What is NIL and How Does It Work?

What is NIL?

NIL stands for Name, Image, and Likeness — the right for student athletes to profit from who they are, how they look, and how they're recognised. Before 2021, US college athletes were prohibited from earning money through endorsements or brand deals while competing at the collegiate level. The NCAA's long-standing amateurism rules meant a basketball player could sell out arenas but not earn a penny from a brand wanting to feature them.

That changed in July 2021. Following a landmark US Supreme Court ruling and mounting pressure from individual states, the NCAA suspended its NIL restrictions and opened the floodgates for student athletes to monetise their personal brand.

In the UK, the landscape is different — there is no equivalent governing body restriction preventing university athletes from earning. But the market infrastructure never existed to make it practical. That's what Endorsr is building.

What Does NIL Actually Allow?

Under NIL rules (US) or by default (UK/international), athletes can now:

• —Sign endorsement deals with brands and businesses
• —Post sponsored content on social media for payment
• —Sell merchandise featuring their name or likeness
• —Run paid appearances, speaking engagements, or camps
• —Offer personalised video messages (like on Endorsr) for a fee
• —License their image to brands for advertising use

The key principle is simple: you own your name and your face. You should be able to earn from them.

What You Cannot Do (US Specific)

While NIL opened many doors, there are still guardrails, particularly in the US:

• —You cannot be paid for your athletic performance — only for your name, image, and likeness outside of play
• —Your university cannot pay you directly (though collectives and third parties can)
• —Deals involving gambling, alcohol, or adult content are typically prohibited by individual schools
• —You must disclose deals to your athletic department in most states

If you're outside the US, check your sport's governing body rules. Most international federations have no NIL-specific restrictions, but some amateur rules around sponsorship still apply.

How Does Endorsr Help?

Before Endorsr, most athletes had no way to turn NIL into actual income. The steps were: get an agent, find a brand, negotiate a deal, manage paperwork, receive payment. That process favours athletes with big audiences and experienced representation.

Endorsr collapses those steps into one:

• —Create a free storefront — set your rates for video messages, shoutouts, social posts, and appearances
• —Brands discover you — through search, filters, and our matching engine
• —Deals happen directly — no agents, no commission, no minimum followers
• —Get paid — earnings hit your account once the deliverable is complete

Whether you're a Division I basketball player or a local club rugby player with 400 Instagram followers, NIL is yours. Endorsr is how you collect on it.

Getting Started

The fastest way to start is to create your Endorsr storefront today. Set a price for a personalised video message — even £10 or £15 — and share your profile link in your social bio. That alone is enough to start receiving your first requests.

From there, expand into brand deal enquiries as your profile gets discovered. The athletes who earn the most on Endorsr started exactly the same way: one profile, one price, one first deal.