NCAA athletes started getting paid legally a couple of years ago for their name, image, and likeness, otherwise known as NIL.
The NIL game has shifted to mostly a pay-for-play model, especially in football, with collectives spending big money to retain and attract players from the transfer portal.
It's rare to see a college athlete doing a commercial or any publicity for a business for payment. However, FSU baseball star pitcher Jamie Arnold has the right idea.
Arnold is arguably the best pitcher in college baseball and the only unanimous Preseason All-American going into the 2025 season. He'll likely be a first-round draft pick in the 2025 MLB Draft and has decided to use his NIL for something worthwhile:
I'm excited to announce a season long campaign, K Time For #cysticfibrosis in honor of my buddy @Bradleyscfjourney. Bradley and his family have been amazing fans of our baseball program for a long time!! So this season for each strike out, I will donate $25 to @cff_westflorida. pic.twitter.com/FSlVIdCCpq
— Jamie Arnold (@_JamieArnold13) February 12, 2025
To put it in perspective, Arnold had 159 strikeouts last season, which would have been nearly $4,000 donated to this organization on behalf of his buddy, Bradley.
Arnold projects to be in that ballpark again, if not better, with another pitch (change-up) to compliment his 95+mph fastball and nasty slider.
Not only will Bradley and the organization benefit from whatever Arnold can contribute from his strikeouts, but it will also help bring awareness to the cause throughout the year, as announcers will likely mention it during broadcasts.
I think it's awesome that Jamie Arnold found a local cause like this to support. The amazing thing is he's not getting to do this promotion.
We saw something similar when former FSU football offensive lineman Dillan Gibbons had his "Big Man, Big Heart" Foundation. In a world where young men and women get caught up in materialistic things when they get access to money they haven't had before, it's nice to see some athletes finding positive ways to use their influence.
Several former FSU players continue to do positive things. Marvin Wilson, Kenny Shaw, and many others hold football camps for kids. James Coleman does a big Back To School drive every year, and that's only a handful that I can think of right off the cuff. Feel free to join Jamie Arnold in support of Bradley. It's a great cause.