Official announcements from major NCAA conferences

U.S. Department of Education Mandates Proportional NIL Payments Under Title IX, Impacting $20.5M Revenue Pool

Jan 16, 2025, 11:24 PM

The U.S. Department of Education has issued guidance stating that payments to college athletes for their name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights must be distributed proportionally between male and female athletes to comply with Title IX. This memo, released by the Office for Civil Rights, classifies these payments as 'athletic financial assistance,' which must be allocated in a manner that reflects the gender distribution of athletes on campus. The guidance could disrupt plans by many schools to distribute a significant portion of a new $20.5 million revenue-sharing pool primarily to football and men's basketball players. NCAA President Charlie Baker noted that the association does not typically provide guidance on Title IX, leaving it to individual schools to interpret and implement. The memo's impact may be short-lived, as a new administration under President-elect Donald Trump could alter or rescind this guidance upon taking office.