University of North Carolina Athletics
Bubba Cunningham
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
A Message From Bubba Cunningham On Name, Image And Likeness
June 16, 2020 | General
North Carolina Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham sent the following note to Carolina Student-Athletes, Coaches and Staff earlier this afternoon.
Dear Tar Heel Students, Coaches and Staff,
I hope you had a great weekend and that you and your families continue to stay safe and well.
You may have read or heard my recent statements about Name, Image and Likeness. Last year, before we all moved to studying and working remotely, I met with many of you to get your input on this issue because it will shape the futures of our students and college athletics. I continue to appreciate your input and perspectives.
As we move forward, I want to make sure that my intentions are clear: I absolutely believe that our student-athletes should have the right to benefit from their name, image and likeness. However, we also must ensure that NIL legislation does not negatively impact student-athletes' opportunities to participate. I do not want any university to have to cut scholarships or sports programs as an unintended consequence of NIL activities.
Each year, approximately 460,000 men and women have opportunities to attend universities, pursue college degrees, and compete in intercollegiate athletics. At Carolina alone, we offer 28 varsity sport programs which provide educational and athletic opportunities for more than 800 student-athletes. Only two of our teams, football and men's basketball, generate more revenue than they spend. Under our current educational model, the money made from those sports is shared to support the rest. Legislation permitting virtually any and all individual NIL activities will divert funds, primarily from sponsorship agreements and scholarship donations, needed to support our Olympic Sports programs.
Rather than create legislation which would just benefit a select few of the most high profile student-athletes, I believe we should pursue options which would benefit a larger percentage of student-athletes. One idea I believe would have an immediate positive impact is allowing group licensing, which would enable student-athletes to profit from their collective NIL used in video games, jersey sales, trading cards, and posters -- where there has been proven market interest in the past. Group licensing would not require additional time commitments from student-athletes, risk interference in the recruiting process, necessitate agent involvement, or displace money from sponsorships. It would protect educational opportunities and provide many student-athletes with economic benefits.
While I am advocating that legislation must not negatively impact participation and educational opportunities, I am also taking steps to ensure that our department will support our student-athletes should the recent NIL proposals take effect. We will continue to invest in INFLCR and other software that allows student-athletes to share content on social media, and we will further invest in educating our student-athletes on how to better build their personal brands. We also will continue to highlight individual student-athletes on our department's communication channels.
In the meantime, I am working with the Uniform Law Commission to gain consensus across states, and I am advocating for a group license now while providing time to more fully assess the impacts of individual NIL. The letters I have sent to the Uniform Law Commission are attached.
This is a complicated issue that is moving quickly, and I know everyone has different opinions. If you have questions or would like to discuss further, please reach out to me. The path forward is important to everyone involved in college athletics, and at Carolina, we will continue our mission: To Educate and Inspire Through Athletics.
Looking forward to seeing you all back on campus soon. Please continue to stay safe.
Sincerely,
Bubba
Dear Tar Heel Students, Coaches and Staff,
I hope you had a great weekend and that you and your families continue to stay safe and well.
You may have read or heard my recent statements about Name, Image and Likeness. Last year, before we all moved to studying and working remotely, I met with many of you to get your input on this issue because it will shape the futures of our students and college athletics. I continue to appreciate your input and perspectives.
As we move forward, I want to make sure that my intentions are clear: I absolutely believe that our student-athletes should have the right to benefit from their name, image and likeness. However, we also must ensure that NIL legislation does not negatively impact student-athletes' opportunities to participate. I do not want any university to have to cut scholarships or sports programs as an unintended consequence of NIL activities.
Each year, approximately 460,000 men and women have opportunities to attend universities, pursue college degrees, and compete in intercollegiate athletics. At Carolina alone, we offer 28 varsity sport programs which provide educational and athletic opportunities for more than 800 student-athletes. Only two of our teams, football and men's basketball, generate more revenue than they spend. Under our current educational model, the money made from those sports is shared to support the rest. Legislation permitting virtually any and all individual NIL activities will divert funds, primarily from sponsorship agreements and scholarship donations, needed to support our Olympic Sports programs.
Rather than create legislation which would just benefit a select few of the most high profile student-athletes, I believe we should pursue options which would benefit a larger percentage of student-athletes. One idea I believe would have an immediate positive impact is allowing group licensing, which would enable student-athletes to profit from their collective NIL used in video games, jersey sales, trading cards, and posters -- where there has been proven market interest in the past. Group licensing would not require additional time commitments from student-athletes, risk interference in the recruiting process, necessitate agent involvement, or displace money from sponsorships. It would protect educational opportunities and provide many student-athletes with economic benefits.
While I am advocating that legislation must not negatively impact participation and educational opportunities, I am also taking steps to ensure that our department will support our student-athletes should the recent NIL proposals take effect. We will continue to invest in INFLCR and other software that allows student-athletes to share content on social media, and we will further invest in educating our student-athletes on how to better build their personal brands. We also will continue to highlight individual student-athletes on our department's communication channels.
In the meantime, I am working with the Uniform Law Commission to gain consensus across states, and I am advocating for a group license now while providing time to more fully assess the impacts of individual NIL. The letters I have sent to the Uniform Law Commission are attached.
This is a complicated issue that is moving quickly, and I know everyone has different opinions. If you have questions or would like to discuss further, please reach out to me. The path forward is important to everyone involved in college athletics, and at Carolina, we will continue our mission: To Educate and Inspire Through Athletics.
Looking forward to seeing you all back on campus soon. Please continue to stay safe.
Sincerely,
Bubba
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