Why NIL is not one thing, why college sports keeps getting more expensive, and what athletes need to know now.
Rachel Maeng has seen NIL from several angles: athlete, creator, operator, advisor, speaker, and founder. She was a Rutgers student-athlete, built and sold an influencer agency, and now works as a fractional COO and NIL strategist.
Eric Kasimov talks with Rachel about the messy business of college sports. They get into real NIL, revenue sharing, athlete content, roster caps, transfer pressure, fan behavior, student fees, and why the money keeps creating new problems.
Rachel is pro-NIL, but she does not sugarcoat where sports is headed. From college athletics to the NFL to the Olympics, she sees a system where opportunity, access, and competition are increasingly shaped by money.
She also brings the conversation back to access. Sports helped her get to college, build confidence, and find a path. But the system has become more expensive, more public, and more complicated for athletes and families trying to navigate it.
What Rachel Maeng and Eric Discuss:
- Rachel’s work as a fractional COO and NIL strategist
- Rutgers, alumni representation, and student-athlete advocacy
- Why influencer marketing is the prequel to NIL
- Why sports has turned into a money game
- What real NIL looks like versus revenue sharing
- The money gap between top college programs and everyone else
- How roster caps and NIL rules affect athletes
- Why fans treat paid college athletes differently
- The pressure on athletes to become media companies
- Why youth sports and recruiting have become expensive
- How athlete rankings and camps shape opportunity
- The role of women’s flag football in college sports
- Why internships, networking, and experience matter
- The enrollment cliff and what it could mean for universities
- Women of color, AAPI representation, and building access in sports business
Real NIL vs. the Money Game
Rachel Maeng describes influencer marketing as the prequel to NIL. Before athletes could make money from their name, image, and likeness, creators were already learning how to build audiences, price content, negotiate brand deals, and understand platforms. Rachel saw those two worlds moving toward each other.
That is where this conversation starts. Rachel explains what she considers real NIL: athlete camps, brand deals, content, and earned opportunities tied to a player’s actual name, image, and likeness. But she separates that from revenue sharing, salary-cap-style spending, and the growing arms race inside college sports.
Eric and Rachel also talk about what happens when college athletics starts to look more like professional sports. Schools are hiring GMs. Donors are funding rosters. Students are still paying rising tuition and fees. Athletes are getting paid, but they are also facing more public pressure when they do not perform.
The conversation moves beyond NIL into access. Youth sports are expensive. Recruiting camps cost money. Rankings shape opportunity. And college itself may be facing major changes as tuition rises, AI changes work, and fewer families view a degree the same way.
Rachel also shares how she found confidence as a woman of color in sports, marketing, and entrepreneurship. She talks about being the only one in the room, why representation matters, and why she is building opportunities for minority female athletes and founders in sports business.
Notable Quotes
- I really look at influencer marketing as like the prequel to NIL.”
- “Every time we have a new ruling or every time they let something happen, it just opens up another can of worms.”
- “Real NIL is when athletes can say, ‘I’m an Ohio State volleyball player and I have a volleyball camp.’”
- “It just seems like college sports is spiraling out of control.”
- “Sports has turned into a money game.”
- “I’m more comfortable being uncomfortable than I am being comfortable.”
Chapters in This Episode
00:00 — Rachel Maeng on her current work
00:34 — Fractional COO work, NIL, and representation
01:42 — Rutgers, student government, and alumni advocacy
03:27 — Rutgers in the Big Ten and the reach of major universities
05:13 — Why Rachel chose Rutgers
06:55 — Big schools, small schools, and the future of college athletics
07:18 — Women’s flag football and Title IX
09:23 — Cutting sports, roster caps, and international athletes
12:57 — Syracuse, football spending, and donor ROI
14:14 — Why college teams are hiring GMs
16:16 — Student fees, tuition, and the cost of college sports
18:00 — NIL money, fan pressure, and athlete criticism
19:39 — Recruiting rankings, camps, and access
22:43 — College sports deficits and the money problem
25:36 — The growing gap between top programs and everyone else
27:10 — Recruiting facilities, spending, and shared governance
29:13 — Sports betting, expansion, and more games
32:10 — Rachel’s view on NIL
35:43 — Why Rachel watches more college sports now
37:35 — Flag football, NFL expansion, and global growth
39:17 — Youth sports, cost, and the money game
43:55 — Athletes as media companies
46:15 — TikTok, creator marketing, and the road to NIL
48:31 — Advice for young women in sports and business
54:50 — AAPI representation and women in sports business
57:50 — Sponsors, mentors, peers, and building community
59:10 — Internships, networking, and real career experience
1:03:38 — The enrollment cliff and the future of college
1:10:37 — Staying curious through podcasts, documentaries, and daily learning
1:11:26 — LA, the Olympics, and travel realities
1:15:51 — How to find Rachel Maeng
About Rachel Maeng
Rachel Maeng is a fractional COO and NIL strategist working across sports, creator marketing, startups, and consumer brands. A former Rutgers University student-athlete, Rachel brings experience from college athletics, influencer marketing, operations, and athlete education.
She built and sold GEN Agency, an influencer and NIL-focused agency that helped athletes and creators understand brand deals, pricing, content strategy, and contracts. Rachel has also spoken and advised in the NIL space, focusing on helping athletes understand how NIL is closely tied to the creator economy.
Rachel currently serves as a Rutgers University senator representing alumni and continues to work on issues connected to student-athlete representation, access, and the future of college sports.
Connect with Rachel Maeng:
Rachel Maeng on X | LinkedIn | Instagram
Connect with Eric & SportsEpreneur:
SportsEpreneur.com | X | LinkedIn
Eric on LinkedIn | X
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- The Protect College Sports Act Explained: NIL, Transfers, Antitrust, and the Future of College Sports
- NIL Pros and Cons | The College Game Is Changed Forever
- NIL Is Moving From Chaos to ROI | Brent Wall of Student Athlete Score
Eric Kasimov is the founder of SportsEpreneur, part of the KazSource media network. Since launching the platform in 2015, he has hosted over 500 podcast episodes, written and published more than 1,500 articles, and advised business leaders, founders, and creators on building authority through media strategy.
Through his brands — KazSource, KazCM, SportsEpreneur, and QuietLoud Studios — Eric leads teams that produce podcasts, develop brand platforms, and help companies grow through modern content ecosystems. He also scaled KazSource Insurance into a seven-figure boutique agency, providing the foundation for the broader media network he operates today.
His work has been featured in Forbes, Axios, and Front Office Sports, and his podcasts have included conversations with top founders, investors, and athletes turned entrepreneurs.