San Diego State athletics has announced the launch of two online efforts that put the spotlight on individual athletes for income opportunities.
The SDSU NIL Store and SDSU NIL Marketplace, powered by Campus Ink and Opendorse respectively, will host the sites. The store features jerseys and officially licensed apparel, while the marketplace will connect fans with their San Diego State athletes.
The new sites are part of the university’s efforts to provide a comprehensive name, image and likeness (NIL) program for Aztec athletes, officials said.
Colleges and universities embarked on the effort following the NCAA’s July 2021 decision to allow athletes to market themselves to the public. Schools cannot pay them, but they can monetize their NIL without NCAA penalties. The landmark change followed a Supreme Court decision against the NCAA and actions by several state legislatures, which sided with athletes to nix NIL restrictions.
“We are thrilled to partner with SDSU athletics and provide an NIL merchandising solution for all Aztec student-athletes,” said Steven Farag, co-founder and CEO of Campus Ink. “San Diego State has shown an incredible commitment to providing a multitude of resources to its student-athletes in the NIL space and we are excited to assist in fulfilling that mission.”
Every SDSU athlete who signed up will have a personalized digital locker room to feature their merchandise.
Athletic Director John David Wicker called the partnership with Campus Ink “another positive step in our institution’s support of our student-athletes.”
The Campus Ink team handles product creation, design, marketing, fulfillment and customer service for athletes. Their team also works directly with athletes to educate them on merchandising and sales trends.
Additionally, San Diego State’s partnership with Opendorse expands with the launch of the SDSU marketplace. Aztec fans, brands, sponsors and donors can browse, book, pitch and pay any Aztec student-athlete for their activities via the platform.
The site places a price on everything from an athlete making a video or giving a fan an autograph to appearing at an event or creating a social media post.
“(The) announcement of the San Diego State marketplace reaffirms the commitment that SDSU athletics has to supporting student-athletes on and off the field of play,” said Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence. “(The) launch is the next step to maximizing opportunities for every athlete. Now, any fan or brand can confidently offer compliant NIL deals to their favorite Aztecs in just seconds.”
All current Aztec student-athletes can be found in the SDSU marketplace. Opendorse has facilitated hundreds of thousands of NIL deals and athlete endorsements. The marketplace is used by over 95,000 athletes to manage deals.