After the NCAA changed its policy on name, image and likeness (NIL) in 2021, athletes like Angel Reese and Olivia Dunne set a new standard of financial opportunity for college athletes.
In the upcoming Prime Video sports docuseries, The Money Game, the Louisiana State University champions document how the historic turning point catapulted their celebrity status and shaped their 2023-24 season.
Debuting on Sept. 10, the series promises to offer a behind-the-scenes look at LSU’s season after the historic rule change, with detailed recounts from LSU’s top players, coaches and administrators — and PEOPLE has the exclusive first look at the trailer.
In the extended preview, Dunne, 21, says July 1, 2021 — the day that the NCAA changed the policy regarding NIL profit so that college athletes could take advantage of brand sponsorships and social media income — was the day her “life changed.”
“The more eyes you’ve got on you, the more people are going to try to tear you down,” the LSU gymnast with more than five million Instagram followers adds.
As Reese, 22, appears in the trailer, the Chicago Sky rookie tells viewers that she gets “a lot of inappropriate comments” on social media, with screenshots of hateful messages aimed at Reese appearing on screen.
“All the stuff they say on a daily basis is disgusting,” Reese’s 2023 teammate, Flau’jae Johnson, adds. Johnson, 20, is also pursuing a career in music outside of her success on the basketball court, having collaborated with artists like Lil Wayne and NLE Choppa.
“I love the game,” Johnson says in the trailer, “but I can also take care of my family for generations.”
The docuseries will take viewers behind the scenes of Reese’s unexplained multi-game absence, which was made a talking point of LSU’s season after head coach Kim Mulkey refused to reveal any explanation for the star being away from her team.
“I don’t have to tell you guys everything that’s going on in my life,” an emotional Reese says in The Money Game.
Quarterback Jaden Daniels appears in the project, alongside his mom in exclusive interviews as the family navigates the Heisman Trophy winner’s next steps amid intense pressure to perform. “I’m not going to let anybody take my focus from the game,” Daniels, 23, says in the trailer.
Directed by Drea Cooper, the docuseries is produced by Shaquille O’Neal‘s Jersey Legends, Campfire Studios and Axios Entertainment. O’Neal — an LSU alumni and mentor to Reese — serves as executive producer on the project.
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