By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
The wholesome means of college athletics, as we once knew it, are gone. That was a comment from Barton Community College Athletic Director Trevor Rolfs at Tuesday’s Board of Trustees study session.
Rolfs was asked to speak to the board
regarding college athletes’ ability to make money from their name, image and
likeness (NIL). NIL allows athletes to earn and accept payment for doing
endorsements, appearances and social media posts, and not violate collegiate
rules.
Rolfs said Barton has not seen any instances of NIL deals with their athletes
yet, but imagined there are some junior colleges that have taken advantage of
the arrangement, just on a much smaller scale than NCAA Division I schools.
"I'm not aware specifically of what school would be using it," said Rolfs. "I assume the football schools are using NIL to maybe capture a four- or five-star quarterback who was maybe academically ineligible at the NCAA level. That would just be a specific example where I could see that being utilized, but it's on a minute level."
The NIL has existed just over a year, and Rolfs was concerned if the issue will
eventually turn into a Title IX legal matter, a law prohibiting sex-based
discrimination in schools that receive federal funding.
"It's really putting a lot of athletic directors in a negative position," said Rolfs. "Many of them, like I do here, have their sights focused on facility upgrades and fundraising for facilities. Now, that's all being compounded by the need for NIL to keep up with the Joneses, so to speak."
The National Junior College Athletic Association has partnered with Opendorse,
a company that helps students and colleges navigate through NIL opportunities.