Commentary: Will NIL agreements create an uneven system in college athletics? It’s too early to tell

By Dr. James B. Ewers Jr. If you were blessed to have gone to college on an athletic scholarship, then you didn’t have to worry about student loans. You didn’t have to go to the bursar’s office to work out a payment plan. The heavy lifting created by inadequate finances was not a part of your college experience. You saw some of your college friends leaving campus because they didn’t have enough money. Those that had athletic scholarships made full use of them to graduate from college. I enjoyed my time as a student-athlete. Upon reflection, I didn’t feel any pressure to win. I simply did my part as a good teammate and conducted myself well when I was not competing. Back in the day, the rules were simple. Excelling both academically and athletically were the key components to success. Having good grades was important. Without them, you couldn’t maintain your eligibility, which put your athletic scholarship in jeopardy. There weren’t any add-ons to your scholarship. Of course, that was yesterday. Today is quite different.  A breakthrough in college athletics has been NIL (name, image and likeness) agreements. Since 2021, these agreements have become more widespread and are quite lucrative...