Tony’s Take | NIL vs Pay4Play | Elements | On the Take | Super 6 + 1 | Edition 79

By Tony Duckworth, tonyduckworthsr@joewhit716gmail-com

NIL vs Pay4Play.  The wild west of the new version of major college football continues to entertain while programs are tampering with players who are not in the portal while offering NFL money.  After all, back-room deals, bag men, and tampering is what CFB has been for decades.  Some argue that this new world of transparency in college sports isn’t as appealing as the scandalous version of the past.  

USA Today’s Douglas Scott wrote an article on 1.18.2026 that raised several great points. He made the point that NIL and pay-for-play are distinctly different.    

Think of it this way.  If one of our children were signed to do a TV commercial, no one would argue that the child should be paid as much as the market allows.  After all, the child would be exercising their rights in the world of non-sports Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL).  This is an example of the free market, and most would agree that this is Economics 101.  Actors and musicians have earned their way for decades under the NIL model. 

Pay for play is entirely different than NIL.  According to Scott, “ Pay-for-play, on the other hand, is about compensation for on-field performance within a revenue-generating enterprise”.  Scott is correct.  Viewing NIL and P4P in the same manner is flawed.   

Decision makers need to separate NIL from P4P given P4P lends itself, I would argue, best to a pro-version salary cap.  Michael Jordan made more money on endorsements (NIL) than he made in NBA salary.  MJ still makes approximately $250M annually from endorsements. Without a college sports salary cap, the model is unsustainable and will only create the inequities that occurred in the BCS era when only a handful of schools could keep pace. The market will create a ceiling on what each college can afford, but there will be casualties along the way.  Without a cap, there will never be another “Indiana” that captured the imagination of the nation this season. 

Elements.  Knowing this is Football America, my assumption is that the majority reading this column either watched, viewed highlights, or read about the NFL Conference Championship games.  While my pick to win the Super Bowl, the LA Rams, fell to the Seahawks, who will hoist the next Lombardi trophy; I will only comment on the weather.   

The weather was a non-factor in the NFC game, while Mother Nature played havoc in the AFC Championship.  The New England at Denver game was a walk in the park during the first half under perfect playing conditions.  Then she unleashed a snowstorm after halftime which brought Boomers and Generation X’ers back in time to an NFL film narrated by John Facenda.   

Every winter, I listen to fans and broadcasters call for every NFL team to play in a climate-controlled environment.  No!  While I would not want to watch a football game being played during a snowstorm weekly, who doesn’t enjoy watching two teams struggle in the elements?  I love watching pro golfers struggle in the U.S. Open given the course set-up like I do when I play golf.  My hunch is that most football fans feel the same about football. 

Once the fourth quarter arrived at Mile High Stadium, the lines on the field were difficult to see.  Routine passes were impossible to catch, and every kick posed problems for the special teams.  Hey CBS, don’t superimpose yardage and lines on top of the snow.  Let the viewer see the struggle as teams play a game that is hard enough in perfect conditions. 

The NFL will continue to allow home teams to host throughout the playoffs despite the winter weather, and they should.   Snowstorm games are memorable theatre. 

On the Take.  In recent months, I have written about NBA basketball players and coaches, and MLB players being charged with involvement in sports gambling rings.  Those indicted will be forced to walk away from multi-million-dollar contracts.    

Earlier this month, news broke that exposed D-I college basketball players and universities all over the country to another gambling ring.  Federal prosecutors have accused seventeen teams, largely mid-to-low major programs, of fixing or attempting to fix more than twenty-nine basketball games.  This round of scandals sought point shaving by having the players focus on manipulating the margin of victory, as opposed to winning and losing. Throughout the timeline, sportsbooks flagged approximately three dozen players based on betting patterns on first-half spreads.  

Prosecutors are as competitive as the players, and I would be surprised if every charge is upheld.   Anyone who pays attention knows prosecutors want to win as much as the stockbroker wants large commissions, and in some instances, prosecutors will cut corners and violate defendants’ rights to chalk up a victory. 

Coaches and players on the take have been around since the beginning of organized sports.  The first U.S. incident took place in 1919.  As I said a few months ago, there will be more gambling rings, including football, that surface.  This is the tip of the iceberg, and many will lose sleep at night, and it will be interesting which comes to light.   

Super 6 + 1.  To be continued | Record 91 – 60   

Follow Tony Duckworth on the X platform at @tonyduckworthsr.  Duckworth is a native of Macon and is the President and CEO of the Albany Area YMCA.  Tony worked in intercollegiate athletics for thirty-one years.  He was an NCAA Division II Director of Athletics at three universities, including Albany State, following ten years as a head men’s basketball coach at two colleges.