Launch of Social Platform "booster," Caleb Downs Launches NIL App, + ICYMI | Newsletter #262
Today’s Thursday newsletter includes highlights from this week, important news from last week, and what to watch for.
Keep up to date on all of our newsletters and content by checking out past Optimum Sports Consulting Newsletters, and following us on Twitter!
Recapping Major News This Week:
New social platform, booster, launches, set to connect athletes directly with fans and boosters
booster is a groundbreaking social platform that seeks to empower student-athletes to take control of their personal brands and financial futures.
booster is designed exclusively for athletes across all sports, schools, and genders, providing equitable opportunities without barriers to entry.
The platform allows student-athletes to create and share exclusive content - photos, videos, live streams, gaming sessions - with their fans. Athletes set their own prices and terms for content and interactions, keeping 80% of the revenue they generate.
In addition to connecting athletes with fans, booster is committed to enhancing the financial literacy of athletes. The Players Fund, a key element of booster's mission, allocates ten percent of the platform's equity to athletes based on the revenue they generate, ensuring they benefit financially from the platform's growth.
CLICK HERE to learn more.
OSU safety, Caleb Downs, launches NIL app at Ohio State
Caleb Downs, who transferred from Alabama, recently launched his own tech startup, Launchpoint.
Downs pitches the app as a set-up one-stop shop for athletes to connect with and secure NIL partnerships with notable brands.
The app is currently only a beta launch for around 250 OSU student-athletes, but it plans to expand to five additional schools soon.
The website also shows some of its early brand partnerships athletes can choose from, including Manscaped, Kosas, C4 Energy, and Dormify, among several others.
CLICK HERE to learn more.
Quick Hitter News:
Five-star offensive lineman, Josh Petty, lands multi-million dollar NIL deal package with Georgia Tech - LINK
MSU’s Dillon Tatum signs NIL deal with a Michigan based law firm - LINK
Eastern Athletics announced the launch of their NIL store, providing officially licensed NIL apparel of Eastern student-athletes - LINK
Texas QB Quinn Ewers signed a six-figure deal with apparel company Rhoback - LINK
The University of Minnesota Duluth announces partnership with 218 Champions Collective, a third-party organization focused on making NIL deals more accessible - LINK
ICYMI
Georgia Bans High School NIL Collectives
The GHSA voted to amend its NIL policy regarding payments to prep athletes, focusing on curtailing any activity related to NIL collectives.
The new policy was just recently voted in: “No student-athlete may be a member of nor receive compensation or any other benefit from a Collective or NIL Club. A Collective is defined as any group organized or existing for the purpose of compensating or benefiting an individual student-athlete or group of student athletes of a member school.”
Current student-athletes in Georgia protested the decision, sending a letter to the GHSA and media outlets about how the decision is discriminatory and discouraging to athletes trying to earn compensation as well as learn life lessons through these activities.
CLICK HERE to learn more.
What To Watch For: The NCAA’s NIL Deal Database Provides More Transparency Than Ever
Two weeks ago, the NCAA launched its NIL Assist data dashboard. The dashboard includes aggregated NIL deal data, offering some much-needed transparency in the NIL landscape, a priority for NCAA President Charlie Baker.
“Before I even started in my new role at the NCAA, one of the first things I heard from student-athletes and their families was that the NIL landscape was confusing and challenging to navigate. It was a priority for me from day one to find ways to help student-athletes pursue and capitalize on NIL opportunities with confidence, and a little over a year later, the launch of this platform will help them do exactly that” said Charlie Baker.
The public database does not identify athletes by name or school, but it has the ability to sort by a multitude of filters, including subdivision, sport, player position and type of NIL deal. Specifically, the platform will shed light on growth and changes of the women’s NIL market.
So far, data has been collected starting January 1, 2024, and includes data as current as last week. The data reported for women’s sports specifically reveals that 22.7% of reported NIL deals in Power Four women’s sports come from basketball, followed by a reported 18.5% in softball. The reported data for women’s sports indicates average Power Four athlete earnings are $7,947, the average disclosed value is $554, and the median value is $55.
Overall, the launch of the NCAA's NIL Assist data dashboard marks a significant step towards transparency and clarity in the NIL landscape for student-athletes. With this platform, athletes can now better navigate and capitalize on NIL opportunities with confidence, ultimately empowering them to maximize their potential both on and off the field.
Thanks for Reading!
Keep up to date on all of our newsletters and content by checking out past Optimum Sports Consulting Newsletters, and following us on Twitter!