What the NIL means for student athletes is that they can earn money on their talent and fame. (Fine by me.) What the NIL means for the state’s media is that it can crown any student a King Money Maker of its choosing. (Not fine by me). With most of Arkansas’ media in the pocket of [NWA SCHOOL], it’s hard to see how this doesn’t create another unfair advantage for an athletic program already given all the advantages.

In essence, we’ve exchanged proven commodities for assets with tantalizing promise. The entertainment value associated with “tantalizing promise” is the elixir of season ticket pitches and offseason content like this. But tantalizing promise is also the mana of transforming a good football team into something special. Thus far, new Red Wolves head football coach Butch Jones has sipped deeply from this chalice.