In a letter to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and assistant secretary for civil rights Catherine Lhamon, the Drake Group said that the disproportionate amount of sponsorship money going to male college athletes, often with the cooperation of university athletic programs, was a violation of Title IX's prohibition on sex-based discrimination and warrants a federal investigation.
NIL deals, which allow student-athletes to profit off of their name, image, and likeness, became a widespread practice across collegiate athletics after the Supreme Court ruled the NCAA's prohibition on non-academic student-athlete compensation violated federal antitrust law. As a result, thousands of athletes were allowed to ink endorsement deals with corporations and businesses, a practice that has provided the intercollegiate sports landscape with a huge influx of cash, and made millionaires out of star collegiate athletes.
University of Alabama quarterback, 2021 Heisman trophy winner, and top NFL prospect Bryce Young raked in over $800K in endorsements before he started a game in 2021. Ahead of the 2022 college football season, Young inked deals with a BMW dealership, Dr. Pepper, and others. The collegiate sports data website On3 placed the total value of Young's NIL deals at over $3.5 million.
The highest-ranked woman athlete is sixth-placed Olivia Dunne, a gymnast at Louisiana State University with a sizable social media presence, whose NIL deals top $3 million. Olympic gold medalist and Auburn University gymnast Sunisa Lee, whose NIL deals surpass $1.5 million, is the next highest-ranked woman at 12th.
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