LEGAL IN FILM
In the Game & On the Screen Student-Athletes on Screen in Hollywood Thanks to New Rules By Je rome Jackson
Hollywood is ready for student-athletes, and student- athletes are ready for Hollywood. Entertainment attorneys and talent agents will be in high demand for this group once the wheels start turning.
Having a built-in viewer base made influencers prime candidates to promote on screen projects, the logic being that the people who follow influencers will watch whatever the influencer appears in. This logic still applies and will be greatly amplified through student-athletes. Similar to influencers, student- athletes will come with a built-in viewership to their individual lives. But far greater is the more general sup- port that will come from the student body and alumni network of the specific school. Being a known figure at a school with a large student body and alumni network will ensure robust promotion and viewership of whatever film/TV project the student-athlete finds itself in. Hollywood is ready for this change. Historically, we’ve already seen former student-athletes on both the big and small screen. Hall of Famer Jim Brown has starred in films, former Stanford great JR Lemon currently appears on TV series, and the highly touted Brian Bosworth has a regular role in Dr. Pepper commercials. Looking at broadcast TV, Michael Strahan (Good Morning America) and Nate Burleson (CBS in the Morning ) have even ventured into unscripted content that isn’t sports-focused. If student- athletes get started early in their careers, there’s no reason why we wouldn’t see those familiar faces eventually end up in our daily and nightly broadcast lineups. Furthermore, shows like Ballers , The Game , and The League already had athlete cameos as a fundamental part of their storylines. It is not hard to see how those shows, or even shows centered around high school sports— All- American and Friday Night Lights —would want to have an actual student-athlete appear or even recur on the program. Another essential point is the age demographics that student-athletes command. Student-athletes have an inherent interest to two valuable age groups: 12-17 and 18-24. The 12-17 age group consumes a lot of content but watches significantly less traditional TV than any of
the other age groups. Their attention is typically captured elsewhere (web applications, game consoles, other media players, etc.). According to Nielsen (May 2021), 12–17-year-olds only watch an average of 53 minutes of traditional TV per day. So, adding student-athlete cameos, appearances, and recurring roles, may help to increase those numbers. Within the 18-24 age group, student-athletes will have a large following, as this group represents their current and former classmates. Tangentially, the emergence of Atlanta, GA, as an entertainment-hub will certainly spur this trend. Having a film/TV hub in the southern region will surely promote growth in this area. This is especially true considering the formidable commitment to college athletics evidenced by the SEC (Southeastern Conference) alone. Moreover, the proximity to schools with large student bodies will also prove useful. University of Georgia, Clemson University, University of Alabama, Florida State University, University of Florida, and University of South Carolina all boast over nearly 25,000 students, are perennial powerhouses in college sports, and are within 1 hour of flight to Atlanta. Hollywood serves the same role for the substantial student populations from California State University schools, University of Southern California, University of California Los Angeles, University of Arizona, Arizona State University, and Stanford. Together, both Atlanta and Hollywood are poised to handle the influx of student-athletes making their name in the game and on the screen. Hollywood is ready for student-athletes, and student-athletes are ready for Hollywood. Entertainment attorneys and talent agents will be in high demand for this group once the wheels start turning.
Attorney Jerome Jackson
T he new rules governing high school and college student-athletes will lead to more of them on screen in a major way. Hollywood has seen its fair share of athletes, but this next wave will be more significant and long-lasting. On July 1, 2021, the NCAA changed its rules allowing high school and college student-athletes to make money from their Name Image & Likeness (NIL) without losing their eligibility. This change has already launched the college sports world into a frenzy of NIL deals just this past summer. The deals have reportedly ranged from free barbecue after games to $2 million. The nature of the NIL deals has largely been endorsements and promotional services, but soon we will see this transition into on-screen performances for both scripted and unscripted programs. The entertainment industry has changed in the digital era in how it captures viewership. Over the past several years, we have seen a rise in social media influencers and YouTube sensations crossing over into films, TV series, and other commercial advertisements.
@TheeEntertainmentAttorney
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