News and explainers for athletes.
Contracts, deals, rules and money, in every sport and at every level. Each post answers one question and lists its sources at the bottom.
Why did Serena Williams take her name off her own firm?
Serena Ventures grew out of her own investing from 2014. In July 2026 she renamed it Starfire Ventures, saying she wanted it "bigger than me." A trademark ruling on the old name came weeks later.
What does the College Sports Commission's pay data show?
The CSC's first pay tables, out October 30, 2026, put the middle quarterback in the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC at $75,000 from his school in 2026. The middle baseball player there got $0.
How do quarterly estimated taxes work when a deal pays all at once?
Nothing is withheld from a deal, so the IRS expects tax during the year. The four periods aren't equal, the next 2026 payment is due January 15, 2027, and a lump sum changes what's due when.
What changed for Louisiana high school athletes on August 1?
Since August 1, 2026, Louisiana state law lets high school athletes earn from their name, with a parent's consent under 18, the deal shown to the school first and nine categories off limits.
Can an athlete put deals through an LLC, and what does it change?
Yes. A state creates the LLC. For federal tax, a one-owner LLC is disregarded unless it elects otherwise, so the same Schedule C and self-employment tax apply. The paperwork changes.
What does the Big Ten's new cap mean for an athlete's deals?
On October 28, 2026, the Big Ten capped how much each school can help arrange in outside deals at $27.5 million. Deals an athlete finds on their own aren't counted.
A brand sent you a W-9. What does it do?
It gives the brand your name and taxpayer number so it can report what it pays you. It goes to the brand, never the IRS, and it's how a 1099 finds you in January.
How much of a $100,000 deal does an athlete keep?
Take out the median 20 percent cut ESPN reported, then self-employment tax the way IRS Schedule SE figures it, and $68,696 is left before income tax. With no cut, $85,870.
Why isn't all of an NFL contract guaranteed?
Paragraph 11 of the standard NFL Player Contract lets the club end it on its "sole judgment" of a player's skill or performance. Only money written down as guaranteed is safe from that.
When does a deal make an athlete self-employed?
When a brand pays you for work as someone who isn't its employee, in something you do for income with some regularity. Self-employment tax starts at $400 of net earnings in a year.
When a high school deal is reported, what does the parent sign?
It depends on the state. Ohio wants a notarized form from the student and a parent. Virginia's and Oklahoma's forms carry a parent's signature. New York's rule names no report at all.
What happens if a Texas high school athlete signs a deal at 17?
At 17, Texas law lets a high school athlete sign with a college. The UIL says a brand deal waits until eligibility in that sport is used up, and its amateur rule sets the penalty.
What happens to your deals when you transfer to a school in another state?
Your deals come with you. Your new school's state's rules apply around them, Ohio holds a deal you bring in to its limits, and Division I's reporting rule follows you.
If your state's law and your school's policy differ, which one applies?
Usually both. Your school's policy sits on top of your state's law, in the room the law leaves it. Where the law says a school may not do something, the law gives you a way to court.
Four states bar high school NIL. Do their rules say the same thing?
No. Alabama's rule never says NIL. Hawaii's covers the sport a deal relates to. Mississippi's is one sentence about state law. Wyoming's is now a state statute.
What changed for Indiana high school athletes in 2026-27?
Indiana's high school association voted 13-5 in May 2026 to allow "Personal Branding Activity" from 2026-27. By October, 54 athletes had deals. What the old rule said, and what's new.
Why did Alabama and Georgia repeal their college NIL laws?
Alabama's sponsor said the NCAA's 2021 policy left the state's rules stricter than everyone else's. Georgia's law had an end date written in, and a 2025 cleanup act took it off the books.
Who owns the money a minor athlete earns from a deal?
For federal tax, it's the child's income, even if a parent gets the check. State family law decides the rest. California says pay from a likeness or sports deal is the minor's alone.
What is an agent not allowed to do?
Federal law bars an agent from four things to sign a college athlete, from false promises to gifts before signing. State laws add more, including 14 days to cancel.
How much of the money do college players see?
A 2020 study found college football and basketball players got under 7 percent of the revenue they brought in, against about half for the pros. Revenue sharing began in 2025-26.
Who is checking on agents now?
The FTC asked 20 schools about agents in January. The Senate passed a 5 percent fee cap in September, and the House hasn't voted. Louisiana makes agents register. The NCAA says it can do little.
What happened to the $13.85 million?
Jaden Rashada signed a $13.85 million deal to play at Florida. A collective ended it before he signed with the school. He sued, and the case settled in 2026, terms not released.
What is a lifetime marketing agreement?
A contract that gives someone a percentage of your marketing income for years, or for good. An NIL educator told ESPN he sees agents seeking 15 to 30 percent under them.
Who gets paid when you sign?
You should be the one paid. The reporting shows others who plan to be paid too, from helpers who take a cut and up-front fees to a coach paid by his own player and a federal fraud case.
What does a street agent take, and what do the pros' agents take?
In a 2026 survey run for ESPN, the median cut a high school "helper" took was about 20 percent. A certified NFL agent may take 3 percent of a playing contract.
Can a team make you hire an agent before you sign?
No. No league, the NCAA and no state law requires an athlete to have an agent. The NFL's own agreement lets a club negotiate with the player himself.
What is an agent's percentage taken of, gross or net?
Gross is the whole amount a deal pays, before anything is subtracted. Net is what is left after the deductions the contract names. The same 20 percent is a very different number on each.
What is a right of first refusal in an endorsement deal?
A matching right. When the deal ends and a rival brand makes an offer, the current brand can keep you by matching it. It follows you past the term.
What is a morals clause in an endorsement contract?
A clause that lets the brand end the deal, cut the fee or ask for money back over conduct it decides reflects badly on it. The wording sets how wide "conduct" is.
What does exclusivity mean in an athlete's endorsement deal?
An exclusivity clause bars you from any other brand in a named category for the term. With sponsor patches on college uniforms from August 2026, a school's sponsor can collide with it.
What does "in perpetuity" mean in an endorsement contract?
Forever. A usage-rights clause with that phrase lets the brand keep using an athlete's name, image and likeness after the deal ends, with no end date and usually no further payment.
Why are playing-contract fees capped but endorsement fees aren't?
Pro players' unions cap what an agent takes from a team contract at 3 to 4 percent. No union covers endorsements or college and high school deals, so nothing caps them.
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