"It's not really about your talent that much" - NCAA athlete Erin Brown on track and field NIL deals

Track and field athlete Erin Brown recently shed light on the truth behind the NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals.

Speaking on a podcast, Brown revealed that the NIL deals are not the best go-to options for a track and field athlete and it works very differently for such athletes, compared to collegiate football players who get immense benefit from these deals.

During the podcast, the 22-year-old also remarked that the NIL deals are also not as lucrative as the general public's perception and mentioned that the social media presence and following are some of the major criterias behind the signing of these deals. Speaking on the recent episode of the Ready Set Go podcast with Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green, Brown said (at 51:00):

"It's (NIL) not as lucrative as people think it is for track and field at least. If you are a football player you can go make millions in college but if you look at the top track athletes in college, they aren't the ones with NIL deals. It's really the people with the top followings on social media."

Brown added:

"You have mediocre distance runners but they have a large following and they are the ones getting like the shoe deals and the NIL deals. So, it's really not about your talent that much."

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Erin Brown clinched three medals at the Western Athletic Conference track and field competition in 2024

Competing for Grand Canyon, Erin Brown clinched three medals at the Western Athletics Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships 2024. The 2002-born track and field athlete grabbed podium finishes in the 100m and 200m individual races and was also a part of the Grand Canyon 4x100m relay team that clinched second place.

In the men's 100m, Brown registered a run-time of 10.38 seconds to edge past Tarleton State's Justin Raines, who finished in second place in 10.43 seconds.

Over the 200m dash, Erin Brown again was in a close contest with Raines. However, the Grand Canyon athlete managed to get past Raines once again, touching the finish line in 20.55 seconds. Justin Raines, on the other hand, gave another second-place finish to Tarleton State after registering a run-time of 20.85 seconds.

Erin Brown's solid performances in these events helped Grand Canyon immensely to finish in first place in the men's team score at the WAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships with 153 points.