Maryland Builds MOMENTUM As NIL Era Arrives

An original version of this story ran in the Spring issue of One Maryland Magazine. Portions of this story have been updated to reflect the most recent legislation, which became effective on July 1, 2021.

The ability for college athletes to profit off of their name, image, and likeness has become increasingly discussed on a national scale in recent years. 

The inevitable became a reality on July 1, as the NCAA Division I Board of Directors approved an Interim NIL Policy permitting student-athletes to earn compensation for the use of their Name, Image, and Likeness. The policy provides the following guidance to college athletes, recruits, their families, and member institutions. 

• Individuals can engage in NIL activities that are consistent with the law of the state where the school is located. Colleges and universities may be a resource for state law questions.
• College athletes who attend a school in a state without an NIL law can engage in this type of activity without violating NCAA rules related to name, image, and likeness.
• Individuals can use a professional services provider for NIL activities.
• Student-athletes should report NIL activities consistent with state law or school and conference requirements to their school.

“My opinion is that student-athletes should be able to be fairly compensated for the use of their name, image and likeness,” University of Maryland Athletic Director Damon Evans has been saying for years. “I believe that is the right direction in which to move.”

Conversations surrounding NIL aren’t new at the University of Maryland as Evans and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) have been discussing the issue for more than a year. 

The SAAC Executive Board features nine student-athletes across six different sports.

Prior to July 1, any college student who wasn’t an NCAA student-athlete had the ability to earn money off of their NIL. With this legislation, student-athletes are no longer prohibited from profiting off of their NIL.

“It helps [student-athletes] grow and develop as young people moving forward,” Evans said. “Just eliminating some of the restrictions that we have placed on these young men and women who compete for us, I think that’s a step in the right direction.”

These restrictions in the past have prevented student-athletes from promoting and at times limited personal brand-building through social media. As social media use and student-athletes’ social media followings have increased, personal brand development has become more prevalent. 

Whether it’s a student-athlete selling personal merchandise or profiting from their social media following, the ability to build a personal brand has developed into a key element of the NIL movement.

“That’s definitely something I thought about,” freshman wide receiver Rakim Jarrett said. “The mentors, the people I’ve been around always said that you are your own brand, make sure you never do anything to tarnish it. So, I definitely think the brand aspect away from football is big if you’re really serious about your name and what you’re trying to do with life after football.”

In early February, Maryland Athletics announced a four-year partnership with Opendorse launching the MOMENTUM program. Opendorse specializes in athletic brand solutions and has partnerships with hundreds of athletic programs nationwide.

The goal of the MOMENTUM program is to educate and assist Maryland’s student-athletes in personal brand development. The education aspect of developing a personal brand is extremely important as some student-athletes may not be familiar with the best strategies for growing their brand.

“Maryland’s MOMENTUM program has embraced change and is working diligently to best position Maryland student-athletes to find success both during and after their time on campus,” Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence said. “I’m incredibly proud and excited to bring Opendorse to every Terrapin.”

This NIL legislation could be particularly beneficial for female athletes who may not have the same opportunities at the professional level as their male counterparts. 

Lacking those same professional opportunities in some sports, female athletes would have an opportunity to maximize their NIL while participating in intercollegiate athletics.

“Having the ability to build our brand is a positive thing that’s going to happen within college basketball,” sophomore guard/forward Faith Masonius said. “We are excited because a lot of girls on our team have good platforms on different social media channels. It’s something that will be really beneficial to us and allow us to promote our brands and speak our mind.”

NIL goes beyond personal brand development and also offers increased opportunities for student-athletes to give back to their home and campus communities.

For example, if a student-athlete wanted to host their own youth sports clinic working with local athletes, they’d be able to without risking penalty from the NCAA. 

“As a person and as a player I want to give back to the people younger than me and really teach them the love for the game that I have,” Masonius said. “I think a lot of people would take advantage of that and would be very successful, not just in basketball, but any sport. I would definitely take advantage of that.”

That idea is particularly enticing for athletes like Jarrett who decided to stay home and play for their local school.

“I’m a hometown guy, I stayed home,” Jarrett said. “So, I want to see the next group of talent come up and do the same thing I did, I’m trying to do. So, it’s definitely a big reason to involve myself in the community.”

Jacob Steinberg is a senior journalism major at the University of Maryland. He’s interned with the Washington Football Team and Pressbox. He’s currently serving as the News Director and Men’s Lacrosse Beat Writer at WMUC Sports.