February 11, 2023,
In terms of innovation, when there is a new dawn on the horizon, will you recognize it?
So often, a new major innovation is right in front of us and, we either can’t grasp it or refuse to believe it.
For example, take a look at this interview between Bill Gates and David letterman back in 1995 when Mr. Gates is trying to explain to Letterman that his vision is a computer in every home and on virtually every desk, along with the concept of the Internet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs-YpQj88ew
Not that long ago, perhaps about a decade, women’s wrestling was not taken as seriously as the boys and who knew then that girls wrestling would outpace the boys.
At the Modesto Bee they share, “In 2018-19, high school participation in the sport declined for the first time in 30 years but girls wrestling increased by 27%, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. There were 21,124 girls who wrestled last year compared to 16,562 during the 2017-18 year. In California, there were almost 1,000 new girl wrestlers in 2019 while the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section has doubled its participation from 2016 (540) to this year (1,095).”
And one more example.
The theintelligencer.net educates, “The fastest-growing sport in the nation has reached the Ohio Valley. It was recently announced that Steubenville High School will field a girls’ wrestling team for the 2020-21 school year. The team will be led by Big Red boys’ coach Mike Blackburn and Tommie Goff, an Akron Copley graduate who led the junior high program last season at Harding Middle School.”
Yes, the fastest growing sport in the nation.
There is a new dawn arising. It’s called NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) and while boy’s football has primarily benefited from it, women’s collegiate wrestling is poised to benefit as well.
The team at athleticdirectoru.com educate, “As college athletics continue to grapple with the implementation of a fair and balanced set of rules for student-athletes to monetize their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), the question of just how much money they could generate has been the subject of much speculation.”
Those athletes, including female freestyle wrestlers, can begin to generate a lot of money.
The key connection is the growth of female MMA.
If the UFC had not grown so substantially, with many imitators to follow, including all female promotions like Invicta, it is most likely that girls wrestling in the schools would not see the growth they see now.
That is the key element.
When FCI began reporting on the WCWA and female wrestling programs, the question we posed was where do the girls go to compete after they leave college? The only options then appeared to be scripted lady pro wrestling or the Olympics and that’s it.
MMA changed all of that.
Now a major option is for the girls to transition into MMA fighters, if only temporarily.
It is a brutal and often bloody sport.
Still, it is an option that wasn’t there over 10 years ago. Hopefully other less violent options will eventually emerge. But, for now, in terms of money, this is one substantial option.
What is the connection to NIL?
fciwomenswrestling.com femcompetitor.com, fcielitecompetitor.com fciwomenswrestling2.com grapplingstars.com Nunes-2022-Artur-Didyk-Shutterstock-photo
Major players, like the UFC and WWE are offering NIL deals.
As reported by teamusa.org, “UFC®, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, today announced the signing of Bella Mir, University of Iowa freshman and member of the women’s wrestling team, as the brand’s first NIL ambassador. Mir, the daughter of two-time UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, joined the women’s Hawkeyes wrestling team after capturing four consecutive Nevada state high school wrestling titles.”
See what we mean?
Who would have thought 10-15 years ago that this would be occurring?
The WWE is also making moves.
On January 26, 2023, at wwe.com, they share, “WWE today revealed the third class of 15 college athletes who will join the company’s award-winning NIL (Name, Image & Likeness) program – “Next In Line™” – that provides a clear pathway from collegiate athletics to WWE.
The class is highlighted by two-time NCAA All American wrestler Greg Kerkvliet from Penn State University, four-time NCAA National Champion thrower Turner Washington from Arizona State University and NCAA Champion hurdler Alia Armstrong from Louisiana State University.”
Of particular interest on the WWE is Peyton Prussin, a female wrestler at Life University.
The female wrestling insiders at teamusa.org educate, “Peyton Prussin (Las Vegas, Nev./Life University) has been selected as USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week on Nov. 24, 2021.
Prussin won an individual title at the Missouri Valley Open, which featured a strong field of athletes across all weight classes. Wrestling at 109 pounds, Prussin collected five wins en route to the title, including three technical falls to open her tournament.”
The great news for Peyton and other female grapplers is that NIL money is in addition to their scholarship and they can receive more than one deal.
At this time, there is no limit on how much money you can make with NIL deals.
Yes, plural.
If the athlete involved is receiving income based financial aid packages, that could affect their benefits, but most of the female wrestlers are stars who have received scholarships, so that shouldn’t apply.
Go for it.
The great news is that female athletes across the spectrum are benefiting. The informative news and information source cnbc.com posted, “Since the enactment of the NIL (name, image and likeness) structure to allow amateur athletes to seek endorsement deals, which came in July 2021 after a landmark Supreme Court decision, the hope was that female athletes would significantly benefit.”
And now they are.
Due to the success of the WNBA, some of the female athletes who are benefiting the most from NIL are basketball players.
There you have it.
In terms of NIL, we are in the early stages.
At the dawn.
It is difficult to see into the future. Just ask those of us who have lost money on Wall Street. Still, we are aware that in terms of female wrestlers receiving scholarships and NIL deals, this is the start of a great financial partnership.
If you are a female interested in grappling, you can be part of the dawn of a new era.
~ ~ ~
OPENING PHOTO Tumar-Shutterstock-photo-credit-Editorial-use- grapplingstars.com fciwomenswrestling.com femcompetitor.com, fcielitecompetitor.com fciwomenswrestling2.com
https://www.modbee.com/sports/high-school/article239847413.html
https://athleticdirectoru.com/articles/how-much-is-nil-really-worth-to-student-athletes/
https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2023/January/27/Bella-Mir-UFC-Ambassador
https://www.wwe.com/article/wwe-adds-15-athletes-to-award-winning-nil-program
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/15/that-nike-bronny-james-nil-deal-was-a-big-deal-for-women-too.html
https://www.fciwomenswrestling2.com
https://www.fcielitecompetitor.com/
https://fciwomenswrestling.com/
