Name, Image, and Likeness Policies

This book examines the path that name, image, and likeness (NIL) has taken in the first years of the policy, how the expansion has led to differing approaches across state and universities, and how administrators in selected states are dealing with the rulemaking power they have. After an introduction contextualising how NIL policies have impacted the administrative approach at institutions, the remaining chapters focus on how NIL has altered the role of compliance offices and administrators tasked with monitoring academic and financial activity in athletic departments. Chapters leverage theories of policy diffusion and implementation to offer context on the topics from administrative and policy perspectives, while also examining how entrepreneurs are both using the policies to advance the status of the athletic arms of their institutions while dealing with these compliance struggles. The authors conclude with a discussion of an unsettled policy landscape and whether stricter guidelines are on the horizon. Name, Image, and Likeness Policies will appeal to both scholars studying sport and law, public policy, public administration, state politics, and governance, as well as readers seeking to better understand what impacts NIL is having on the college system, and students connected to major sports such as college football and basketball.

Darrell Lovell is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at West Texas A&M University and serves as the director of the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program. His research focuses on the intersection of education and policy and administration theory. Particularly, he has focused on policy diffusion in education policy as well as the application of street-level bureaucracy and public management in education systems. His most recent work on organizational public communication has been published in Administration & Society, the Journal of Public and Non-profit Affairs, and the Administrative Theory & Praxis. Daniel J. Mallinson is an Associate Professor of Public Policy and Administration at Penn State Harrisburg. His primary research interests include policy process theory (particularly policy diffusion and punctuated equilibrium), state government, drug policy, mental health policy, and energy policy. He has previously co-edited the Palgrave Handbook of Political Research Pedagogy (2021) and Strategies for Navigating Graduate School and Beyond (2022). He has forthcoming books on cannabis policy with A. Lee Hannah.

1. Introduction to the world of NIL in college athletics 2. Sports, civic pride, and the rapid spread of NIL policy in the U.S. 3. A comprehensive review of state NIL policies: Trends, missteps, and connections to policy adoption 4. Implementing NIL: Administrative discretion, ethics, and skills in a changing college sports landscape 5. NIL as a neoliberal policy: The rise of sport capitalism and its connection to marketing, pay-for-play, and third-party involvement in college sports 6. Moving forward with NIL