The only thing NIL is going to accomplish is expanding the world of have's and have nots from Big P5 schools to a small minority of elite players. These massive NIL pay days are only going to a small minority of difference makers on a Football field or Basketball court. The vast majority of College Football players and Basketball players won't sniff any real money from the multi billion dollar entertainment industry of college Football and Basketball. As for ECU ? When were we most relevant ? I would argue 80's 90's when there was not multi billion dollar tv deals and it was rare to see ECU on TV or a Bowl because there were less than 20 bowl games. As money has poured into college athletics ECU like most have struggled to keep up but we damn sure are not making money off the backs of poor unpaid athletes.
I support NIL but it is not going to be some sweeping movement of equality for college athletes where they all share in the massive pie. They are about to get a lesson in capitalism where schools with an absolute ton of money will set up basic income for the meat and potato players but the big money is only going to go to the elite stud athletes that boosters and coaches think can help them win championships. Give NIL a few years and look at the pay disparity on a team like Alabama, USC, Ohio St etc.... As Lou Holtz used to say what wins you Championships is having a solid team with 6-8 playmakers. It will be those 6-8 play makers on each team that get all the real money while a vast majority of players will get scraps off the table and it will be interesting to see how the locker room politics go with 18-22 year old kids seeing some players enjoying all the perks of the multi billion dollar entertainment industry while most of them continue to struggle financially.