This year’s March Madness tournament made history by allowing college basketball players to make money through endorsement deals, with women players gaining more financial earnings than men.
Zia Cooke, a junior guard for the University of South Carolina’s women’s basketball team, was recently named one of the highest-paid college basketball players in the Final Four. Bloomberg reported that she recently won the tournament in March, alongside her teammates and Dawn Staley as head coach.
According to recent data from Opendorse, women basketball players are the second highest-paid college athletes, with football ranking at number one and men’s basketball in third than their female counterparts. The Lincoln, Nebraska-based company shared its findings with Bloomberg News, confirming that the most marketable women’s basketball players had higher earnings than men due to their higher social media followings.
“It just shows that we can do a lot of things that a lot of people say we can’t do,” Cooke told CBS News. “To see all the girls on there for the NIL and I think it was just one boy it shows that we can do literally everything they can do. It’s a business and it’s super effective for women and men.”
The historic move came after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that college athletes should be able to make money based on their image, likeness, and name. As a result, some of the biggest stars have partnered with brands, such as Gatorade, IcyHot, H&R Block Inc., and DirecTV.
“I feel like a lot of people actually do love women’s basketball. It’s just hard for them to admit it, which I don’t know why,” Cooke said. “But I think that the paper shows it all, the stats. The stats show it all.”
Cooke has gained endorsement deals with the help of her Instagram account with over 228,000 followers. Her posts are valued at $8,000 each for name-brand companies who may want her to promote their products.
Recently, the point guard partnered with H&R Block, and she said working with the company was “super, super fun.”
“It gave me a chance to show who I am for one minute,” she said. “I’ve done DoorDash, which was also super fun. I did Bojangles deals and I’ve done Fenty Skin, Rihanna’s line, so I have quite a bit and it’s just the beginning. I’m excited for what else is in store.”
After earning so much money from her deals, the 21-year-old said she doesn’t check her bank account.
“I really don’t even want to know how much money I have,” she said. “I haven’t looked at the account since I’ve started. Now I’m just trying to stay focused on my best work….I want to save because once you see the prices like you want to buy stuff like that.”
