Local businesses have become a major player in the NIL landscape and in Tempe, Arizona they have helped kickstart profitable name, image and likeness opportunities for Arizona State University student-athletes.
Feel Good Nutrition, a healthy option nutrition bar located in Tempe, has announced a NIL partnership with Sun Devil athletes Ben Coleman and Marissa Schuld.
Coordinated through Activate ASU, a third-party nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting Sun Devil student-athletes with local businesses for NIL purposes, the partnership is Feel Good Nutrition’s first with student-athletes.
“As we’ve said with other deals that we’ve helped facilitate, we believe there are world class athletes across all sports here in Tempe, and they deserve to be recognized,” said Peter Boyle, the Executive Director of Activate ASU. “Ben and Marissa are certainly that. Thankfully because of local business owners who are willing to step up, we’re able to provide that recognition by helping to create economic opportunities for them.”
Coleman, who plays offensive-line, was one of Kenny Dillingham’s prized transfer recruits in his inaugural class. Schuld is a graduate student and a pitcher on the No. 22-ranked Sun Devil softball team. Both student-athletes will be expected to post social media content, make public appearances and have their picture featured on the business’ wall of athletes as part of the agreement.
“We’re super excited about this partnership,” said Feel Good Nutrition Co-Owner Negin Azarbehi. “To be able to be one of the local businesses that are in support of the athletes and to do it the right way is really exciting. It’s really cool to see what we’re able to do now and what we can continue to do moving forward.”
According to Coleman, the deal includes free protein shakes and discounted menu prices for anyone who mentions his name when they come into Feel Good Nutrition. Coleman expressed his excitement to partner with the company noting that its “focus to present a safe and friendly environment for the community” along with providing “creative shakes and drinks” makes Feel Good Nutrition a go-to spot for all Sun Devil athletes.
He also acknowledged that when entering the NIL space he wants to ensure that any partnership reflects his values. He believes Feel Good Nutrition is the perfect combination of both.
“I’m really excited to start an NIL partnership with a purpose,” said Coleman. “They do a lot of great things as far as fitness challenges and their business model is really cool because not only do they have shakes, energy shots and drinks, but they really try to engage with their customers.”
Azarbehi and fellow Co-Owner Alicia Robinson are also former student-athletes. Robinson played volleyball at USC while Azarbehi played at Auburn. The two admitted that the opportunity to compensate student-athletes holds a special place in their heart.
“Our intention is to make as big of an impact as we can and as former student-athletes, it’s only that much more personal to be able to help them. We both wish we had something like this when we were in college so we know what it’s like,” said Azarbehi.
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Azarbehi and Robinson hope that this is just the beginning of their involvement in the NIL space. They stated that they are already in conversation with additional ASU athletes and are one of many local businesses in the Valley that are taking advantage of Activate ASU’s mission to connect student-athletes with local partnerships.
According to Boyle, Coleman and Schuld’s partnership with Feel Good Nutrition will only continue to build the pipeline of businesses who want to be included in name, image and likeness for Sun Devil student-athletes.
“We continue to hear from people in the community that this is what they want NIL to look like in Tempe. What we’re doing provides public recognition of the student-athlete, while also providing a tangible return to a local business. As the word gets out, we believe you’ll see more and more businesses wanting to get involved in this way,” Boyle said.
