By: Maya Van Heyst
Wingate Triangle contributor
The introduction of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rights has opened up money-making opportunities for NCAA student-athletes over the last two years, and while much attention has been focused on Division 1 programs, the impact of NIL is now reaching down to many Division 2 schools, including Wingate University.
NIL deals represent the means through which college athletes are allowed to receive financial compensation through marketing and promotional endeavors. This financial opportunity was a controversial topic for many years before the Supreme Court ruled on its legality in 2021.
At first, this opportunity only affected well-known D1 athletes, but the opportunities have trickled down to other competition levels more recently. As NIL deals have become more common at the D2 level, Wingate’s athletic department has followed the trend and recently partnered with Opendorse, an online marketplace for athletes to find NIL deals and build and monetize their NIL value.
“This year, we’ve made an investment into NIL for our student-athletes and partnered with Opendorse, which I think will continue to provide opportunities to create mutually beneficial partnerships,” Wingate Associate Athletic Director for Athletics Compliance Erika Torrez said. “I believe the NIL space will continue to grow for D2 student-athletes and institutions as long as they invest, cultivate and educate in that area.”
Through partnering with Opendorse, Wingate athletes are able to use this marketplace platform for free to match with sponsors and find new financial opportunities all over the United States. All athletes need to do is create an online profile that includes their interests, hobbies and passions so sponsors can match with them.
This platform is a beneficial mediator, because it monitors and assures that the company receives the branding it paid for and that the athlete is compensated for their work by holding the transaction in an Opendorse account and only depositing the money once the athlete has sent proof of job completion.
Operations Assistant to the Athletic Director Ethan Howard held an informational webinar on April 1 for Wingate student-athletes, who were required to attend in order “to have access to everything Opendorse will have to offer,” according to Howard.
This webinar was an opportunity for Wingate athletes to understand the NIL system and how athletes can use Opendorse to profit financially. One such athlete is Lorna Stacherski, a senior outside hitter on the Wingate volleyball team who’s eager to monetize her popularity and turn her passion for volleyball into a profitable venture.
“I think it’s awesome that student-athletes are able to use their name, image and likeness [for profit],” Stacherski said. “Promoting yourself and a brand is something that has been transforming college sports. I have built so many relationships with my NIL deal and take a lot of pride in promoting my brand.”
Stacherski works with Prozis, an active lifestyle company that offers nutrition products and activewear. In partnership with Prozis, she posts on Instagram using its products and receives free Prozis merchandise as well as a 10% commission for products sold through her personal code.
Stacherski was able to use Opendorse to market herself to potential sponsors, which resulted in the partnership with Prozis. The company liked the fact that she leads such a healthy lifestyle and indicated its openness to her promoting the brand on Instagram. Shortly after contacting Stacherski, Prozis reached an NIL deal with the Lexington, S.C., native that proved beneficial to both parties.
NIL deals offer many benefits for the institutions as well as the athlete, but some of these benefits may soon be regulated by the NCAA to keep college athletes loyal to their institutions, according to Wingate Director of Athletics Joe Reich. In NIL’s current form, some athletes are showing more loyalty to their brand than the institutions that gave them the platform for their athletic success.
“First is the opportunity for each student-athlete to be entrepreneurial in obtaining deals through Opendorse,” Reich said. “Second is the opportunity to strengthen the Wingate Athletics brand. I think these and other possibilities are great and the NIL deals will continue, but I believe the NCAA will start regulating these more and start giving more responsibility back to the institutions.”
Reich said when the Wingate Athletics brand is spread across the NIL world by the school’s student-athletes, it boosts athletic recruiting, donors to the school and provides positive attention for the university overall.
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