The UConn Huskies and San Diego State Aztecs will face off in tonight's NCAA men's basketball national championship, capping off an upset-filled March Madness. Huskies guard Jordan Hawkins has been instrumental in leading UConn to its first Final Four appearance in nine years. Dunkin' saw that—before March Madness began, the New England–headquartered doughnut chain signed a "name, image, and likeness" deal with Hawkins, UConn's second-leading scorer this past regular season.
It would make perfect sense for Hawkins' teammate Adama Sanogo, UConn's star forward and top scorer this year, to benefit from a name, image, and likeness deal too. But thanks to ambiguity in U.S. immigration law, Hawkins, a U.S. citizen, can profit from sponsorship deals, while Sanogo, a Malian national, cannot. It's an issue that affects several standouts in this year's March Madness, including Princeton's British forward, Tosan Evbuomwan, and Florida Atlantic's Russian center, Vladislav Goldin.
