How college athletes are using NIL earnings to help the community

For many decades, college athletes weren’t able to profit off of their name, image and likeness (NIL), which was largely viewed as an exploitation of their skills. Since NIL rules changes in 2021, collegiate sports stars have been able to receive money for commercial appearances and sponsorship deals. Some of them are using their income to improve their community and the world around them.

Michigan State basketball player Mady Sissoko hails from Tangafoya, Mali, and has had his heart and mind on his homeland. Sissoko has had to adjust to life in the United States, but wanted to do something for his home village.

According to Sports Illustrated, Sissoko had used his NIL foundation to raise money to build a school. He needed to use the foundation as a mechanism to collect money due to his immigrational status. Sissoko used the money to help build a school in Tangafoya. According to The Athletic, Sissoko himself would walk an hour and a half just to go to school as a boy.

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Blayne Griffin was a high school athlete who lost his leg due to cancer in 2022, according to KATC. He was a football player who had visions of playing at the collegiate level. Those dreams were dashed as a result of the prognosis, but Jack Bech stepped in.

LSU football player Jack Bech heard about Griffin’s situation, and decided to pledge his NIL money to the Dreams Come True Foundation. This funded an experience for Griffin to visit LSU and spend time with Bech, who gave him an idea of what it was like to play college football at a major program.

The desire to assist those around them is not limited to humans. Penn State’s football team also wanted to help furry friends out in Pennsylvania with their NIL earnings.

According to ABC 27, 10 Penn State players partnered with Centre County Paws to launch a bingo event in April 2023.

While playing basketball at the University of Iowa, Kris and Keegan Murray took their shot at helping out the community. According to NGVT’s website, the brothers created an athletic clothing line with the goal of repurposing earnings to a great cause.

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The Murray brothers redirected those profits to the University of Iowa’s Stead Family Children’s Hospital, which focuses on the treatment of pediatric cancer.

University of Texas quarterback Arch Manning had an NIL deal with sports trading card company Panini. According to Sports Illustrated, one of his cards was auctioned off for over $100,000.

Manning donated the entire amount to the Ronald McDonald House Charities, which helps provide housing and other services for children in central Texas hospitals.

The Columbus Dispatch wrote a story about former Ohio State football player Harry Miller, who was inspired by a trip he took to Nicaragua in middle school.

With that experience in mind, Miller started selling athletic gear with his personal logo on it, and all proceeds were donated to Mission for Nicaragua, a charity organization for which Miller is a board member.

According to Global Sport Matters, former Florida State football player Dillan Gibbons immediately wanted to help his friend Timothy Donovan, who suffered from a couple of medical conditions. He used his NIL money to help bring Donovan and his family to Florida State to enjoy a Seminoles football game.

However, Gibbons had a larger vision when it came to giving back. He wanted to be able to create a platform that multiple athletes could use to improve their community. He created a non-profit called Big Man Big Heart, which expanded to multiple schools and continues to thrive.

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