the godfather
According to a NIL valuation list from On3 Sports, Bronny James Jr. (Lebron James’ son if you weren’t already aware) is now the highest-valued amateur athlete in the world with the potential to earn $7.2 million annually from endorsement deals. Does this come as that much of a surprise? No, not really, but the concept that a senior in high school will be generating that kind of cash is absurd. Heaps of active NBA players might not even sniff $5 million in earnings annually, let alone what Bronny is about to make.
Bronny nearly doubles the next highest NIL valuation at $3.7 million for stud football prospect Arch Manning, demonstrating the true power the James last name holds. But, the real story here could be the fact that Livvy Dunne is third on the rankings at $3.4 million dollars in annual potential earnings. If I said that I was a big collegiate gymnastics guy, that would be a flat-out lie. I might even dare to say that I would rather watch a WNBA game than a random gymnastics meet, but Livvy Dunne is simply must-watch TV. Pardon my thirst, but this woman is quite literally perfect. I couldn’t tell you how many times my legs have fallen asleep while I’m on the can scrolling through Livvy’s TikTok. Truly an entrancing experience.
Needless to say, the landscape of college sports has changed drastically since the introduction of NIL deals. Sure, big names like Bronny and Livvy are at an immediate advantage due to their stardom, but the door is now open for just about anyone to make a boatload of money. Hopefully, I’ll get some NIL looks after my intramural softball game later this week, but I won’t hold my breath.
