By Macey Kadifa
WISE San Diego Board of Directors - Co-Director of Programming
Since the NCAA's 2021 decision allowing student-athletes to profit from their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), college athletics has entered an entirely new era. NIL gives student-athletes the right to earn money from their personal brands through endorsements, social media partnerships, merchandise sales, and entrepreneurial ventures. It allows them to benefit financially from the same image and reputation that universities and sponsors have long profited from. While much of the national conversation has focused on the major Power Five programs and high-profile deals, some of the most inspiring transformations are happening at mid-major universities where NIL has become a tool for empowerment, education, and innovation.
For mid-major programs, NIL represents opportunity. It provides athletes with the freedom to take ownership of their personal brands and connect with their communities in authentic, impactful ways. A student-athlete can collaborate with local businesses, create meaningful social media content, or host youth sports clinics to strengthen the bond between the university and their community. These initiatives not only give athletes a platform to grow but also help their schools build stronger community partnerships that extend beyond the playing field.
I’ve had the opportunity to help shape UC San Diego’s NIL program as part of my graduate MBA thesis, collaborating with university administrators to design educational resources focused on brand management, contract literacy, digital marketing, and financial responsibility. Through this work, I’ve seen firsthand how NIL can serve as far more than a business platform. Students who engage in NIL can use it as an educational tool to build professional skills, strengthen their personal brands, and approach their careers with greater purpose and confidence. Working with UC San Diego’s athletic department has shown me how NIL can bridge student development and university innovation, fostering a culture that champions creativity, leadership, and strategic self-expression.
This work has also changed the way I think about student freedom and brand management. NIL gives athletes the ability to define their own narratives and make decisions that align with their goals and values. It encourages them to become entrepreneurs and storytellers, managing their image in ways that reflect their individuality and purpose. Universities benefit as well, as student-athletes who successfully develop their brands contribute to the visibility and reputation of their programs. In this new environment, athletes are not just representing their teams; they are becoming ambassadors for their universities and their communities.
For many mid-major schools, NIL is not about competing financially with larger programs but about creating pathways for sustainable growth and empowerment. These programs are helping student-athletes gain confidence in managing their identities, pursuing business ventures, and building community partnerships. Success is no longer defined solely by wins, championships, or professional contracts but by personal growth, leadership, and long-term impact.
The future of NIL will depend on how universities balance opportunity with responsibility. When schools invest in education, transparency, and student support, NIL becomes more than a marketing trend; it becomes a foundation for lifelong success. Programs that are continuing to develop demonstrate how thoughtful NIL strategies can transform the student-athlete experience while strengthening university culture and community connections. For me, being part of that process reinforced the belief that NIL represents a new kind of freedom, one that celebrates individuality, entrepreneurship, and the evolving relationship between education and athletics.
This transformation is especially evident in women's sports, where NIL has provided unprecedented visibility and opportunity. According to recent reports, 52% of the top 100 college athletes with the most NIL deals in 2024 are women, up from 38% the previous year. Female athletes also generate nearly four times the total social media engagement of their male counterparts and about seven times the engagement per deal. Brands are increasingly recognizing the value and authenticity that women bring to the NIL landscape, making women's sports one of the fastest-growing areas for sponsorship and marketing partnerships in college athletics. These numbers show that NIL is not only empowering athletes but also reshaping how we value and celebrate women's impact in sports.
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Macey Kadifa is a Sports MBA candidate (Class of 2025) at San Diego State University’s Fowler College of Business. She is a data analytics professional with over seven years of experience working with complex data. Macey aims to leverage her analytical background to build a career in collegiate athletics or brand management. Concurrently, she serves as the Head Coach of the UC San Diego Women’s Club Water Polo program, where she emphasizes player development both physically and mentally.