NIL has had a particularly profound impact on women’s sports. Livy Dunne’s recent comments highlight a critical truth—many female athletes don’t have the same opportunities to pursue professional sports as their male counterparts, but NIL opens doors for them to carve out lasting careers both during and after their college athletic careers. While there will be plenty of headlines on the ‘negative’ impact NIL has on athletes, here are five reasons why NIL is a massive benefit for women’s sports and why it’s a game-changer professionally.
The Impact of NIL on Women’s Sports
Leveling the Playing Field. For decades, women’s sports have struggled with visibility compared to men’s sports. Even in sports like basketball or soccer, where female athletes are highly skilled and entertaining to watch, they often receive less media coverage, smaller crowds, and fewer sponsorship deals than male athletes. NIL helps level the playing field by giving female athletes control over their personal brands. Now, women athletes can attract sponsorship deals, create businesses, and monetize their image regardless of how much attention their team or league gets in mainstream media.
Social media plays a critical role here. Athletes like Livy Dunne or Sunisa Lee, the Olympic gymnast, are able to command millions of followers on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Through NIL deals, they can capitalize on their popularity without needing a large professional league’s support.
Empowering Female Athletes Financially. Historically, the wage gap between men and women in sports has been staggering. In professional sports, female athletes have been paid significantly less than their male counterparts, leaving many women to seek alternative careers after college. NIL changes this dynamic by allowing women to earn real money while they’re still playing in college, putting them in a better financial position earlier in life.
This new revenue stream empowers female athletes to become financially independent, cover personal and academic expenses, and even invest in future ventures. With a financially strong foundation during their playing years, they can avoid the common struggle of post-collegiate athletes who don’t have a clear professional path.
Creating a Platform for Advocacy and Impact. One of the most powerful aspects of NIL is the platform it provides to women athletes to become advocates for issues they care about. Many female athletes use their growing influence to speak out on social issues like gender equality, body positivity, and mental health. This ability to combine personal values with their brand is invaluable for building long-lasting influence beyond sports.
Women in sports, like soccer star Alex Morgan and tennis legend Serena Williams, have long used their platforms for advocacy. NIL now extends that opportunity to younger female athletes, providing them with a voice and an income stream that can amplify causes they care about.
Expanding Career Opportunities Beyond Sports. For many women athletes, there isn’t a clear professional league waiting after graduation. NIL gives them the ability to build businesses, launch personal brands, and create income streams that extend beyond their sports careers. Athletes can use NIL to create partnerships with brands, promote products, or even start their own companies while still in school.
This opportunity is critical because it equips women athletes with entrepreneurial skills, personal branding experience, and a professional network—all of which are key tools in finding success after sports. Whether they continue in sports as coaches or analysts or pivot into new industries, NIL lays the groundwork for long-term professional success.
Helping to Elevate Women’s Sports as a Whole. NIL deals benefit individual athletes, but the ripple effect can help boost entire women’s sports programs. When female athletes become popular through their personal brands, they bring more attention to their teams and sports. For example, athletes like Haley Jones in volleyball have a large following, which in turn drives more media coverage, fan interest, and revenue into women’s sports as a whole.
The increased visibility not only benefits the athletes personally but also the sports they represent. It creates more excitement around women’s games, improves audience engagement, and opens the door for better funding and resources for women’s sports at all levels. NIL’s transformative opportunity for women athletes that goes beyond immediate financial gain. It levels the playing field, empowers women financially, expands their career options, and allows them to advocate for important causes. As NIL continues to evolve, it will undoubtedly create lasting, positive change for women’s sports and the professional landscape for female athletes.