Tip a Player (TAP): Best way to financially support college athletes in NIL era

By TAP co-founder Travis Richmond for VolleyballMag.com

College sports changed forever on June 21, 2021, when the Supreme Court unanimously ruled the NCAA could not prohibit student-athletes from receiving non-educational benefits. Since then, players have been allowed to earn compensation for the use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL).

In other words, college athletes can now be paid while playing their given sport — but not for playing their sport.

With the three-year anniversary of this landmark ruling fast approaching, the world of NIL remains confusing for many who oversee, participate in, and watch college sports. For most athletes, the NIL era has yet to deliver any noticeable benefits. But there is a better way to financially support college athletes:

It’s called Tip a Player, or TAP. 

TAP connects fans with players and teams they love, and the company’s slogan is simple:

“Send money. They’ve earned it.”

Visitors to tipaplayer.com can search for any Division 1 player on any team at any school. After finding a player or team, supporters simply decide how much they want to send and add tips to their cart like on any e-commerce site. TAP does the rest.

The TAP platform currently features more than 123,000 players representing 24 sports at 360 schools. This includes 6,745 Division 1 volleyball players from a total of 433 teams across women’s, men’s, and beach volleyball.

TAP compensates players who execute a standard, non-exclusive endorsement contract with the company and fulfill an endorsement obligation each month. That obligation is minimal — a brief video endorsement of the company in exchange for donations received in a player’s name the previous month, plus a proportional share of donations made in the name of their team.

TAP helps all players earn NIL money

The early years of NIL have seen a handful of star players at major schools earn significant endorsement income. But for every Heisman-winning quarterback there are thousands of lesser-known athletes who are equally deserving of appreciation.

Each of the athletes on TAP has a unique page on the website. Having their own direct link allows these players to build a brand and promote themselves like any other digital content creator, and tap directly into their existing networks of friends, family, and fans for support.

Likewise, TAP encourages athletes to support each other off the court as strongly as they do during a match. That’s why when money is given in the name of…