Jun 8, 2022; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners utility Jocelyn Alo (78) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the Texas Longhorns in game one of the 2022 Women’s College World Series finals at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium. Oklahoma won 16-1. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports
_This week, Bally Sports assesses the world of NIL in college sports as it enters its second year — how it is being used, who it is benefitting the most and where it is all headed. After identifying the most unusual NIL deals and profiling two NIL trailblazers, Lauren Moses looks at the most popular trends in NIL deal-making.
The dawning of the name, image and likeness era in college sports opened the door for athletes to make money off their personal brands. It also brought more questions than answers as athletic departments were ill-equipped to provide swift solutions.
”This was something that people used to lose their jobs over,” said Jennifer Roberts, the former director of operations at LSU. “So everybody is kind of scared and leery, you know, when this first comes out. What are the rules? What can we do? What can we not do?”
It is now Roberts’ responsibility to have those answers for LSU athletes.
On the one-year anniversary of NIL, the university created a position solely focused on NIL, appointing Roberts as its new director of player personnel and influence. She is the first person in women’s basketball to hold such a role, as the need to help athletes navigate the complexities of NIL contracts and money management grows.
Roberts’ position marks one of the biggest trends in NIL — establishing an on-campus liaison to consult with athletes on potential deals and help them make the best decisions for their personal brands.
“It’s the first year where people are educated. People are more knowledgeable of NIL, people are accepting it and they want to dive into it,” said Roberts, who has worked for LSU head coach Kim Mulkey since the Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer’s time at Louisiana Tech.
“One of our players (Flau’jae Johnson) is projected to be the highest-paid NIL player possibly in the country. So we’re diving in headfirst to this. The options, the potential is limitless. And (at) LSU, the people here are so passionate about their sports and about LSU and the program.”
Having already worked with players athletically and academically, Roberts said her new role was ideal for her skillset, and the timing could not have been more perfect with the recruitment of Johnson, a four-star freshman guard from Marietta, Georgia. The 18-year-old Johnson is billed as a two-way star, having been signed as a rapper by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation record label. Her celebrity figures to bring more eyes and opportunities to the LSU program.
God Is Working, I Couldn’t Be More Grateful ??#Nilsu pic.twitter.com/xwPc77oiV1
Here are other major trends from the first year of NIL.
Professional athletes love to look swaggy and wear their favorite name brands. Thanks to NIL money, college athletes are starting to rock brands that weren’t affordable in pre-NIL times. Some are even creating their own clothing brands and partnering with companies.
Indiana Fever point guard Destanni Henderson started her line, Clothing by HP, at the peak of her collegiate career at South Carolina. UConn star Paige Beuckers is known to be the first collegiate brand ambassador for StockX, allowing her to express her passion for sneakers and streetwear.
BreakingT, an apparel company that commemorates big moments in sports, signed its first NIL deal with Tennessee baseball player Drew Gilbert after he hit a walk-off grand slam against Wright State in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
DREW GILBERT!!!!
GOODNIGHT!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/eyjGUvevU0
“He had hit a home run in the playoffs and threw his bat so far up in the air. It was like this epic bat flip that went viral,” recalled Jamie Mottram, president of Breaking T. “So we reached out to him that very first day and said, ‘Hey, you know we could make license apparel now together. We made this art depicting you as the bat flip king. What do you think?’ To his credit, he was very responsive and he said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it. Sign me up.’’ And the rest is history.”
When Oklahoma softball star Jocelyn Alo closed in on the NCAA career home run mark last March, BreakingT already had a plan in place for “when her time to shine came around,” Mottram said. Breaking T, Alo and her representation, as well as the university, were all proactive in capitalizing on Alo’s history-making 96th career HR. Her “Home Run Queen” shirt is now the No. 1 selling NIL product to date for BreakingT.
A post shared by BreakingT (@breakingt)
Brand merchandising can go to another level by not just partnering with individuals and teams but also by having more conversations for partnerships with universities to open pop-up shops and fan apparel stores. In July, the next phase of NIL was initiated with the announcement of the first team store inside Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium to feature NIL merchandise from Nike, Fanatics and Topps.
Mottram said BreakingT will be working with Fanatics to “fill that store with Alabama football player product.”
“It’s co-branded, licensed by the school, licensed by the players, so we’ll have apparel featuring Bryce Young and Will Anderson and all the top players,” Mottram said.
The emergence of boosters and collective groups in securing NIL deals for athletes has become quite controversial. While the NCAA is still attempting to prevent “pay for play,” deep-pocketed supporters and alumni have dished out thousands of dollars to entire teams in exchange for promotional activities, community service or charitable work.
In July, the Matador Club, a local collective supporting Texas Tech, revealed its plans to sign 100 Red Raiders football players to one-year, $25,000 NIL contracts.
It certainly isn’t the first instance of these types of deals. University of Miami fan Dan Lambert offered Hurricanes football players $500 a month in exchange for advertising his mixed martial art gyms on social media. Last December, University of Texas athletics gained $10 million in funds dedicated to NIL activities from The Clark Field Collective, which is backed by Nick Shuley, a sports and music marketer who has worked events like Austin City Limits and Lollapalooza.
Student-athletes and athletic programs see these deals as a win for everyone, specifically athletes that aren’t necessarily the face of programs but play a crucial part behind the scenes in building a successful program. However, there are many outsiders who see collectives being short-lived once the NCAA has an updated NIL policy.
“I think it’s really good for them to spread the wealth around,” said Joshua Perry, “The Rally” co-host on Stadium. “I love everything about NIL. … These collectives to me, though, (seem) nefarious. I feel like they might be bad for college football. It feels like a bunch of entitled, wealthy, fanboys who want to get some control over the athletes.”
In May, the NCAA emphasized its Interim Policy for NIL to protect incoming college athletes from boosters after months of reports that four- and five-star college recruits were signing massive NIL deals. The NCAA’s “guidance” clarified that “NCAA recruiting rules preclude boosters from recruiting and/or providing benefits to prospective student-athletes.”
While the NCAA tries to install some guardrails for those involved with the collectives, the truth is that these well-funded NIL groups have already reshaped college sports.
This week, Bally Sports assesses the world of NIL in college sports as it enters its second year — how it is being used, who it is benefitting the most and where it is all headed. On Monday, Lauren Moses identified the most unusual NIL deals. Today, she profiles two
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Alabama coach Nick Saban is getting a new eight-year contract worth at least $93.6 million, eclipsing the recent megadeal of Southeastern Conference rival Kirby Smart.
The University of Alabama trustees compensation committee on Tuesday approved a one-year extension through Feb. 28, 2030 for the 70-year old
Editor's note: This week, Bally Sports assesses the world of NIL in college sports as it enters its second year — how it is being used, who it is benefitting the most and where it is all headed. We begin with the most unusual NIL deals.
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