An eight-team college basketball tournament is set to take place in Las Vegas this Thanksgiving weekend, providing players with the opportunity to earn money. The tournament, known as the Players Era Festival, will feature programs from top NCAA conferences and each participating school will receive $1 million to distribute among its players. Schools such as Alabama, Houston, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, San Diego State, and Texas A&M are expected to participate.
Players involved in the tournament will be required to engage in off-court activities to earn sponsorship money. While schools cannot directly pay their players for their name, image, or likeness, many have established collectives to raise funds on behalf of the athletes. This change has led athletes to increasingly prioritize monetization when selecting schools. NIL deals specifically for basketball and football players have reportedly reached millions of dollars.
The NCAA’s decision to allow players to engage in sponsorship opportunities signified a major shift in the organization’s stance on amateurism, which had previously been strictly enforced. With the ability for players to transfer once without sitting out a season, there has been a rise in player transfers. This change coupled with monetization opportunities has led athletes to prioritize their financial future when making decisions about their college career.