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An overlooked factor of NIL partnerships
The fastest 3 minutes in name, image and likeness
Tariq Ahmad
May 21, 2025
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An overlooked factor of NIL partnerships
Why deals can be disorganized before you see the final product
NIL deal between brand and athlete (Photo Credit: nowdecatur.com)
When you see NIL deals on social media, you generally see high-quality images and videos, good captions, and cool brands.
However, what you DON’T see are the logistics behind making said deals.
And these logistics can sometimes get messy.
Brands ghosting athletes.
Athletes not completing deliverables.
Agents not paying athletes.
The list goes on.
However, a hindrance of NIL deals that is generally not seen by the public?
The length of time it takes to complete deals
Numerous NIL deals are months in the making
The conversation between brand and agent or athlete and brand begin, but the final product that hits the athlete’s social media pages may come 90-180 days later. (Sometimes even longer.)
The more people that are involved in NIL deals for athletes, the longer it takes to see its completion.
Smaller brands are not always more nimble than larger brands
If you’re working with an apparel startup and communicating directly with the CEO, you may think the process will be streamlined as opposed to large corporations with more people and red tape.
However, depending on the brand and person, that’s not always the case. Sometimes, your point of contact is delaying the process by making time-consuming requests for both the athlete and agent.
What are some ways to reduce delays?
Set deadlines for all parties
Once a verbal framework is set between brand, athlete, and agent, a written contract should immediately be distributed for everyone to review and sign, complete with specific dates for deliverables to be met. (ie., Brand will send athlete two hats and a pair of shorts by March 20th, athlete will create one Instagram Reel and one Instagram post with images by April 10, etc.)
Limit edits to final content
In said written contract, state that brands should be limited to two rounds of edits to the athlete’s content. This reduces the delays in the content being posted to the athlete’s social media pages. Any additional edits made by the brand will incur an additional cost paid by the brand.
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