NIL Deals Continue Surge Led By Football, Women’s Hoops, Cavinders, Livvy Dunne

By Barry Janoff

March 22, 2023: Since July 1, 2021, when the NCAA adopted the "Name, Image and Likeness Policy" allowing NCAA student-athletes the opportunity to benefit from their NIL without jeopardizing their NCAA eligibility, a burgeoning number of national and local companies have employed a growing number of student-athletes in a plethora of marketing platforms.

The NIL policy has become so advantageous that deals surged 146% year-over-year in 2022-23, with more than 2,000 alliances across 16 sports.

College football led in total NIL deals, while NIL deals for women's college basketball athletes grew 186% in 2022 , the second highest percentage of new deals behind college football, according to the 2022-23 NIL Marketing Partnerships Report from global sports and entertainment intelligence firm SponsorUnited.

SponsorUnited said its report offers an in-depth analysis of more than 1,000 brands, 2,000 deals, and 2,150 posts by NIL athletes.

“We are witnessing a remarkable period of growth in the NIL landscape, as college athletes seize new opportunities to capitalize on their personal brands," Bob Lynch, SponsorUnited founder and CEO said via the firm.

"This upward trajectory reflects not only the shifting dynamics in collegiate sports but also the eagerness of brands to engage with talented young athletes, who are emerging as influential marketing partners."

College football players “remain at the forefront of the NIL revolution,” accounting for 60% of all new deals in 2022.

Their 174% growth in NIL sponsorships has “outpaced that of the overall industry by 28%, “underscoring NIL's outsize impact on their earning potential and value of their personal brands.”

NIL deals for women's college basketball athletes was far ahead of the 67% increase in deals for men's basketball athletes.

According to the 2022-23 NIL Marketing Partnerships Report, this was fueled “in part by surging viewership — +11% year-over-year — on ESPN.

The Top Ten categories across NIL athletes, led by Apparel & Accessories, accounted for more than 70% of total sponsorships in both 2021 and 2022, “highlighting the competitive landscape of NIL deals.”

Quick Serve Restaurants, Hotel & Restaurant, Leisure and Business Services “are opting for more NIL deals than partnerships with major pro athletes — underscoring their confidence in the brand-building power of collegiate athlete influencers.”

The average female basketball player partners with three brands, versus two for men, according to SponsorUnited.

Among the most high-profile women’s college hoops NIL earners are Haley Cavinder and Hanna Cavinder, twins who played on the Fresno State women’s basketball team for three years before transferring to Miami in 2022 for their senior year.

They have some $2 million in NIL deals, according to Forbes, handled by Everett Sports Management, that include or have included Boost Mobile, Buick, Crocs, Orange Theory, Under Armour and Six Star Nutrition.

They each have about 4 million followers on TikTok, 500,000 on Instagram, 82,000 subscribers to their YouTube Channel and 14,000 followers on Twitter.

They also were part of what was described as the first penalties issued by the NCAA due to NIL infractions relating to recruiting, with UMiami placed on probation and women’s basketball head coach Katie Meier suspended for three games.

The two players themselves were not penalized as they were deemed to have not been a direct part of the infraction itself.

With that said, three of the athletes among the top NIL earners are not yet in college and two others are college gymnasts.

Olivia Dunne, LSU gymnast, has a combined 9.3 million social media followers and earns about $3.4 million from deals that include or have included Leaf trading cards, GrubHub, EA Sports, Forever 2, Vuori Clothing, American Eagle, Plant Fuel, Bartleby and TooFaced Cosmetics.

Bronny James, Sierra Canyon HS senior and son of LeBron James, takes in more than $7 million, according to industry analysts, with deals including Nike, Beas by Dre, PSD Underwear

Photo: LeafArch Manning, Isidore Newman School, New Orleans QB, nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning and heading to Texas, earns about $3.7 million.

Mikey Williams, Vertical Academy in Huntersville, N.C. (founded by his father) and heading to UMemphis, takes in about $3.3 million with deals led by Puma.

Auburn gymnast Sunisa Lee earns some $1.5 million from NIL deals, according to industry analysts.

And as SponsorUnited indicated, NIL deals show no sign of letdown.

During this year’s March Madness, Unilever, an official NCAA partner, had its Degree Deodorant brand award five student-athletes with $25,000 NIL deals each to cover the average costs and living expenses for one year of college,

"We're committed to giving college athletes the opportunity to share their stories of adversity to help inspire others," Desi Okeke, Brand Director, Degree Deodorant, said via the company.

"The Degree Walk-On program is the epitome of that notion, and a testament to how the brand continues to take a more thoughtful and meaningful approach to partnerships with college athletes.”

This year’s report was jointly authored by SponsorUnited’s Business Intelligence and Marketing Departments, using data from Jan. 1, 2022, through March 1, 2023.

SponsorUnited said it tracks 1.1 million sponsorships, media and endorsements across 250,000 brands and properties spanning sports, media, music and entertainment.

NCAA First NIL Penalties: Cavinder Twins, Miami

NCAA Seeks To Define NIL Boundaries

Pac-12 NIL Deal Highlights Growth Of Student-Athlete Marketing

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