Madison Beer gushes over ‘incredible’ Justin Herbert, WAG culture is headed to college & the NASCAR swear jar
WAG culture has expanded to college American football, marking a significant shift in how athlete relationships are commercialised at the college level. A make-up artist named Allison Kaye has created a thriving business providing "Game Day Glam" services to players' girlfriends, a business model that reflects growing commercial opportunities in college sports as NIL (name, image, likeness) money becomes increasingly prevalent.
Kaye began her college venture at Ohio State earlier this month, serving four players' girlfriends, and subsequently provided services to six at Penn State. She operates full "glam suites" from hotel rooms, offering food, drinks, team decorations and complimentary beauty products, with clients paying for the service—sometimes using their boyfriends' NIL earnings. Her weekends are now heavily booked through the remainder of football season across the 134 FBS teams. Separately, singer Madison Beer recently discussed her engagement to Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert on Twitch, describing the proposal as "magical" and noting it marked one year since Herbert asked her to be his girlfriend.
- Make-up artist launches college football WAG beauty service business
- Girlfriends using athlete NIL money to pay for game-day make-up
- Singer Madison Beer announces engagement to Chargers quarterback Herbert
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
This represents legitimate entrepreneurship and personal autonomy within college sports' evolving NIL landscape. Allison Kaye identified a market opportunity and built a genuine business; partners of athletes have the same rights to monetise their time and labour as anyone else. College athletes can spend their NIL earnings however they choose, including on services provided by their partners, just as they might purchase any other good or service. The participants are consenting adults making voluntary decisions, and there is nothing inherently problematic about relationships coexisting with commercial transactions—this occurs routinely throughout society.
The case against
Extending WAG culture to the college level represents unhealthy further commercialisation of university life and intimate relationships, normalising the view that romantic partnerships should become business ventures. There are legitimate concerns about whether partners face social or economic pressure to participate, and whether university—a formative period—should centre on monetising one's association with athletes rather than other pursuits. The practice risks distorting college sports' priorities away from education and athletic development towards the commercial infrastructure surrounding players, and raises substantive questions about whether NIL money—intended to benefit athletes themselves—should effectively flow through to partners' businesses rather than supporting the athletes' own development and future.