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- Sports Court #38 | BBNIL
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Today’s Case
Kentucky Women’s Basketball names Liz Brown NIL Director
Kentucky guard Eniya Russell (Photo Credit: Alex Hicks Jr. / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK)
Liz Brown has been named NIL Director for the University of Kentucky women’s basketball program, a new position designed to provide players with education and opportunities to build and manage their brands, as announced by head coach Kyra Elzy last month.
Most recently at Fordham University where she was director of administration and then an assistant coach on the women’s basketball team, Brown will be responsible for helping players develop and manage their brands, educating student-athletes on how to make smart decisions, while maximizing their NIL opportunities and serving as an NIL liaison between internal units.
Elzy: “We knew we wanted to dedicate a position on our staff that could provide players with the training and tools to be successful in the NIL space, and Liz was the ideal candidate to fill that role. She is creative, innovative and personable, all of which are qualities that you look for in an NIL Director. Her dynamic influence and adaptable approach are fitting for this ever-changing landscape, and we are excited to see the enhancements that she will bring to our program.”
The Verdict:
Strategic move to have an NIL Director for one team as opposed to efforts being handled by the athletic department’s NIL Director or other staff
With school NIL Directors looking after multiple sports and athletes, having one NIL person focused on one sport is not only a big relief for the broader athletic staff, but allows the team to have a specific point person without having to balance responsibilities of other teams/athletes.
Additionally, the team-specific NIL Director still has the support of their athletic department for education, resources, etc. so it’s a win-win.
This is becoming more common across college sports, but don’t expect this to be the norm.
This works for select teams (ie., Duke men’s basketball, LSU football, etc.) but most programs won’t have the resources to dedicate to a team-specific NIL director.
Perhaps a workaround is to get creative with staff members’ current titles to include NIL on top of their regular job duties, but still don’t feel this will happen with every team.
Recruiting advantages
Having a team-specific NIL Director serves as a recruiting tool for high school players, as well as current players on the advantages said person can provide.
Hashtag Sports content coming next week!
Will be posting some insights about this week’s Hashtag Sports Conference, where I moderated an NIL panel. Stay tuned!
Question of the Day
Is there value in a team-specific NIL Director?
Yes
No
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