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]

Save the Date: NIL Summit

On Monday, January 29, I will be amongst a group of NIL professionals putting on an NIL Summit at North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, NC. Click here to learn more and register!

If you are interested in sponsoring the Summit, please email me for further details.

Today’s Case

Oregon State partners with Toyota to support female athletes via NIL Collective

Oregon State Athletics and its multimedia rights holder Beaver Sports Properties announced a new initiative with Toyota and the Dam Nation Collective to launch an innovative campaign dedicated to the celebration and support of the Oregon State women’s basketball program.

Toyota serves as the presenting sponsor of both the women’s basketball team and the FEARLESS Campaign, while maintaining year-long involvement across all Oregon State female athletic programs.

The FEARLESS program recognizes and honors all past, present, and future female student-athletes of Oregon State. The program aims to raise funds for student-athletes across various areas while supporting the athletic department’s women’s programs.

Through this collaboration, each player on the women’s basketball roster is set to become a Toyota-sponsored athlete through the Dam Nation Collective, demonstrating Toyota’s commitment to celebrating the women’s basketball program and providing comprehensive support to Oregon State’s women’s teams.

Sara Elcano, Oregon State Associate Athletic Director of External Operations: “Toyota’s involvement and support of our women’s teams and programs is a model for all brands. With their partnership in our FEARLESS program and as the presenting sponsor of the women’s basketball team this season, this campaign takes them to the next level.”

The Verdict

• Major brand + women’s sports = win

  • Great to see more national brands tap into NIL, as they are beginning to see the value of working with college athletes.

    • CVS, Crocs and Raising Cane’s are among other large companies collaborating with student-athletes.

  • Additionally, the added layer of A) focusing the partnership on women’s sports, and B) being a longtime partner of Oregon State women’s basketball makes this a natural fit.

• Expand into other Oregon State women’s sports

  • As the FEARLESS campaign works with all Oregon State women’s athletes and programs, I would love to see an expanded partnership to other women’s teams and athletes.

    • This would allow more athletes to leverage a partnership with the brand and continue to build their NIL portfolio.

• Do they receive a vehicle?

  • As partnership details were not disclosed, it’s hard to say what it means to be a Toyota-sponsored athlete.

    • It will probably be custom videos, social media promotion and appearances at local Corvallis Toyota dealerships. (And having access to a Toyota wouldn’t hurt either.)

NIL valuation ≠ NIL earnings

Don’t believe the gaudy NIL dollars you read about. Watch this video for more!

Thank You for reading today’s newsletter

^{I discuss insights and news related to name, image and likeness in 3 minutes or less every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 12p ET/9a PT.}

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