At a time when Nick Saban left college football due to the rise of NIL, Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko had no problem with it. “Now, more than ever, this sport needs somebody to step in and create some type of rules and regulations. I am all for the portal. I am all for NIL. I have no problems managing any of that,” he said during a press conference last December. Turns out Elko’s squad benefited widely from the NIL. 

In spring 2024, only 67 NCAA athletics programs reported revenues of more than $51 million. Elko’s program has been lucky to find itself in that category. As per the reports, Texas A&M athletes have earned more than $51 million in 2024. While this NIL milestone is indeed something to be celebrated, a looming gap emerges at the same time. The Eagle obtained documents that outlined how Texas A&M athletes earned $51.4 million in NIL compensation in the past fiscal year — from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.

Now, that is indeed a big win. That’s when their earlier cycle’s NIL figures started to do rounds. Reports say Texas A&M earned more than a 250-percent year-over-year increase from the $19.4 million. This NIL milestone places them above the reported revenue of 165 NCAA athletics programs, per USA Today’s spring 2024 NCAA finances report. Then what’s the hoopla all about? On July 21, Front Office Sports posted the NIL gap between male and female athletes of Texas A&M. As per the reports, “Men’s Sports received a combined $49.2 million,” while “Women’s sports received a combined $2.2 million.” 

When it comes to NIL deals, as per SponsorUnited’s 2023-2024 NIL Marketing Partnerships Report, things were well-balanced. Women secured 52% of the NIL deals while men locked in 48% of the partnerships. While men’s NIL deals reigned in the world of football (72%), women’s NIL deals were more evenly spread across basketball (35%), gymnastics (18%), and volleyball (15%). But right now, Texas A&M’s NIL distribution landed them in a sticky spot. Their women athletes received just 4.2 percent of the overall NIL share, compared to 95.8 percent for their men’s sports counterparts. Now, this might not have fit well with many.

After all, Aggies had several successful women’s programs in 2024-25. The one that needs special mention is a softball program that reached No. 1 in the country and split the SEC championship with Oklahoma. Now, this has been the case earlier, too. In 2023-24, female University of Texas athletes earned approximately 8% of the school’s total NIL compensation at $994,398. During 2021-2022, the Aggies’ men’s athletes received an NIL compensation of $2,972,819.18, while officials handed out $100,299 to the women. The very next year, the men received NIL compensation of $6,024,609.46, and the women received $154,721. Looks like this issue has reached far and wide. And former US presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is not okay with this disparity.  

Hillary Clinton breaks the silence on NIL inequality

Officials had made attempts to reduce the gap in the NIL field. The Federal Department of Education issued new guidance. The purpose? It stated that programs need to distribute revenue share with Title IX, the regulations mandating gender equality in sports, in mind. A part of the guidance read, “In a nine-page ‘fact sheet’ released Thursday, OCR clarified that, under Title IX, NIL money paid to college athletes should be held to the same gender-equity standards as athletic scholarships. dollar amounts of athletic scholarships (sic).” However, things did not pick up momentum.

The new US president quickly changed that ruling when he assumed office later that month. Now, Clinton could no longer keep silence on the lingering NIL issue. Right at the moment, the WNBA’s ongoing negotiations with the league’s players regarding the next Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) are now hitting the headlines. But at the same time, the women’s basketball players of the WNBA All-Star stunned fans with their attire. 

Players made it to the court wearing warm-up t-shirts that read, “Pay Us What You Owe Us.” The instance happened during the league’s All-Star Game on July 19. They are now fighting for their right to seal a salary hike and a NIL revenue share boost by approximately 9% of what they’re currently receiving. That’s when Hillary Clinton took a stand, sending a strong message about this player pay movement. On July 21, she posted a picture of Caitlin Clark wearing the t-shirt. Clinton wrote in the caption, “Everyone watches women’s sports—and the players should be paid what they’re owed. I stand with @theWNBPA and everyone else fighting for equal pay.” With voices growing louder and stakes rising higher, how long before the NIL game truly changes for women in sports?