The NCAA Division I Council approved the ability for athletes to profit off of their name, image and likeness on July 1, ushering in a new era of monetization and player rights in collegiate athletics.
IU athletes were quick to strike endorsement deals with their new rights.
Just a few hours into July 1, IU men’s basketball redshirt senior guard Parker Stewart and football redshirt junior wide receiver Miles Marshall posted advertisements for consumer goods and food delivery service GoPuff on their Twitter accounts.
All athletes on Opendorse, a platform that specializes in marketing and endorsements for athletes, are eligible for a GoPuff sponsorship. IU athletics partnered with Opendorse Ready last August to help athletes prepare for future NIL legalization.
Through Opendorse, athletes can be contacted and paid for anything from sponsored Instagram and TikTok posts to podcast appearances. On the website, athletes can set a minimum price for a deal or which types of deals they would like to make.
For example, redshirt junior quarterback Michael Penix Jr. charges a minimum of $200 per deal on Opendorse, while deals with men’s basketball senior point guard Rob Phinisee start at $5.
As of July 5, 31 IU athletes joined the Barstool Athletics program, run by popular online media company Barstool Sports. Among the IU players to sign with the company are football junior long snapper Sean Wracher, men’s soccer redshirt junior forward Ryan Wittenbrink and women’s basketball junior guard Grace Waggoner.
Other IU athletes to make NIL related moves include men’s basketball sophomore point guard Khristian Lander partnering with Yoke, a company that allows fans to play video games with athletes and sophomore guard Anthony Leal hosting a basketball camp for kids later this summer.
While the ability for collegiate athletes to capitalize on the NIL did not go into effect until July 1, the decision was seen as a long time coming. The State of California passed SB 206, also known as the Fair Pay to Play Act, in September 2019, which paved the way for NIL legislation across the nation and its new legality at the NCAA level.
IU athletics has been preparing for NIL since last year, and is ready to face the new world of collegiate athletics with NIL now a reality.
“I think the young men and women who represent Indiana will have the opportunity to be at the forefront of this legislation and will benefit greatly. Our administration deserves a lot of credit for being forward thinking and positioning themselves with companies like Opendorse and Altius Sports Partners as our industry has changed forever,” IU men’s basketball head coach Mike Woodson said in a statement posted to his Twitter account. “With the strength of our fans, our social media following and the unquestioned loyalty of our alumni base this is an exciting time to be a part of something this special.”
