Name, Image and Likeness

 There's all sorts of chatter out there nowadays about name, image and likeness, or N.I.L. It's the new thing all these young student-athletes crave, and it's really changing the landscape of collegiate athletics in a very short time frame. With the recent alteration to NCAA rules, as you may know, student-athletes may use their name, image and likeness to be financially compensated. This is in stark contrast to the days of old where boosters might provide a car, a free meal, or hundred dollar handshakes to your favorite players.

I'd like to spend some time breaking down each component of name, image and likeness, and what I perceive for each one moving forward, We'll start here with the name. Everyone has a name. My name is Lon. Lon Moore. Personally, I like my name, but my wife, Betty, tells me that my name is rather plain and somewhat dated. Not too many young pups running around out there with the name Lon. I, for one, believe that gives my name much more value - only other Lon that comes to mind for me is Lon Kruger and he's since retired from coaching basketball. So, the first component of NIL, name, you need a unique name. I can't see a guy named Dave really "cashing in" with a rather generic and all-too-common name.

Image is the second one. If I'm being honest, my image has seen better days. As a man in his early 70s, I'm certainly on the back-nine of life. I've got thinning hair, it's now white (used to be golden) and I've put on a few pounds since Betty and I first got married 42 years ago. In order to rake in the dough, you need to have a good image. For college athletes, this is probably fairly simple, save for some offensive lineman and nose guards - sorry big fellas.

Likeness is the last piece of the NIL. People have to like you if you're going to be handsomely paid by a business or organization. No one is going to hire the world's biggest jerk to be the face of its product. People have got to like you. As Betty tells me, I'm much too grumpy these days, so my likeness is certainly in the tank.

Before I sign off, let's review our notes for success with NIL. You need a good/unique name, you need a positive/healthy image, and you need to be liked. If you've got those three, there should be a plethora of companies and products lining up for you to endorse and promote.