Why Short-Term NIL Agreements Undermine Education and Communities

This post is a little different than what we typically write about. Hope it spurs some thought and we’ll get back on topic with our next post.

Last week, Wichita State University Athletic Director Kevin Saal released a public appeal for another $1 million in NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) funds to help them with their goal for their men’s basketball program to be a top 25 program. Wichita St., like other Division I schools, are navigating an impossible landscape.

The appeal prompts overarching questions about college athletics.

At Friends University, where I serve as Athletic Director and Vice President, we work with a student population where 45% come from significant financial need. I couldn’t help but think: what would an extra million dollars do for them?

We’re not talking about theoretical impact — we’re talking about transformative change. That same million could create scholarships and open doors for a large number of students who will go on to become teachers, business leaders, civic contributors right here in our community. That same million could fund several Wichita students to come to Friends University for free and get a degree in two years through our Early College Academy. It could create scholarships for Wichita student-athletes to stay in their home community. could fund the development of our Mechanical Engineering program.

Yet we’re raising that kind of money to pay a college athlete to play basketball for one season — someone who, if talented enough, will likely leave town the moment the season ends.

I’m not anti-NIL or revenue sharing. If a student-athlete drives significant revenue beyond the cost of their scholarship, they deserve a piece of the pie. But what we’re seeing now isn’t NIL — it’s pay-for-play recruiting inducements and funded much through donor solicitation.

As historian J.R. Thelin once put it, college athletics is “American higher education’s ‘peculiar institution.’ Their presence is pervasive, yet their proper balance with academics remains puzzling.” He was right and probably more right than he was when he wrote that thirty years ago. Sports are embedded in campus culture — for better or worse — but somewhere along the way, the balance broke. When multi-million-dollar collectives, facility arms raises. and now internal funding of student-athlete payments become one of a university’s top fundraising priority, the mission of higher education is no longer about development or education, but short-term ROI and transactional value.

The average debt, according to the Department of Education College Scorecard, of graduating students at Friends University and Wichita St. is similar (just over $20,000)— a number that, despite popular opinion, research still considers a solid investment in one’s future. But instead of pouring more dollars into access and affordability, schools across the country are imploring supporters to donate to NIL. That’s not just unsustainable; I think it is bordering on unethical since it is housed within the educational system.

Some argue that high-level college sports generate economic impact and community pride. Maybe. But I don’t see how paying a random collection of athletes six or seven figures to spend a season in a city (and if they play well, leave shortly thereafter) does more for that community than educating dozens of students who may will live, work and lead there for decades. What if, instead, we used that money to create access to education in a strategic investment in human capital? What if our priority was teaching students how to read, write, think critically, and prepare for the profession world?

The national conversation around higher education has become consumed by culture wars and elite campuses. But the real story — the one we’re missing — is that schools like Friends University are where upward mobility still lives. We’ve been recognized by US News as a top performer in social mobility for students.

Education (and athletics) has the power to shape lives and communities. College athletics is at a turning point. My view is not about stopping change — it’s about making better choices. Hopefully, as a community, we will and are chasing the right things.