Most people use their jobs to pay for everyday needs, such as groceries, gas or bills. 

As a collegiate athlete, finding time to work between classes and being a member of the team is hard. Insert the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) agreement that the NCAA adopted on June 30, 2021. 

There had long been a debate on whether collegiate athletes could financially gain off of their own NIL for a number of years. According to the initial press release by the NCAA, “individuals can engage in NIL activities that are consistent with the law of the state where the school is located.” 

Companies all around college towns are now hiring out collegiate athletes, such as Dawson County alumni Bryson Broadway and Dennis Pyetsukh, to use their NIL for things like advertisements and brand representation. In return, these companies pay the athletes. 

Broadway made agreements with clothing companies Southern Proper and Old School Hats. The companies send Broadway clothes to wear and a promotion code for customers to use on its website. Broadway gets to keep the free clothes and makes a portion of the sales off of anybody that uses his code. 

“You can promote anything anywhere,” Broadway said. “It’s not a big deal but you can promote a lot of things for these Division 1 guys. If we can just be on the team, we can make money. I really believe it’s what we deserve because we can’t have a job and play division one football.” 

Pyetsukh, a soccer player at Brown University in Rhode Island, said he never expected someone playing Division 1 soccer would be able to benefit from the NIL agreement, but he admitted he was wrong. 

Sports media conglomerate Barstool Sports sent an all-call out on its Twitter account asking for unique athletes to apply to become a “Barstool Athlete.” Unsure of what that meant, Pyetsukh determined there was no harm applying and was surprised when he got an email back just a few days later. 

“Playing soccer at Brown is kind of the last place you would think of someone wanting to pay the athletes,” Pyetsukh said. “Once I got confirmed by Barstool posting me on their social media accounts, I got an email with a link to have my free apparel delivered to me.” 

Additionally, Pyetsukh said he has received information about being a part of paid photoshoots for Barstool and even obtaining a ‘Barstool Athlete Card’ which will feature major discounts from different stores and restaurants. 

Both Broadway and Pyetsukh, who are both on scholarship, said they plan on using their funds for things like groceries or to save, since athletics may not be how they make their money in the future. 

“As an athlete, I don’t really have time to have a job,” Pyetsukh said. “It would generally be for everyday necessities. For me, it’ll probably just be used for food to take some financial burden off of my parents.” 

Though these are not seven digit deals like some college football players are making, most Division 1 athletes can now use NIL for financial gain. Broadway joked that he one day hopes to get a deal with his dream company, Taco Bell. 

Broadway and Pyetsukh are just a few of the athletes from Dawson County that have made NIL agreements. University of Georgia running back Sevaughn Clark has a deal with Yoke Gaming, which allows people to play video games with their favorite athletes. 

Is promoting the collegiate athletes from Dawson County equivalent to shopping locally? Find out for yourself. To use Broadway’s promo codes, follow the URL links on his Instagram biography. His account is @brysonbroadway.