Rory McIlroy and Nike 

Do you want to work with athletes but don’t know where to start? Are you interested in expanding your marketing strategy to include influencer marketing but don't know which influencers to work with? Are you a small brand that wants to get the best return on your investment? 

There has been an ongoing controversy about if the NCAA should allow college athletes to be compensated for their name, image, and likeness (NIL). The pros of paying college athletes are to help them support their families, allowing them to stay in college and play longer (rather than dropping out due to financial circumstances), and limiting outside pressure to point-shave or skew games from boosters, agents, and other external factors. Not to mention that these NCAA athletes generate a lot of money for their schools, so they should be compensated a little more than just receiving a scholarship. 

Rob DiGisi’s discussion on marketing and how it can help build an athlete’s personal brand was a great start to the athlete webinar. Following his remarks, OpenSponsorship’s CEO Ishveen Anand takes over to engage in the topic of social media and how it plays a role in expanding an athlete’s personal brand. 

OpenSponsorship’s first speaker for the athlete webinar is Rob DiGisi, Professor of Sports Business Management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. DiGisi discusses how athletes can utilize marketing tools to help them build their personal brand. 

With the rise of social media in the past decade, professional athletes have been able to generate an income both on and off the field and/or court through sponsorship deals. Athletes with millions of followers can receive $50,000+ for a single post with a sponsored product. However, some athletes have it easier than others due to their large social media following, resulting in a higher rate per post. Here are four athletes who can produce a significant income from a sponsored post due to their large following on social media. 

With COVID-19 preventing some stores from opening in-person, brands and retailers are anticipating a huge increase in online sales, contactless shopping, and digital spend. Nonetheless, your brand can still profit during this holiday season by partnering with professional athletes to promote your product or service. Here's how to make an authentic connection with your customer to supercharge your holiday offering:

In 2018, sports sponsorship produced over $17 billion in revenue and will increase to roughly $20 billion by 2022. These numbers come from all different types of sponsorship deals, whether it’s with a small startup or with the biggest company in the world. There are many benefits of athlete endorsements for both the brand and the athlete because it can generate brand awareness and brand equity, resulting in more revenue. Additionally, the competitive advantage that a brand can receive by partnering with a professional athlete outweighs the cost of having to pay the athlete to promote the product. With that being said, here are some top brands that partner with professional athletes. 

In recent years, the legalization and use of CBD in some states have become a very prevalent topic in the sports world. It opens the doors for even more sponsorship opportunities with CBD brands, which is controversial among athletes, and if they should be partnering with these companies. Continuing the conversation with elite athletes Abby Dunkin (Paralympic wheelchair basketball player) and Leah West Casciano (Powerlifter), they discuss their opinions on CBD endorsements and if athletes should partner or use these CBD brands that are just starting to evolve. 

Sometimes it can seem like it’s impossible to get your company name out to the world, especially if it’s new. However, it’s not as hard as you think. Public Relations (PR) provides an opportunity for all companies (no matter how big or small) to be seen by the public. But the question is: How?