A “Swoosh” of NIL and a “Bucket” of UMD Stars

On July 1st, 2021, the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) approved a name, image, and likeness policy allowing student-athletes to monetize their NIL. The approval set the scene for many athletes, such as Jayden Daniels, an LSU quarterback who was recently drafted to the Washington Commanders. Meanwhile, women’s basketball players Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese made headlines for their groundbreaking collegiate careers and a “rivalry,” created by the media. Amazon Prime Video released a documentary series titled “The Money Game” on September 10th. The series showcases Louisiana State University’s rise to NIL greatness with athletes such as Flau’jae Johnson (women’s Basketball) and Olivia Dunne (gymnastics) appearing in the series. NIL allows athletes to act in commercials, sell merchandise, and create a “brand.” 

A program that has recently been making noise is just 20 minutes away from Silver Spring. The University of Maryland, College Park, or “UMD,” has had an astonishing opening season. A few weeks ago on November 10th, the team UMD Women’s Basketball team had a season highlight, upsetting No. 11 ranked Duke. The game ended 85-80 as the Terrapins ignited a rivalry stemming from 2006. There was a lot of promotion for this game, compared to the Duke vs Maryland games years before. Seemingly, social media marketing for collegiate athletics has been highly promoted since before the 2020 NIL law. 

Going back to the rivalry, in 2006, UMD consistently packed out Xfinity Center on a historic 35-4 run, winning the NCAA Division I championship against Duke. Fast forwarding to 2012, the UMD vs Duke rivalry continued. Maryland ended Duke’s ACC Championship winning streak, knocking them out of championship play. This placed UMD in the final round, taking down Georgia Tech 68-65 for the ACC Championship title. This season has been an outstanding one for the Lady Terrapins, beating the Toledo Rockets 92-70 this past Sunday, extending their winning streak to 9-0. The Terrapins are hard at work and hope to continue their winning momentum, today against Mount Saint Mary’s.

The UMD Men’s Basketball team has been off to a great start. The Terrapins are currently 7-1 with a load of season highlights. On November 19th UMD had its highest point difference in a win against Canisius. The game finished 108-37. The Terrapins beat the Golden Griffins by a whopping 71 points! This game came after UMD’s first loss of the season against Marquette, losing 78-74. The Canisius game was a great bounce-back win. The Terrapins are looking to continue their momentum with a win against Ohio State tomorrow, December 4th. 

Blake Senior Malaika Pierre went to the UMD vs Iowa University game earlier this year in College Park, MD. She states that the “Iowa vs UMD game was great for women’s basketball.” Pierre includes that the game was a great way for “former fans and new fans” to come together and celebrate “new records performed and records [being] broken.” Pierre said that Caitlin Clark and other NCAA Athletes “create a positive increase in viewership and support for women in sports by keeping fans and non-fans on their toes to witness groundbreaking [performances]. Tickets [are] being sold out, merchandise [is] worn in support, long … lines of people [are] waiting outside to see what record these women could unleash under their own eyes,” Pierre says.

NCAA Basketball is looking to continue a bright future. The men’s and women’s game is in good hands with NIL and continuous support from the community.