Pablo
Hall of Famer
"In a novel and potentially wide-reaching approach to the emerging landscape of name, image and likeness (NIL) deals, Adidas announced Wednesday an initiative that could turn thousands of college athletes into paid brand ambassadors within the next two years.
The global sports giant said its NIL network will be available to eligible athletes across 23 sports at the 109 NCAA Division I schools affiliated with Adidas. That could put compensation within reach of more than 50,000 participants in sports programs, per the company."
"Adidas said the NIL network will first be extended this fall to historically Black colleges and universities and Power Five conference partners before scaling across all affiliated colleges by April 2023.
According to a spokesman for the company, eligible athletes will be able to opt into the program and earn a commission on sales they drive to Adidas’s website and through its mobile app. They could also be paid for social media posts."
"The NCAA reversed a decades-old stance last year with approval of an interim policy allowing athletes under its purview to profit off NIL rights. That shift occurred as laws in several states were set to go into effect affording athletes that ability to be compensated. According to the National College Players Association, 28 states have passed NIL laws, which vary on how much athletes can make and under what circumstances. Adidas noted in its announcement that the ability of athletes to enroll in its network is dependent on the NIL rules of their schools and their locations."
"A recent study shared by Front Office Sports assessed that brands were on pace to spend almost $600 million on NIL deals over the 12 months following the NCAA’s decision. Thus far, those deals have been distributed in a mostly piecemeal fashion to athletes of high achievement or broad reach through social media engagement.
Adidas did not specify how much athletes could make under its program or how much it plans to expend. The spokesman said enrolled athletes would not be barred from signing NIL deals with other brands, assuming those agreements also accorded with state laws."
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