‘NIL changed my life’: Policy adds another layer of intrigue to the Villanova-Miami Sweet 16 showdown

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Friday night’s matchup between No. 4 Villanova and No. 9 Miami features the Wildcats’ most marketable player in Maddy Siegrist and two of the highest NIL earners in women’s sports in the Hurricanes’ Haley and Hanna Cavinder.

For the last two seasons, ever since the NCAA’s prohibition on athletes earning money off their name, image, and likeness was rolled back in July 2021, collegiate athletes have been able to profit off things like clinics and camps, merchandise sales, and brand deals.

Siegrist and the Cavinder twins have used basketball to grow their platforms, but their journeys with NIL have looked different.

Siegrist’s following didn’t really begin to grow until the last two seasons. As the nation’s leading scorer and a first-team All American this year, the attention on Siegrist has grown exponentially. The senior has just under 10,000 Instagram followers, and, with that, her NIL opportunities have significantly increased.

“It’s been great,” Siegrist said. “It’s crazy how it’s changed since I first got here. I think it’s great that players can benefit; it’s really important.”

» READ MORE: Do Title IX and NIL play well together? Some urge caution.

The Cavinder twins were considered social media influencers in high school, before they were allowed to earn money from their success. Now, after transferring to Miami from Fresno State as seniors, they each have over 500,000 followers on their personal Instagram accounts, 4.5 million on their combined TikTok account, and earned an estimated $2 million in 2022, according to Forbes.

“NIL changed my life,” Haley Cavinder said. “I’ve definitely been able to just learn to capitalize off of it and position myself to be able to be successful in the future. So I’m really for NIL in college athletics”

Because of their established platform, the Cavinders have been able to secure deals from big companies like Boost Mobile, Core Hydration, Champs Sports, Raising Cane’s, and more. The twins also have a podcast called Twin Talk and a YouTube channel they can monetize.

Siegrist, while on a smaller scale, also has had her fair share of NIL deals and earnings. The senior star sells personalized merchandise with Vintage Brand and has worked with companies like Outback Steakhouse, Powerade, over the past two years, learning along the way.

“I’ve definitely learned more on the business side, like negotiation a little bit,” Siegrist said. “And then the importance of social media and how that can really impact everything.”

But despite the larger paychecks and bigger names that come with endorsement deals, the camps that she hosts in her hometown of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., are her favorite benefit of the rule change.

“[Hosting a camp] is something that I’ve always wanted to do,” Siegrist said. “I like teaching the kids and all that stuff. I think that’s the most fun.”

» READ MORE: How God and basketball teamed up to create Maddy Siegrist’s historic career at Villanova

When it comes to making a short video for Instagram or TikTok, recording a podcast, or teaching kids at a camp, it can feel like fun and games. But the attention that accompanies NIL comes with challenges.

The Cavinders were involved in an NCAA NIL ruling in February following allegations that the Cavinders’ recruiting process included contact that violated the NCAA’s rules.

It was the first known NIL infraction ruling handed out, according to Sports Illustrated, and resulted in a three-game suspension for Miami coach Katie Meier, among other penalties. The twins responded with a TikTok video captioned, “Dear NCAA, scared that female athletes have value?”

The Cavinders also are a target for opposing fan bases. Chants such as “Stick to TikTok” flooded the Indiana student section on Monday night.

“I think just being able to keep the opinions of others that don’t really know me on the back burner,” Haley said. “And just relying on my people in my circle and my teammates has allowed me to be successful.

“I think there’s a lot of people that make you one-dimensional. You have to be an influencer, or you have to be a basketball player. But I think you can be both.”

Meanwhile, Siegrist takes a slightly different approach to balancing hoops and NIL.

“For me, I’m a basketball player, and that other stuff is second to me,” she said. “But I think it’s really cool that it’s not necessarily only the great player. Anyone who has a following on social media can do it.”