Popular sportswear brand adidas is looking to change the game regarding Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals, and student-athletes at Historically Black colleges and Universities (HBCUs) will be some of the first people to join this new network.
This “first-of-its-kind program” will span across 23 different sports and be available for student-athletes attending the 109 adidas-affiliated NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) D-1 institutions. With such a widespread program, the brand estimates the network could potentially grow to include 50,000 student-athletes across the nation.
This NIL network will be rolled out in phases, and it will first be implemented at HBCUs and schools within the Power Five conference. By next April, adidas’ network will be implemented across all its affiliate universities.
More than 50,000 student-athletes will be eligible to become paid adidas brand ambassadors through the program, with the network rollout beginning with HBCUs & Power-5 partners in Fall 2022. pic.twitter.com/YTf7ngEgJL
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) March 23, 2022
Through the program, eligible student-athletes will be paid a percentage of sales they drive to the adidas website and app, and they can also be paid for social media posts.
“The adidas NIL network embodies our belief that sport has the power to change lives by upskilling athletes and giving them the ability to begin to experience an entrepreneurial path that will carry them beyond their college years,” Jim Murphy, adidas’ NCAA Program Lead, said in a statement. “This is not just a first-of-its-kind program for the brand and industry, it goes much wider by unlocking opportunities in business and life that will enable them as student-athletes to maximize their NIL, opening the doors to future possibilities.”
“At adidas, we are committed to creating change through sport and recognize the important role student-athletes play in shaping the future,” adidas North America President Rupert Campbell added. “Our groundbreaking NIL program advances our commitments toward building inclusivity in sport and inspires athletes to realize a more equitable world. I can’t wait to see it come to life.”
An adidas spokesperson also dished on the new NIL network.
“We also want to open the doors to a more equitable future outside of just unlocking monetary rewards to help them grow as student-athletes and set them up for a future beyond college sports,” the spokesperson said. “The possibilities of how this grows and how we as a brand bring elevated opportunities to them are endless.”
This groundbreaking move comes about nine months after the NCAA announced that they’d allow student-athletes to begin profiting off their NIL, which was considered a game-changing win for young sports stars.
