The Oregon Ducks athletic department has never been anything if not innovative, and as the Name, Image, and Likeness wave takes place across the landscape, opportunities are starting to present themselves in Eugene.
After announcing the creation of ‘Division Street’ earlier in the year, a “venture aimed to help Oregon student-athletes create and monetize their personal brands,” the Ducks announced a partnership with Opendorse on Thursday, which will work with Division Street to create a marketplace for NIL opportunities for students on campus.
“Oregon athletics has become a beacon of innovation,” Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence said via Boardroom. “And so while they are the first to have an official NIL marketplace, through this relationship with Division Street, they’re certainly not going to be the last.”
Are you wondering what an NIL marketplace is, and how it can work for student-athletes going forward?
“Oregon fans and supporters will use the Opendorse-powered marketplace to book appearances, autograph sessions, video shoutouts, social media content and more,” wrote Kristi Dosh, with Forbes Magazine.
The marketplace is slated to open in the first quarter of 2022, according to the release. Until then, athletes will use Opendorse to “provide a streamlined experience for brands to coordinate and facilitate partnerships with Oregon student-athletes.”
Division Street’s Chief Athlete Officer, Sabrina Ionescu, said in the release that she is extremely excited about the partnership, and the new opportunities it will bring for college athletes looking to profit while they are still in school.
“It’s very exciting to see that Oregon athletes are fully supported by two power teams that are supercharging NIL with real-world brand-building experiences while also keeping the athletes’ voices heard throughout the experience,” Ionescu said.
As the landscape continues to grow and change, it’s been made very clear early on that the University of Oregon is all in on trying to maximize the potential for Oregon athletes to benefit while they are still in school. Though a select few will be able to go on to professional leagues when they leave Eugene, a vast number of players will only be able to capitalize on the monetary opportunities while they are here on campus. The Ducks are clear in the fact that they want to help with that.
First, they had Nike, and now they have this. Tell me again why high-end recruits wouldn’t want to come here?
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