🏅 NIL in... Paris?

Teaming up with

Hey there,

Sorry, we’re a bit late getting you the edition today — Hopefully, you’re not as mad as Shilo Sanders is. The Colorado DB is fed up with having to go to France for NIL deals. We’ve got updates from across the world — literally — stretching from North Carolina to Paris. Keep reading to get all caught up on everything NIL!

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— Cole, Justin and Collin

KICK-OFF

German Hooper Signs NIL Deal for Olympics

Because the US doesn’t legally allow international athletes to utilize NIL, the Olympics aren’t just an opportunity to compete on the world stage – for many international athletes, it’s the only chance they’ll have to cash in on their brand with NIL deals.

That’s why stories like Lina Sontag’s are worth highlighting. The UCLA hooper hasn’t been able to monetize her brand stateside, but she just signed a deal with Bettergaurd – an ankle brace company – to rep the product as she represents Germany in the Paris Olympics.

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Sontag joins a few other German athletes in repping the brand – NBA brothers Mo and Franz Wagner, who will also compete on the German men’s basketball team this Summer in Paris. (More)

New Governing Body for Power Conferences?

About a month ago, NCAA President Charlie Baker floated an idea to separate the Power Four conferences from the rest of the NCAA. Essentially, the proposal would create two “subdivisions” within college sports, wherein the power conferences would have more agency over their governance.

“You essentially don’t want a Division III president voting on roster caps,” one Power Four administrator said. Right now, only 14 of the 40 members of the NCAA’s Division I Council are associated with Power Four conferences.

A governance change could allow for each division to vote on issues that more accurately address their problems. The transfer portal, for example, could have different restrictions at the Power conference level due to the massive cash discrepancy. (More)

Shilo Sanders is Fed Up

Coach Deion Sanders is a media lightning rod – that’s both a good and a bad thing for his sons, Shedeur and Shilo. Increasingly, however, the latter has become fed up with how the media treats them – specifically in relation to NIL. 

“It’s kind of unfair for us,” said Shilo at Big 12 media day, “Because we actually have to go do deals. Everybody was talking about us going to the fashion show, modeling for Louis Vuitton. What team has NIL deals where their players actually have to go do stuff? We’ve gotta go, actually, to Paris.”

“Like y’all can hate on that,” he continued, “What I’m saying is we actually have to put in the work for the deals. We can’t just sit back and be like, ‘Collective, thank you. $50,000 in my bank account, appreciate it.’” (More)

Teaming up with

The N.I.L. Playbook, developed by NXT Level Holdings, is a comprehensive guide designed for college and high school student-athletes looking to learn more about their new opportunities.

The book is useful to coaches, administrators, parents, alumni and NIL industry pros to help navigate the rapidly evolving landscape in college and high school athletics.

The Playbook covers everything. Topics include: how to utilize social media to build your personal brand, how to seize potential N.I.L. partnerships, and what to look for in contracts — not to mention tons of other resources and strategies that student-athletes can use to enhance their profile and monetize their Name, Image and Likeness.

Check it out today!

DOWN TO BUSINESS

Golf’s NIL Gamble

Golf brands are striking NIL deals with college golfers, even though they’re unsure whether they’re making any money in the agreement. Is it bad business? Well, no… it’s just a long-term investment.  

“It’s hard enough when they’re professionals, to really measure the ROI on some of these agreements,” said the president of Adidas Golf, Jeff Lienhart, “NIL is even that much more difficult to measure an ROI.”

So then, why do companies like Adidas invest in NIL at all? “It gives you a seat at the table,” Lienhart explained, “so that when they turn professional, you’re in a good position to negotiate what the future might hold.” (More)

• Are SEC coaches overestimating how much money they’ll be able to pay their players with NIL because of Title IX? They may be in for a rude awakening.

COLLECTIVE 101

Cal’s Collective Advertises in Carolina?

As the University of California adjusts to its new home in the ACC, the school’s collective has taken an interesting approach to fundraising. Across the East Coast, they’re putting up billboards thanking the ACC for an invitation to their conference. 

The school – which is based in Berkeley – even uses the word “y’all” in this advertisement, which appeared in Charlotte, North Carolina. See for yourself:

It’s unclear to me who this advertisement is for, and what it’s trying to accomplish. Is it for Cal alumni who find themselves thousands of miles from their alma mater? Or is the campaign simply trying to ingratiate the school to its newest opponents? Regardless, will this result in NIL donations? Only time will tell. (More)

• Tulane’s football coach says the school’s NIL commitment lured him back: “Without an organized collective, without a really good NIL initiative, you've got no chance in college football now.”

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Jade Carey

• School: Oregon State University 

• Position: Floor 

• Sport: Gymnastics 

• Class: Freshman 

• Accolades: 

• 2021 Olympic Gold Medalist

• Pac 12 Freshman of the Year 

• Freshman of the Year Honors 

• Pac-12 Floor Champion and Bars Co-Champion

• NIL: Her NIL opportunities are the most lucrative of any Oregon State athlete, with partnerships with Amazon Fashion, Reebok, and OZONE Leotards. 

NIL BLITZ

♦️ Blitz Notre Dame’s QB commit just signed one of the first ever high school NIL deals in his home state of Mississippi

♦️ Speaking of Notre Dame, some Irish players joined their coach to talk NIL on “Get Up”

♦️ Blitz Memphis QB commit inks an exclusive trading card deal with Leaf, estimated between $600K-$750K

♦️ Kentucky coach Mark Stoops asks fans for NIL money again: “We need some help.”

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