In 2021, the NCAA adopted a new policy allowing college athletes the opportunity to profit off their name, image, and likeness (NIL) after decades of advocacy and a favorable Supreme Court ruling.Just two years later, companies can now scroll through the new Princeton Tigers Marketplace, where Princeton student-athletes can make custom profiles and set their desired prices for paid appearances, social media posts, video shoutouts, and more, as well as link their interests and accomplishments.
This marketplace opened after Princeton Athletics announced a partnership with Opendorse, a leading NIL platform, to launch a NIL marketplace for Princeton student-athletes. Potential brand partners, sponsors, and fans who want to align themselves with Princeton student-athletes can now reach out and make offers to student-athletes through the Opendorse app or website.
What does it look like?
Check out Princeton quarterback Blake Stenstrom's page HERE and see that he will record a video shoutout for you for $46, or for a price make an appearance at your practice or event. He'll post on social media for you or "pitch anything" if the price is right. (You'll also see there are some growing pains on the site. $2,063+ for an autograph but just $125 for an appearance?)
The list of Princeton football players who are currently signed up can be found HERE.
One Princeton athlete has gotten ahead of the curve capitalizing on NIL opportunities. From the Daily Princetonian story:
With over 250,000 followers across Instagram and Tiktok, women’s soccer senior forward and social media influencer Alexis Hiltunen has been able to capitalize on the new NIL landscape and grow her personal brand. So far, she has done promotions with Reign Body Fuel, Fresh Beauty, and Grande Cosmetics, as well as several other health, beauty, nutrition, and fashion brands.
Check out her page HERE.
Green Alert Take: How lucrative it will be for Dartmouth athletes remains to be seen, but it's coming. Promise.
Green Alert Take II: When That Certain Nittany Lion '16 was little we took advantage of a Dartmouth promotion to have one of his birthday parties at a small room in the Berry Center, and a couple of Big Green players stopped by. I suppose in the future they would have to be paid to drop in, and while that's fine, it just feels like something sweet between fans and players will be lost when that happens.
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EXTRA POINT
A couple of things from the "Small World" department.
After a hike outside of Bryce Canyon National Park several days ago Mrs. BGA and I stopped into a little market in the Utah town of Panguitch, population 1,734 as of 2021. While we were in the market an enterprising recent high school graduate set up a table outside offering backed goods and a tip jar to help defray his upcoming college costs. The college he will be attending in the fall? Vermont's Norwich University. We chatted with the kid, who has never been to Vermont, and while we didn't buy any baked goods we tossed something in his tip jar.
Yesterday Mrs. BGA and I hiked another trail about 25 miles from the park. Over the four miles or so we ran into other hikers just twice. The first were a father, mother and young son. Noticing Mrs BGA we wearing a Penn State hat, the father asked if we had Pennsylvania connections. Turns out they were from Reading, Pa.
When they learned That Certain Dartmouth '14 was a ranger at Bryce Canyon, they said they knew of someone who worked at the park as well. A fellow they said was a pretty decent clarinet player as a kid. After a little back and forth we figured out it is a fellow who lives directly next door to TCD'14.
When a bright double-rainbow brought people out of their park housing last evening, we ran into the neighbor and I asked him, "Do you still play the clarinet?" The puzzled look on his face was worth the price of admission because he didn't know me from Adam. It took him a bit until he figured out who had spilled the beans on his musical talent.
