Matthew Baker Discusses His Thoughts On NIL Compensation in ROI-NJ Interview

Genova Burns Counsel and former defensive back at Yale University, Matthew I.W. Baker, Esq., discusses his thoughts on NIL and the changing rules around college athletics with Tom Bergeron in a recent ROI-NJ interview.

Mr. Baker notes that the new rules are good for players – but issues around compensation are far from settled. 

The article begins:

ROI-NJ: As a former athlete, when the court decision that enable athletes to make money from their name, image and likeness – or, more so, prevented colleges from preventing them from doing so – what was your initial reaction?

Mr. Baker: That this was a clear win for NCAA athletes – and a clear win for athletes of all sports. I think a lot of times when we talk about NIL, whether it’s because of the O’Bannon lawsuit or the prominence of NCAA football video games, we usually think about men’s basketball and football.

But I was thinking this represents a good opportunity for athletes who play other sports that don’t get much attention. Maybe it’s a dominant pitcher on a women’s softball team. Maybe it’s a world-class fencer or rower. Those individuals now will be able to have opportunities that had been closed previously.

There are questions that will need to be answered, certainly. So, my second thought was: This probably creates more questions than answers.

To access the full interview, please click here.