TCU offers a course to educate students in light of the introduction of NIL

A professor from TCU’s Neeley School of Business is helping students make sense of name, image and likeness, which burst onto college campuses in 2021.

Published Sep 13, 2023

Josie Straface

The Neeley Fountain stands outside the school in the business quad.

The name, image and likeness policy that is transforming college athletics is also making changes in the classroom.

TCU professor and entrepreneur, Antonio Banos, will teach a course on financial literacy and entrepreneurship, inspired by NIL.

“Entrepreneurial NIL” covers several different aspects of name, image and likeness as well as brand management.

Legal compensation for an athlete’s NIL began on July 1, 2021. It brought a new demand for financial literacy and education for student-athletes.

Opendorse, an NIL marketing and technology company, reported that college athletes earned a total of $917 million in the first year of NIL, according to businessofcollegesports.com.

The marketing firm estimated athletes will earn a combined $1.14 billion in the coming year, according to businessofcollegesports.com.

One unique aspect of the class is that it’s open to all majors as an upper-division elective. This brings in a diversity of thought and experiences from business and non-business students, as well as athletes.

The course curriculum is offered to student-athletes who are not in the class, but are interested in learning about NIL. Trained coaches are a resource for one-on-one and group guidance to provide them with overall education.

Banos said he created the framework of the class with an entrepreneurial base with additional information about NIL to maximize the topics that the course includes. NIL is entrepreneurial in nature, so the skeleton of the class will always start with that subject.

Because thoughts and regulations regarding NIL are constantly changing, Banos said he keeps the class relevant by updating the curriculum based on daily changes and trends occurring in the market.

With the partnership between Neeley School of Business, TCU Athletics and Robinhood Markets, recent funding will now go toward an enhanced focus of financial literacy, including taxation, self-employment and the several other aspects of business concepts that already exist in the course.

The course also includes self-improvement concepts that Banos believes are essential in launching and maintaining a successful business.

“Topics like mental health, self-leadership, habit forming and emotional intelligence are all fused into the class,” said Banos.