Five Rutgers athletes are becoming the face of the climate change conversation in New Jersey as part of a first-of-its-kind endorsement deal.
The Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deal struck between EcoAthletes and the Knights of the Raritan (KTR) is a seminal moment for college athlete partnerships. The deal centers on utilizing Rutgers student-athletes to help promote the discussion and need to make progress on issues related to climate change.
As outlined by their press release, KTR “will activate NIL deals with the five Rutgers student-athletes to advocate for the much-needed #ClimateComeback through a combination of podcast interviews, social media posts and in-person speaking appearances on or near the New Brunswick, NJ campus.”
This is believed to be the first-ever climate change-focused NIL deal.
“EcoAthletes is thrilled to work with our five inspirational student-athletes Champions and Knights of the Raritan to promote positive climate action at Rutgers,” said Lew Blaustein, founder and CEO of EcoAthletes, in a statemented released by KTR.
“We believe that this partnership represents just the beginning of what can become a wave of climate-focused NIL deals. And we expect that executives who lead climate-active brands and nonprofits will look at the Rutgers program and see tremendous value in having authentic, climate-minded student-athletes endorse their climate-friendly products and/or programs.”
The five Rutgers athletes are:
- Senior women’s gymnast Kaitlyn Bertola
- Sophomore Big Ten 3,000-meter indoor track champion Alex Carlson
- Sophomore women’s lacrosse player Kelsey Klein
- Sophomore women’s swimmer Halé Oal
- Sophomore women’s swimmer Natalie Schick
They will be engaged in helping raise awareness of climate change and the work being done by EcoAthletes, as they join other “athletes and academics, climate scientists and ecopreneurs, green business leaders and journalists, devoted to identifying & equipping the Jackie Robinsons and the Megan Rapinoes of the climate crisis to lead climate action.”
KTR is an NIL collective that recently raised over $1 million for Rutgers student-athletes.
“Our main goal at Knights of The Raritan is to support Rutgers student-athletes who are using their platform to engage in their passions,” said Jon Newman, Knights of The Raritan executive director and CEO of the Hodges Partnership.
“We’re honored to support ‘R’ athletes and EcoAthletes in its mission to spur climate action globally.”