Tag: opendorse

Oregon’s NIL-focused ‘Division Street’ partners with Opendorse to create opportunity marketplace for athletes

Oregon’s NIL-focused ‘Division Street’ has partnered with Opendorse to create a marketplace for student-athletes to try and profit while in school.

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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Wisconsin head coaches react to the department’s partnership with Opendorse

The Wisconsin Athletic Department announced yesterday it was partnering with Opendorse to launch the ‘YouDub’ program, giving student

The Wisconsin Athletic Department announced yesterday it was partnering with Opendorse to launch the ‘YouDub’ program, giving student-athletes an opportunity to capitalize on their own name, image and likeness.

The move is made in line with sweeping changes across college sports. While there are still more hurdles to pass, college athletics is on its way to allowing student-athletes to make money off their own name, image and likeness.

Here is what the head coaches of various Wisconsin teams had to say about the news:

Wisconsin partners with Opendorse to launch NIL program for student-athletes

Wisconsin Athletics is partnering with industry leader Opendorse to launch the ‘YouDub’ program, giving student-athletes an opportunity to

Wisconsin Athletics is partnering with industry leader Opendorse to launch the ‘YouDub’ program, giving student-athletes an opportunity to capitalize on their own name, image and likeness.

“College athletics is entering a new era and we are excited to embrace the opportunities that will come with changes in student-athletes’ name, image and likeness rights,” UW Deputy Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh said in a press release. “At our core, we exist to prepare student-athletes. Our approach to preparing them for success in the NIL arena will be no different than our commitment to setting them up for success on the field of play, in the classroom and in life beyond their time at UW. Partnering our outstanding staff with Opendorse, the industry leader, provides our student-athletes with tremendous educational and brand-building resources to grow their opportunities and maximize their potential in terms of NIL.”

The partnership coincides with the ongoing movement to pass legislation to allow college athletes to profit off of their name, image and likeness. The state of Wisconsin is yet to propose such a bill, though it is a fast-growing initiative throughout the country.

Here’s what Wisconsin Athletics had to say about the partnership in a press release yesterday:

Through YouDub, student-athletes will have access to Opendorse Ready, the market-leading NIL education resource providing custom brand value assessments, live consultation sessions with industry leaders and on-demand access to the NIL Masterclass, an education series featuring experts on brand building, monetization and financial literacy from leading experts at Instagram, Twitter, the Players’ Tribune, Overtime and more.

UW student-athletes also will be equipped with Opendorse Social, the brand-building platform utilized by thousands of athletes throughout college and professional sports to provide for easy access to photo and video content and simplified publishing to student-athletes’ social media channels.

Along with Opendorse Monitor, a tool that serves to protect UW student-athletes and their brands, these offerings will enhance the ongoing efforts and programming of UW’s Brand Engagement and Career & Leadership staffs to support and educate student-athletes in areas including communication skills, brand building, financial literacy and entrepreneurship.

“Wisconsin’s standing as a premier academic and athletic institution was incredibly clear throughout the search process that led to this partnership,” Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence said. “Their team left no stone unturned, refusing to maintain the status quo or ‘check the box.’ The program’s commitment to build a program with a foundation of industry-proven products and resources will benefit Badger student-athletes for years to come. We’re proud to align with another program that puts athletes at its center, with a clear commitment to support and educate them as they embark on the new era.”

All UW student-athletes will have access to live educational sessions and their personal social media and brand value assessment through Opendorse Ready this summer.

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