On Wednesday, a social media campaign with the hashtag #NotNCAAProperty began with many college basketball players tweeting stories of their own experiences as student-athletes that was restrictive in regard to their name, image and likeness. The fight for NIL rights has been gaining steam this season with the latest development coming from a federal bill launched in February that would “make it illegal for the NCAA or other college sports associations to place any restrictions on the type or size of endorsements deals that college athletes could sign in the future.”
The financial impact of the NCAA Tournament is massive and is why the NCAA has taken unprecedented measures this year after last season’s event was cancelled due to COVID-19, costing them $270 million which paid out by insurance.