West Virginia helping athletes build their brands
Endorsements and social-media money are coming to college athletes. Coming very soon. Going to be voted on in January. Likely to be implemented in August 2021.
Not everyone involved in collegiate athletics has to like it. But they do have to accept it.
“This isn't something anybody should be running from,” OU athletic director Joe Castiglione said. “They need to be running to it.”
West Virginia is running to it. Mountaineer football last week announced a partnership with marketing consultant Jeremy Darlow to educate WVU football players on how to develop their skills in growing their personal brand.
That probably sounds distasteful to those accustomed to the century-old college model of athletes who use their scholarship, enjoy the ride, then worry about money when they leave campus. But those days are gone, or will be as soon as the NCAA adopts the name/ image/likeness reform announced last month.
“Will it be a positive? I don't think anybody knows,” West Virginia coach Neal Brown said. “I don't think anyone in college athletics truly understand what it is or what it's going to lead to.
I think it's probably going to make our jobs more difficult, but I think it's inevitable, so we can either complain about it or try to embrace it and get out in front of it.”
That's what Brown has done with Darlow, who was an Adidas representative when Brown coached at Troy University and the Trojans were an Adidas school. Brown read Darlow's first book, Brands Win Championships, and eventually wrote the foreward for Darlow's second book, Athletes Are Brands Too.
With the NIL reform soon to launch, Brown figured Darlow's expertise would be a good addition to the West Virginia program. Players are not required to go through the process, and the program is self-paced.
“I think it's important,” Brown said. “These guys have this platform … for a short amount of time. How can you build your brand and catapult that to your professional career?”
If you haven't been exposed much to Brown — who was hired 17 months ago to replace Dana Holgorsen — you need to pay attention. Solid guy. Plain talker. Not full of himself.
“I think the stars on our football and men's basketball team will have an opportunity to take advantage of it,” Brown said of the reform. “I think there's some going to be some opportunities back in hometowns.”
Brown also recognizes that much of the money could flow from social media, rather than traditional commercial enterprises. Athletes have been barred from making money off their fame or talents, despite all kinds of possibilities with the new technology and communication.
“The dollars to be made are on social media,” Brown said. “I don't understand all that goes into influencers. I'm not sure that some of the Olympic-sport athletes aren't going to benefit as much as football and basketball.”
Some have speculated that athletes in large-market universities will have more opportunities. But will they? West Virginia is a state of 2.3 million, and far and away its biggest sport entity is Mountaineer football. Brown knows his players will have occasions to reap the benefits of their fame.
Like Brown said, it will make athletic-department jobs more difficult. Administrators will be
assigned to monitor the various deals that come athletes' way. Coaches must deal with chemistry issues that arise because the quarterback and point guard are reaping thousands of dollars, while the left guard and backup power forward get little.
But Brown said chemistry issues are nothing new for coaches. The quarterback always has been high-profile, be it on billboards or ESPN or newspapers or websites. And that's where Darlow can help.
“What's different about this, there might be somebody down the line on your roster who's doing well on the NIL because he's a socialmedia influencer,” Brown said. “This is something that's going to be unique.”
OU has not announced a similar program, but the Sooners have taken steps to increase the branding of their athletes. For example, on national signing day in December, OU produced social-media videos for each recruit to announce his signing. They included a personalized logo for the recruit.
Castiglione said OU has an internal group working on NIL issues and several outside firms are forming to assist universities with various aspects of the reform, both educating and monitoring.
“As you know, the rules that we've seen prevent an institution from facilitating any endorsements,” Castiglione said. “But we need to be very proactive to educating all our athletes to any of the opportunities they may face. They need to be informed.
“It would be up to them to make their own decisions. We're just trying to equip them with the proper tools. Some of them will have become quite proficient in some of that branding before they even get to campus.”
You don't have to like it. But you might as well embrace it. Players branding themselves is coming to a campus near you.
“The dollars to be made are on social media. I don't understand all that goes into influencers. I'm not sure that some of the Olympic-sport athletes aren't going to benefit as much as football and basketball.”
West Virginia coach Neal Brown
Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:405:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. You can also view his personality page at oklahoman.com/berrytramel.