On June 30th, 2021, the NCAA announced a landmark legislation change that allowed student-athletes to profit off of their
name, image, and likeness (NIL). Universities, coaches, student-athletes, and parents had just hours to figure out what this meant for them. In the first year of NIL, universities had to find their footing and were scrambling to implement foundational solutions. Now that the foundation is laid, athletic departments are looking for solutions that allow them to optimize and build the best NIL programs in the country.
Progage is at the forefront of this transition, already
inking a deal to represent Baylor student-athletes through a partnership with Startup Waco.
At Progage, we believe that NIL done well represents massive opportunity for student-athletes to learn marketing, entrepreneurship, and branding while earning extra money to support them and their families. However, we've heard from athletic departments across the country that even with state-of-the-art technology solutions and strategies,
athletes still need support to ensure they are capitalizing on opportunities. Why? Student athletes are busy! Without hands-on support and advocacy, student-athletes are being asked to be 1) students; 2) athletes; and 3) businesspeople. We cannot take their tests, we certainly can't sub in for them during their games, but we can walk alongside them to make the process of working with brands and marketing themselves easier, better, and much more valuable.
Local and national brands across the country are now able to leverage athlete marketing with student-athletes to capture the attention of one of the most valuable audiences in the world: college students. College students represent
$574 billion in spending power, and
60% identify as brand loyal. Brands they choose during college stay with them throughout the rest of their lives. Additionally, fans of college sports span large age ranges and possess high discretionary income. Given that the opportunity to work with student athletes was non-existent until just over a year ago, brands are looking for guidance to make sure they are well taken care of when they're working with athletes. Progage has worked with marquee firms like Body Armor and Laird Superfood in addition to startups looking to capture opportunity like Prevail Jerky, Real, and Cognifit. We believe that the best outcomes occur when creative thinking and strategic planning meld together with influential individuals, and that is exactly what we do for brands looking to leverage athletes in their marketing.
As the NIL industry continues to mature, we are going to see more universities and entities leveraging outside agencies who can execute powerful NIL programs for their student-athletes. As schools move from foundation-laying to optimization, Progage is the preferred vendor to provide the best services in the world for college athletes looking to capitalize on their name, image, and likeness.
