Kai Trump secures over $1 million in deals before heading to University of Miami
The 18-year-old, who is set to join the University of Miami 's golf team, has signed agreements with Accelerator Active Energy, Leaf Trading Cards, and TaylorMade Golf.
Her substantial social media following, exceeding six million across various platforms, has been key to her securing these lucrative endorsements.
Kai's NIL valuation of at least $1.2 million positions her among the top-earning female student-athletes.
She has stated her intention to pursue a professional golf career following her college education.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
10 hours ago
- The Guardian
Trump signs executive order to rein in ‘chaotic' influence of money on college sports
Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order prohibiting 'third-party, pay-for-play' payments to college athletes, a move the White House says is intended to curb the booster-funded bidding wars that have upended the landscape of college sports in recent years. The order asserts that recent court rulings and a patchwork of conflicting state laws have dismantled long-standing NCAA rules, creating what it describes as a 'chaotic environment' that threatens the financial stability and competitive balance of collegiate athletics. It marks the most aggressive federal intervention yet in response to the rapid commercialization of college sports, particularly in football and men's basketball, where top programs now spend tens of millions of dollars to attract and retain athletes through name, image and likeness (NIL) deals. Under the new directive, schools would be expected to eliminate any third-party NIL payments used as recruiting inducements, while still allowing fair-market compensation for legitimate services such as brand endorsements. The order also seeks to protect women's and non-revenue sports, directing athletic departments to preserve – and in some cases expand – scholarship opportunities and roster spots in programs that don't generate significant revenue. Starting with the 2025–26 academic year, schools with more than $125m in athletic revenue are urged to increase their investment in non-revenue sports, while schools with $50m or more are required to maintain existing levels. The president's order points to growing disparities fueled by state-level legislation, including the more than 30 states that have passed NIL laws, and warns that the resulting imbalance has created an 'oligarchy' of wealthier programs that can simply outbid rivals for the best players. It also cites rising concerns that runaway NIL spending is draining resources from Olympic and educational sports that form the foundation of America's athletic system. 'Absent guardrails to stop the madness,' the order reads, 'many college sports will soon cease to exist.' In addition to targeting NIL abuses, the executive order: Calls on the Department of Education, the FTC, and the Department of Justice to develop enforcement and regulatory plans within 30 days Directs the Department of Labor and National Labor Relations Board to clarify the employment status of student-athletes in ways that prioritize educational benefits Instructs federal agencies to use Title IX enforcement, funding decisions, and litigation strategy to protect the long-term viability of college athletics Encourages collaboration with Congress and state governments to advance a national framework The order highlights the outsized role that college athletics play in US Olympic success, noting that 75% of athletes on the 2024 Olympic team were current or former collegiate athletes, and argues that preserving a broad base of non-revenue sports is essential to maintaining America's international dominance. While the order outlines sweeping federal priorities, it remains unclear how many of its provisions will be implemented in practice, particularly in the absence of new legislation. Still, the White House insists the move is necessary to restore fairness and stability to a system that it describes as 'drifting toward professionalization'. 'College sports are not, and should not be, professional sports,' the order declares. 'A national solution is urgently needed before it's too late.'
Reuters
11 hours ago
- Reuters
Trump signs order aimed at curbing big-money college sports payouts
WASHINGTON, July 24 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump waded into a debate over the influence of big-money payouts in college sports on Thursday, signing an executive order adding federal government scrutiny to the practice. The order, which is expected to face legal challenges, seeks to block some recruiting payments by third parties like donors to college athletes in big-dollar sports like football and men's basketball in order to preserve funds available for women's and non-revenue sports. Though the practice is already forbidden by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, some donors have found ways to bypass the rules to recruit top talent with lucrative offers. The policy is not aimed at fair-market compensation to athletes for brand endorsements, the White House said. The order also pushes colleges to raise scholarship payments for non-revenue sports and directs U.S. officials to start "clarifying" the legal status of student-athletes. Trump's directive could lead to changes in school budgets as well as the multimillion-dollar market for U.S. college athletes, and it could lead to limitations on payouts or employment rights for those athletes. Yet how exactly the policy will be enforced is still to be determined. Under the order, federal officials will develop a plan to deliver on Trump's order using "all available and appropriate regulatory, enforcement, and litigation mechanisms," including their funding power over states, colleges and universities. Since taking office in January, Trump has repeatedly tried to intervene in actions by sports leagues, colleges and universities. A February executive order aimed to bar transgender women from competing in women's sports. The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee implemented such a ban this week, citing the order. Trump has also targeted elite universities' federal funding over topics including pro-Palestinian student protests. Columbia University on Wednesday said it would pay over $200 million in a settlement to resolve federal probes and have most of its suspended federal funding restored. The NCAA, which governs U.S. sports in higher education, had long prohibited student-athletes from receiving compensation for athletics outside of scholarships in a bid to preserve the amateurism of college sports and keep the playing field fair for recruiting. But in June 2021, the organization approved an interim policy allowing college athletes to make money by selling their name, image and likeness (NIL) rights. The policy allowed student athletes to make money through activities such as signing autographs, endorsing products or businesses, and making personal appearances so long as the activities were legal in the state where the school was located. In March 2025, the NCAA agreed to permanently eliminate its rule that prohibited student athletes from negotiating NIL deals before enrolling in a school. The change came a day after a legal settlement between the NCAA and a group of state attorneys general who had sued the organization, arguing that the restriction violated federal antitrust law. The changes in recent years on NIL payments, the White House said, "has created a chaotic environment that threatens the financial and structural viability of college athletics." Michael LeRoy, a University of Illinois labor and employment relations professor, said the order would likely be challenged as unconstitutional. "The fact that players want to have the same rights under antitrust law that everybody else has is not a problem," he said. The problem, he said, is that the NCAA and athletic conferences that govern top sports "have stubbornly refused to grant employment status and collective bargaining to athletes." In a statement, NCAA President Charlie Baker said it was grateful for the administration's focus on the issue and said that new legislation may be necessary to address problems facing college sports. "There are some threats to college sports that federal legislation can effectively address and the Association is advocating with student-athletes and their schools for a bipartisan solution with Congress and the Administration," he said.
The Independent
13 hours ago
- The Independent
Trump signs order to clarify college athletes' employment status amid NIL chaos
President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order mandating that federal authorities clarify whether college athletes can be considered employees of the schools they play for in an attempt to create clearer national standards in the NCAA's name, image and likeness era. Trump directed the secretary of labor and the National Labor Relations Board to clarify the status of collegiate athletes through guidance or rules 'that will maximize the educational benefits and opportunities provided by higher education institutions through athletics.' The order does not provide or suggest specifics on the controversial topic of college athlete employment. The move comes after months of speculation about whether Trump will establish a college sports commission to tackle some of the thorny issues facing what is now a multibillion-dollar industry. He instead issued an order intended to add some controls to 'an out-of-control, rudderless system in which competing university donors engage in bidding wars for the best players, who can change teams each season.' 'Absent guardrails to stop the madness and ensure a reasonable, balanced use of resources across collegiate athletic programs that preserves their educational and developmental benefits, many college sports will soon cease to exist," Trump's order says. 'It is common sense that college sports are not, and should not be, professional sports, and my administration will take action accordingly.' There has been a dramatic increase in money flowing into and around college athletics and a sense of chaos. Key court victories won by athletes angry that they were barred for decades from earning income based on their celebrity and from sharing in the billions of revenue they helped generate have gutted the amateurism model long at the heart of college sports. Facing a growing number of state laws undercutting its authority, the NCAA in July 2021 cleared the way for athletes to cash in with NIL deals with brands and sponsors — deals now worth millions. That came mere days after a 9-0 decision from the Supreme Court that found the NCAA cannot impose caps on education-related benefits schools provide to their athletes because such limits violate antitrust law. The NCAA's embrace of NIL deals set the stage for another massive change that took effect July 1: The ability of schools to begin paying millions of dollars to their own athletes, up to $20.5 million per school over the next year. The $2.8 billion House settlement shifts even more power to athletes, who have also won the ability to transfer from school to school without waiting to play. At Big Ten Conference football media days in Las Vegas, Purdue coach Barry Odom was asked about the Trump order. 'We've gotten to the point where government is involved. Obviously, there's belief it needs to be involved," he said. 'We'll get it all worked out. The game's been around for a hundred years and it's going to be around 100 more.' The NCAA has been lobbying for several years for limited antitrust protection to keep some kind of control over this new landscape — and avoid more crippling lawsuits — but a handful of bills have gone nowhere in Congress. Trump's order makes no mention of that, nor does it refer to any of the current bills in Congress aimed at addressing issues in college sports. The 1,100 universities that comprise the NCAA have insisted for decades that athletes are students who cannot be considered anything like a school employee. Still, some coaches have recently suggested collective bargaining as a potential solution to the chaos they see. It is a complicated topic: Universities would become responsible for paying wages, benefits, and workers' compensation and schools and conferences have insisted they will fight any such move in court. While private institutions fall under the National Labor Relations Board, public universities must follow labor laws that vary from state to state and it's worth noting that virtually every state in the South has 'right to work' laws that present challenges for unions. Trump's order also: — Calls for adding or at least preserving athletic scholarships and roster spots for non-revenue sports, which are those outside football and basketball. The House settlement allows for unlimited scholarships but does impose roster limits, leading to a complicated set of decisions for each program at each school that include potential concerns about Title IX equity rules. Trump said 'opportunities for scholarships and collegiate athletic competition in women's and non-revenue sports must be preserved and, where possible, expanded.' — Asks the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission to 'preserve college athletics through litigation" and other actions to protect the rights and interests of athletes — a stance that could influence ongoing lawsuits filed by athletes over eligibility and other issues. — Directs White House staff to work with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee to protect the collegiate pipeline feeding Team USA. College sports programs produce around three-quarters of U.S. Olympians at a typical Summer Games, but some are on uncertain footing as schools begin sharing revenue with athletes and the lion's share going to football and basketball. ___ AP National Writer Eddie Pells contributed. ___
