What I Learned from Interviewing Black Football Alums and D1 Coaches

College sports commercialization has implications for all players, especially African American players. Here’s why and how.

The college sports revenue-sharing plan scheduled to roll out this spring will unalterably change student-athletes’ relationships with their institutions, specifically related to their student roles. Although football players won’t technically be considered employees (yet), the athletes who play at the top schools in the Power Four conferences could receive six-figure contracts under the new revenue-sharing model, leaving no room for academic pursuits.

The college sports system impeded educational success for Black male student-athletes before NIL and revenue-sharing. A 2018 USC Race and Equity Center report revealed that only 55% of Black male student-athletes at Power Five institutions graduated in the pre-NIL era. These statistics reflect how college sports commercialization has long prioritized athletics over academics, requiring football players to commit 40 hours a week to their sport or cluster into majors that align with their athletic schedules, even if they don’t further their career goals. The overemphasis on athletics is particularly challenging for Black student-athletes who face racial stereotypes on their predominantly White campuses where most students and faculty don’t look like them.

NIL and the transfer portal made the student-athlete’s relationships with coaches and institutions more transactional. DI football coaches I interviewed for my research discussed how NIL and the transfer portal have made the relationships with their athletes more transactional. Coaches can no longer take four years to develop their athletes since their rosters have become revolving doors in a culture that emphasizes individual gain over team commitment. Jumping from school to school without adequate support can have disastrous educational consequences for Black male student-athletes.

Don’t get me wrong, student-athletes should have the right to transfer and earn money off their NIL. As a former DI compliance coordinator from the pre-NIL days, I disagreed with many of the amateurism rules I was paid to promote. Unfortunately, we have gone way beyond athletes earning money to run their own sports camp or sponsor a product on social media. The high stakes of NIL and the transfer portal in an already commercialized college sports system have left little room for coaches to develop their athletes off the field.

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The pressures to win will only increase when schools pay athletes directly. Institutions that opt into the revenue-sharing plan must find creative ways to raise enough money to pay their athletes. Whether through donors or increased ticket prices, athletic departments must justify higher costs to fans and generous boosters, leading to a more significant push for more wins on the field. Inevitably, this win-at-all-costs mentality will continue to prioritize academics at the expense of the athletes.

So what does this mean for the Black football players who make up most of the FBS rosters? The DI Black football alums I interviewed acknowledged making academic sacrifices for their football careers, including forgoing career-development opportunities like internships or developing relationships with professors. Sure, athletes will now be getting paid to play their sport in front of adoring fans, on top of the opportunity to earn lucrative NIL deals. Most who attend the top FBS programs have their sights on the NFL, and they knowingly trade the opportunity for a traditional educational experience for the chance to play for pay at the highest level in college sports.

Although NIL policies have changed, the statistics haven’t. Less than 2% of college football players turn pro. Having the ability to maximize their earning potential in college under the new plan is great news for the players who never make it to the pros. The problem is that nearly 80% of professional athletes end up bankrupt within a few years after playing, and we may likely see similar results with college football players.

So, what does this mean for the Black football players who don’t turn pro and need to focus on a career when football is over?

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Debbie Hogan

Debbie Hogan is the Assistant Director of the School of Social Work Doctoral Program and an Adjunct Professor in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College.