Nebraska, Ohio State, Alabama boost NIL funds via practice admission - ESPN

LINCOLN, Neb. — Three of the most tradition-rich college football programs are capitalizing on the passion of their fans to generate funds for their NIL collectives.

Nebraska and Ohio State are opening one or more of their preseason practices to the public and charging admission. Alabama will let fans in for free to an open practice, but those who want to get player autographs afterward will be required to pay a few bucks to join the Crimson Tide's collective.

NFL teams have long allowed fans to attend training camps, with most charging no admission.

College athletes have been allowed to cash in on their name, image and likeness since 2021, and collectives that facilitate deals for them initially were funded by big-money donors. Now, fans at large are being asked to chip in as well, with no donation too small.

Schools that struggle to fill their stadiums during the season probably would never ask fans to pay to watch a practice. It can work at places like Nebraska and Ohio State, which have long ranked among leaders in attendance and whose spring games, which are glorified practices, regularly draw between 60,000 and 80,000.

Temple University associate professor Thilo Kunkel, who researches NIL's impact on college sports, said opening practices for a price is a creative way to add to the NIL pool if a school can pull it off. Even though the players won't be in full pads and temperatures could be in the 90s, hardcore fans will come for an up-close look at the team.

«They want more than just a Saturday afternoon game,» Kunkel said. «They want that authentic behind-the-scenes access and the practices actually are giving them that.»

Nebraska is charging $25 per fan, any age, for its open 6 p.m. practice Saturday. Carson