The National Collegiate Athletic Association authorized Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) beginning July 2021 allowing collegiate athletes to monetize their brand. The main channel athletes can monetize their brand is through social media as they do not have access to mass media or marketing consultants. This article examines gender differences in social media presence and its impact on NIL monetization. We find that athletes’ NIL value is positively related to the number of followers on Instagram and Twitter (now X). However, we find gender asymmetries with female athletes receiving a premium for Twitter followers and a discount for Instagram followers. Other results suggest that NIL values are positively associated with the level of competition and the major money sports of football and basketball.
Medcalfe et al. (2025) studied this question.