Thank you for your continued support of this newsletter. Please share with anyone who would be interested in this content.

If you are interested in NIL athlete representation, NIL education for your college or high school, and student-athlete personal brand coaching, please contact me: [email protected]

Born in the Right Era

On September 13, 1997, UCLA visited Texas for a football game.

The game got ugly quick - and ended up with the Bruins defeating the Longhorns 66-3.

Ouch.

However, a pre-NIL era moment took place in real-time.

Texas quarterback Marty Cherry, who finished the game 9-18 for 105 yards, three interceptions, and sacked three times, was shown on the sideline in a dejected manner.

However, his look caught the eye of premium apparel company Ralph Lauren, who offered Cherry an opportunity to model for them.

Cherry was left with a decision to make: Leave football to model for Ralph Lauren, or turn down the offer to stay on the Longhorn football team.

Cherry chose the former, making great money and being featured in national publications.

Props to Cherry for making (cherry) lemonade out of a lemon situation.

Tips for athletes

• Take advantage of being a college athlete today

  • Unlike Marty Cherry who had to make a choice since NIL wasn’t around in 1997, you don’t have to make the same decision.

    • Build your personal brand, connect with brands for partnerships, be proactive on opportunities, work with professionals who can guide you on the process.

• NIL might not be for you at this time - and that’s ok

  • Contrary to the above point: Leveraging your personal brand might not be something you want to do right now.

    • You may have zero interest in doing so, very little time between athletics and academics, or for various reasons, it might not be a good fit for you currently.

    • However, don’t close the door on this personal development opportunity permanently, as you will need to build your brand for athletics and beyond sooner or later.

• Not every opportunity will be great for you

  • Although partnerships will come your way (either proactively or reactively), not all partnerships will be beneficial.

  • Read contracts, ask questions, don’t be afraid to push back on a brand if they are asking for too much work from you related to what they are providing you in a potential offer.

Thank You for reading today’s newsletter

^{I discuss insights and news related to NIL and personal branding for athletes every Wednesday at 12p ET/9a PT.}

Follow Sports Court on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube for more NIL content!