CU’s “The Arch” Connects Athletes to Local Business

The University of Colorado is getting creative when it comes to broadening the sources of deals for its athletes, and it could be a template for schools at every level to follow.

In an article on Axios Boulder by Mitchell Byars, CU is looking to bring more transparency and community connection to college sports’ evolving NIL landscape.

Local businesses that sign up for The Arch can sign student athletes to appear in ads and promotions, while packaging the NIL opportunities with athletic department perks like scoreboard space and access to the departments philanthropic donors.

With all the hype surrounding seven figure deals, this is an innovative step in the right direction. Not only does this provide an internal, regulated process for the program to manage a wider range of NIL opportunities, it give the student athletes the chance to market themselves to local businesses. There are plenty of small to medium size businesses that would love to leverage NIL, but the barrier to entry has been access and structure. The Arch is college sports first attempt to remove the barriers preventing these businesses from working with their athletes.

Branding That Won’t Backfire

It’s always exciting when you commit to a school, or get your first NIL offer. But before you post about it, slow down and make sure you don’t make these common mistakes.

1. Intellectual Property: Be careful using school logos. Every school has rules about using intellectual property, including logos, school colors, uniforms and other items. Best to check with the school first.

2. Be Patient: Whether it’s signing an NIL deal or posting about your new school, make sure you take the time to read everything, talk to your coaches, family, and friends. Anytime you commit you need to fully understand what is expected of you.

3. Don’t Forget to Disclose: There are laws that require anyone to disclose sponsorships on social media posts. If you forget you can be subject to disciplinary action from your school, plus fines and be forced to take down content.

CORRECTION: Help Wanted!

The error in last weeks edition has been corrected! Please click on the link below to get more info.

Our newsletter is growing fast, and we are looking for student-athletes to write for and promote The NIL Certified Athlete Newsletter.

If you want to grow your brand and make money at the same time, our program might be just what you are looking for.

Click the link below to let us know you’re interested!

The Math is Getting Worse for Smaller Programs

Even though the numbers for NIL continue to grow, the crunch is already starting to hit programs across the country. According to an article in the Harvard Crimson by Elyse C. Goncalves & Akshaya Ravi, the House settlement could cost the Ivy league school over half a million dollars over the next ten years.

Even thought the Ivy League opted-out of the House settlement, their schools, along with the rest of the non-Power Conference schools, will take a one to two percent hit from its NCAA revenue for the next decade.

That may seem like a small fraction of the budget, but the reality for most schools is that they operate on very slim margins. As the competition for talent becomes more fierce, the cost of building a winning program while generating revenue will become impossible for a lot of programs.

Schools will begin to make hard decisions that will impact athletes. In an effort to keep their athletic department solvent schools will have to evaluate the sports they carry, the number of staff and support they can provide. This may have a ripple effect across divisions, as displaced D1 athletes look for new schools to continue to compete and complete their education.

News, Notes, & Links

Here are news updates, links to topics in this weeks issues and other info you might need.

• Check out the full article on CU’s The Arch here.

• Stat of the Week: The CSC says it has cleared $79.8M in NIL deals. 332 deals didn’t clear on the first pass, and 75 needed resubmits.

• Check out the Harvard Crimson article for more details here.

• Time Management Tip: Build a repeatable schedule. Create study blocks, make checklists for assignments, and track your sleep. Use the support your school offers. Success on the field starts off the field!