NIL regulation: Can the NCAA recover and improve on its own failure?

The convergence of countless factors, including conference realignment, a seamless transfer portal and rule changes allowing athletes to benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL), has dramatically changed the landscape of college sports. However, no matter how tectonic the inequalities created by conference realignment and the transfer portal, no other development has caused as much confusion and anxiety as the rapid evolution of the NIL.

In an effort to bring some transparency to the volatile NIL arena, a slew of legislation has been passed at the state level and proposed at the federal level. For the past three years, amidst all this turmoil, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has been largely a spectator from the stands. However, over the past few months, it appears that the NCAA has begun to tighten the chinstrap.