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Over two years since a Supreme Court ruling paved the way for college and high school athletes to profit off their name, image, and likeness (NIL), retailers continue to slowly experiment with amateur-athlete sponsorships.
In the grocery space, Hy-Vee just released Caitlin’s Crunch Time frosted flakes cereal in a partnership with Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball star Caitlin Clark at select stores in Iowa. All proceeds support the Caitlin Clark Foundation, a nonprofit she founded focused on education, nutrition, and sports for youth.
“Caitlin’s impact on and off the court is truly remarkable, making her a positive role model not only for youth but also the community," said Matt Nickell, VP of sports marketing for Hy-Vee.
Last fall, Amazon — which has signed several players to NIL deals — featured Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson, stars of LSU's championship women’s basketball team, in its “Dormz” back-to-school commercial showing off their dorm rooms.
In December, Express signed Ethan Grunkemeyer, a star quarterback at Olentangy High School in Lewis Center, Ohio, near its headquarters in Columbus, to an endorsement deal. The signing of Grunkemeyer, who will join Penn State this fall, followed deals reached by the fashion chain with two Ohio State football stars in 2022 and five men’s college basketball players earlier last year.
Sara Tervo, EVP and chief marketing officer at Express, said, "We are thrilled to welcome Ethan Grunkemeyer into the Express Styling Community, expanding on our successful collegiate athlete style ambassador program with a local, talented athlete beginning his college football career.”
The NIL market is worth an estimated $1 billion annually, according to NIL company Opendorse. Opendorse found that about 80% of NIL earnings come from collectives, or controversial donor groups that have been accused of recruiting violations.
Only 20% of earnings are estimated to be coming from brand deals. However, a study by influencer marketing company Captiv8 showed that student-athletes outperform the engagement benchmarks of standard influencers on social media.
While few star athletes are able to earn over $1 million a year from NIL deals and support national campaigns, many are well-positioned to participate in regional and hyper-local efforts to support the trend toward micro-influencers. According to Business Insider, most players end “up working with local businesses like restaurants or participating in one-off marketing campaigns with bigger brands, and receiving free products, gift cards, or smaller cash payments, rather than big paydays, for their NIL promotions.”
Amateur athletes are seen as relatable, with social posts documenting their day-to-day lives on campus, while also being aspirational as they pursue their athletic and scholastic pursuits."
There is a unique, visceral connection to college athletics," Chase Griffin, a quarterback at UCLA and the two-time winner of the NIL Male Athlete of the Year award, told Morning Consult. "Student-athletes, often in a very televised way, embody the overcoming of physical, mental and emotional struggle. It's hard to watch us and not be inspired."