“Still Kids”: New Research Reveals How College Athletes See Themselves in the NIL Era
For all the headlines about million-dollar NIL deals, booster-backed collectives, and legal battles reshaping the college sports landscape, it’s easy to forget a simple truth. Most college athletes are still just kids.
Now, for the first time since the NIL era began, we’re starting to get real data from student-athletes themselves. This insight reveals how they view their identities not just as athletes or students, but as young adults navigating complex expectations around performance, branding, and personal growth. While this new research is still early and far from definitive, it highlights trends that deserve serious attention from administrators, coaches, and fans alike.
A recent paper by Molly Harry and Hannah Kloetzer at the University of Florida tackles an increasingly urgent question. How does NIL change the way athletes see themselves? The researchers surveyed 200 athletes from Power Four schools across football, basketball, baseball, gymnastics, softball, and volleyball. Their goal was to explore how these athletes perceive their identity, particularly whether they consider themselves influencers.
Key Findings: Identity, Pressure, and Influence
Some of the paper’s most notable takeaways include the following:
Athletes from lower-income backgrounds were more likely to identify as influencers and more frequently reported sacrifices in academics, athletics, and social life.
Football players of color from lower socioeconomic backgrounds were the most likely to embrace the influencer identity.
Black athletes were more likely to describe themselves as influencers.
White athletes, however, were more likely to report actually earning income from social media activity.
These distinctions matter because they expose a growing tension within college sports. Many athletes are trying to monetize their identity before they have even had the chance to fully discover it. For many, especially those from lower-income backgrounds, embracing the influencer role is not just about self-expression. It is often a necessity. Yet, the ability to profit from that identity is more accessible to athletes who already have media exposure, existing networks, or societal advantages.
This paradox gets to the heart of what the NIL era really means. Just because athletes can earn money from their name, image, and likeness does not mean they all will. Their success in that realm often depends on factors that extend well beyond athletic talent.
Pressure Before Adulthood
College athletes today must navigate more than physical training and academic expectations. They are also managing public branding, business relationships, and the pressure to “figure themselves out” while being watched.
They are being asked to define and even package themselves before many have had the chance to truly understand who they are. This is not just a sports issue. It is a developmental one.
What happens to a 20-year-old when his identity as a high-achieving athlete becomes the only way he sees himself, and then he breaks his leg and can no longer play? That’s a fair and pressing question.
When athletes view themselves only through the lens of performance or profitability, they risk losing more than a game or a brand deal. They risk losing their sense of self. That is a heavy emotional burden, even for mature adults, and an even more difficult one for young people still figuring out their values, goals, and purpose.
What Should Be Done?
The researchers suggest a practical step forward. Schools should consider adding influencer mentoring programs. These would connect new athletes with more experienced peers or alumni who have learned how to manage the challenges of NIL, identity development, and public pressure. This would offer more than media training. It would create relationship-building opportunities and provide emotional and professional support.
More broadly, universities must expand their support systems beyond just academic tutoring or compliance workshops. If NIL is now part of the college athlete experience, then identity coaching, media literacy, and mental health resources must be included as well.
Athletic departments and collectives often emphasize the professionalism of college sports. However, that framing can obscure a fundamental reality. Many of these athletes are still between 18 and 22 years old. They are not just developing their physical skills. They are still figuring out who they are as people.
Final Thought: We Are More Than What We Do
As more data emerges, it offers a deeper reminder. We are all more than what we do. Whether we are athletes, students, parents, or coaches, we define ourselves through the stories we tell and the identities we build over time.
College athletes are writing their stories in public now, and the lights on that stage are brighter than ever before. The least we can do is recognize the pressure they face and build systems that support them as whole people, not just performers.
No matter how much money is involved, these are still kids. Their identity deserves protection just as much as their eligibility.
