Did March Madness Miss the “Madness” this Year?
Photo provided by the Associated Press
2008 in San Antonio, Texas was the first time all four top seeded men’s basketball teams made the March Madness Final Four.
2025 in San Antonio, Texas is just the second time all four top-seeded men’s basketball teams made the March Madness Final Four.
Usually, March is madness; this year it’s mellow. The anticipated cinderella stories from schools that usually don’t even make the tournament were not taking over the front page of news outlets. Instead, the rise of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) is leading the way in college sports, especially in basketball. Simply put, NIL is an athlete's legal right to control how their image is used, from jersey sales to the cover of a video game. Recently, many of the prominent players on cinderella teams have been transferring to the powerhouse schools for more NIL, creating a larger gap of skill between the 68 teams in the tournament.
According to Sports Illustrated, the average NIL deal for an athlete over one season across all Division I sports is $21,331. Not bad for a college student, right? The problem that arises for me is how NIL impacts the school a student chooses to attend. Do they go for the ‘school spirit’ and the best path to professional leagues, or do they go to the school offering them the most money? That question will probably never be answered, but we can only wonder.
However, this was not always the case. Prior to July 1, 2021, a student-athlete was not allowed to make money through NIL. The Supreme Court case NCAA v. Alston was the turning point. The case was filed due to the NCAA’s rules restricting athletes from making the most out of their name. The NCAA wanted to keep student-athletes at an ‘amateur’ level, leaving money out of the picture.
College Football Hall of Famer and now-retired NFL star Reggie Bush had his Heisman Trophy stripped away in 2010 following an investigation by the NCAA. The investigation was launched after suspicion arose that the University of Southern California gave Bush and his family cash and free travel expenses while attending the school. Just last year—14 years later—Bush got his Heisman back.
Arguably the current biggest name in college basketball is Duke Guard Cooper Flagg. In just his first year at Duke, On3 marks Flagg’s NIL valuation at $4.3 million, just behind The University of Texas quarterback Arch Manning. Flagg’s deals with New Balance, Gatorade, Fanatics, and Cort Furniture sum up how much the likely future first-overall pick’s NIL is worth.
Oftentimes, college basketball players will transfer to a different school where there is more NIL opportunity and upfront money available.
High-level programs going head-to-head creates an electric and anticipated atmosphere—something that is always good for the sport. Winning teams have a chance to prove they can win against the best of the best from each region.
The fun part? This all happens again next year.