated for Anthony and Edgar awards. Her nonfiction appears in the New York Times Book Review, New York magazine, the LA Review of Books, and The Cut. She lives in Minneapolis.https://thekeep.eiu.edu/lionsinwinter_writers/1056/thumbnail.jp