Charles Barkley issues stark warning about NIL and the future of college sports

“It’s totally out of whack and out of control,” he said. “It’s an unsustainable business model to beg donors, like myself, for millions of dollars every year.” 

Barkley showed love for his alma mater, but made it clear he won’t continue giving endless amounts of money to support what he views as a broken system. 

The NIL landscape has evolved rapidly, with athletes like Texas' Arch Manning, BYU's AJ Dybantsa and LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson earning multi-million-dollar valuations before starting a full season.  

While Barkley isn’t against players making money, he openly admits he would have earned a fortune had NIL existed in his era. But it comes with a warning that the current model is subject to crashing due to donor contributions. It's similar to a PBS telethon to keep your favorite programs going with various levels of contributions. 

“There’s no business that can pay kids $20 to $30 million a year and survive,” Barkley added. His concern centers on funneling millions into amateur sports without structured revenue models or a salary cap. Although he supports athletes' rights to profit, Barkley calls for reform over unchecked NIL growth being the death on college athletics.

For Barkley, it’s about creating a fair, durable system that supports both players and the institutions that develop them.