The University of Connecticut and Opendorse are launching an official NIL marketplace, which will allow student-athletes to engage in NIL activity with fans, brands, and businesses on a local and national level.
Back in July of 2021, UConn and Opendorse partnered to help student-athletes in the areas of rules education, ease of content sharing, and NCAA rules compliance monitoring. Now, the two are taking their partnership to the next level with the launch of the marketplace.
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“From the outset, Opendorse has been the foremost visionary, the industry leader in student-athlete and institution support and has found ways to creatively stay ahead of this fluid NIL landscape that we in collegiate athletics have embraced,” UConn Director of Athletics David Benedict said in a press release. “We are proud to augment our existing partnership with Opendorse with the launch of its NIL Marketplace technology. I am confident this addition will allow for us to continue to support our student-athletes who choose to engage in NIL activities at an elite level.”
Student-athletes at the university will be able to take advantage of the NIL marketplace. Hundreds of athletes have created profiles on the Opendorse platform and companies, fans, and businesses will now have the opportunity to reach out to these individuals regarding an NIL partnership.
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Examples of how fans can engage easily and securely with UConn student-athletes via the Marketplace include autograph signings, in-person or virtual appearances at birthday parties and other events, video shoutouts, and private lessons.
“UConn has embraced the NIL era with confidence and the utmost support for its student-athletes,” said Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence. “Today’s launch of their NIL Marketplace is the next step to maximizing opportunities for every UConn Husky. Now, any fan or brand can confidently offer compliant NIL deals to their favorite UConn student-athletes in just seconds.”
