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My First Million

My First Million

The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.

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sports business

NIL transforming college sports into professional entertainment

Timeframe: Currently in explosive growth phase, will stabilize in 3-5 years as regulations clarify

What's Changing

College athletes can now earn millions through name, image, likeness deals, fundamentally shifting college sports from amateur to professional model

Driving Forces

Supreme Court ruling enabling athlete compensation

Growing sports media revenues

Social media giving athletes direct fan access

Recognition that schools profit massively from athlete performance

Winners

  • Top-tier athletes in revenue sports
  • Sports marketing agencies
  • Social media platforms
  • Athletic programs that adapt quickly

Losers

  • Traditional amateur sports model
  • Smaller athletic programs without NIL resources
  • Athletes in non-revenue sports
  • Schools that resist change

How to Position Yourself

1

Build infrastructure serving high-earning NIL athletes

2

Create products/services that help schools compete for recruits

3

Develop platforms connecting athletes with brands

4

Focus on authentic athlete brand building vs traditional endorsements

Early Signals to Watch

Changes in NCAA regulationsNew athlete representation agencies emergingIntegration of NIL into official recruitment processesAthlete-owned businesses becoming common

Example Implementation

“Build platform helping athletes turn viral moments into branded products that schools can purchase to demonstrate recruitment support”