The NCAA’s move toward allowing college sports stars to profit off their names, images and likenesses is a moment a long time coming for student athletes – and it will soon jumpstart potentially millions of dollars in brand deals, experts say.
Brands that had been relegated to the sidelines because of the college sports governing body’s restrictions are now on the verge of being freed up to make marketing deals with players – as they already are allowed to do with colleges, conferences, coaches, even the NCAA itself.
Following preliminary moves by the powers that be within the NCAA, marketers and athletes remain on “pins and needles” until July 1, when a formal rules change by the organization is anticipated to happen, promising to “open up the coffers of brands across the nation,” says Ryan Detert, CEO and founder of the influencer marketing company Influential. Detert says that his company already has deals set to kick off in the second half of this year. The NCAA changes to the so-called “NIL” rules pave the way for potentially millions of dollars worth of deals – big ones and micro ones – with marketers of everything from apparel to sports drinks to local businesses like restaurants and car dealerships, bolstering an influencer marketing industry that’s been valued at nearly $14 billion.
“This is a hyper-engaged audience with real talent that’s beyond just taking selfies – they bring true value for a brand and the audience,” Detert says. He notes that the college sports arena has a number of superstars – “unicorns,” as he calls them – on the level of Trevor Lawrence, the former Clemson quarterback who was drafted this year by the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars. “There will be several who will be national darlings, who have a certain following,” he predicts. The NCAA changes give brands entrée to a more localized audience as well as younger fans who are particularly engaged with college sports, Detert says.
Earlier this month, Detert’s company announced a partnership with the athlete brand-building and compliance platform INFLCR to help college players navigate the world of endorsements in line with NCAA rules and state and federal laws. It is territory that is loaded with potential legal landmines. For example, an apparel brand’s contract with a given college may forbid players from wearing a rival clothing company’s logo on the playing field in an advertisement but may not have any bearing on what an individual athlete does off-campus.
While many details still must be sorted out in regard to the NCAA and rules at the collegiate and conference level, plus a mixed bag of state and federal laws, “athletes are already out there preparing for this and making their availability for commercial services known,” says Will Ober, director, celebrity & influencer, sports at the agency The Marketing Arm, whose clients include Procter & Gamble and Goodyear. He mentions by way of example Graham Mertz, the starting quarterback for Wisconsin, who in recent days unveiled his own trademarked logo, and Iowa point guard Jordan Bohannon, who announced his own apparel line, J30, to launch July 1.