NIL brings optimism to college-town businesses | News, Sports, Jobs
AP photo
Bret Oliverio poses at his Sup Dogs restaurant in Chapel Hill, N.C., Thursday.
HAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Bret Oliverio says he wants college athletes to endorse his Sup Dogs restaurant along the main Franklin Street drag steps from the University of North Carolina.
He is just being patient before jumping into a brave new world.
Like other small business owners in college towns, Oliverio is sorting out just what it means to strike an endorsement deal with athletes who are now free to profit from the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL) for the first time.
“I don’t know if an athlete wants 20 bucks or 20,000,” he said, “so that’s what I’m trying to navigate.”
The NCAA’s decision to allow athletes to cash in arrived July 1 with a few restrictions and even less guidance. There is no “pay for play” allowed but many rulebook…
