St. Louis University is making it easier for its student-athletes to strike name, image and likeness deals with local businesses, donors and alumni.
The university on Tuesday launched the , a website that connects student athletes with prospective business partners and handles payments between them. SLU is partnering with an athlete brand-building business called INFLCR on the project.
"This is an important step as we continue to support our student-athletes in Name, Image and Likeness opportunities," said Chris May, SLU鈥檚 athletic director, in a written statement on Tuesday. 鈥淲e fully support our student-athletes in their quest to take advantage of NIL and we encourage those wishing to support them by joining the Billiken Exchange."
Even though the exchange site is managed, in part, by SLU, revenue from the deals will go directly to athletes, not the university or INFLCR.
Missouri is among more than two dozen states that now allow college athletes to cash in on NIL sponsorship deals that are poised to change.
Such sponsorships were banned by the NCAA that the collegiate athletics body could no longer limit students from using their own name, image or likeness to make money. Missouri lawmakers to make them possible for athletes at SLU and other universities in the state.
Patrick Rishe, director of the sports business program at Washington University, said there are benefits for universities embracing the NIL deals that .
鈥淵ou see the benefits to the student-athletes and to the school to create and take advantage of existing partnerships and existing relationships to foster, hopefully for the Billikens, more opportunities for their student-athletes,鈥� he said.
In addition, Rishe explained that there could be a recruiting or marketing edge over peer schools that may not have as robust a network of alumni or corporate partners.
鈥淔or years and years, there was a lack of comfort among many who felt that some student athletes 鈥� especially ones in highly visible sports like football or men鈥檚 college basketball 鈥� were being exploited by the system,鈥� he said, adding that SLU creating the Billiken Exchange site ensures matchmaking with potential sponsors in a safer space while informing students on how to broker deals responsibly.
Big-name student athletes have cashed in on NIL deals, including Alabama quarterback Bryce Young's and former Saint Peter鈥檚 Peacocks basketball guard Doug Edert鈥檚 . Adidas has with student-athletes at all of its sponsored schools.
Analysts project that college athletes across the United States this year through fan interaction, brand deals, direct sponsors and donors.
Brian Munoz is a staff photojournalist and multimedia reporter for 漏 2024 外网天堂. You can reach him by email at bmunoz@stlpr.org and follow his work on Instagram and Twitter at @brianmmunoz.
