Whether you’re a high school football player, an AAU basketball star, or just a kid who records trick shots on TikTok, using your talents and highlights to make money as a young athlete has seemed to be a dangerous game. Cashing checks for your autograph or collecting royalties when you endorse one of your favorite brands in a social media post could quickly cost you your college eligibility.
Luckily for the next generation of athletes, the restraints on an athlete’s ability to profit off of their name, image, and likeness could be lifted in the near future. Athletes in every sport, at every level, will soon be able to use their most valued skills to build a career for themselves and leverage new opportunities in their communities.
We’ve entered a day where creating new, engaging content for your followers is as important as spending time in the weight room. This means you need to learn to build and market your personal brand.
Here are five ways athletes on GMTM can start taking control of their Name, Image, and Likeness and benefit from the changing landscape for college sports:
- Create and upload more video content to your GMTM profile.
- Be seen by organizations and national teams in live Virtual Events.
- Connect with brands to create content and showcase your skills.
- Standout on social media with personalized graphics from the Promo Editor.
- Find the top players in your area and create content with them.
Create and upload more video content to your GMTM profile.
As Name, Image, and Likeness rules begin to be defined by the NCAA, colleges will be quick to inform their athletes on how to make the most of it. Of all the content options you have, video will be the most valuable. You can leverage the film crews and social media departments at your school to help you.
Better yet, you can film more of your workouts, off-days, and everything you do off the field with a smart phone. That long form video content is what shows both your skills and personality to organizations that are interested in your brand.
Reach out to the needlemovers in your area. Find a way to be on more podcasts, document your thoughts and tweets in your own articles.
Participate for coaches and national teams in live Virtual Events.
Your GMTM profile is almost like your very first agent. It is the profile that features everything you do in sports. Live opportunities like Virtual Visits and Virtual Showcases are available for you to be seen by colleges and universities.
And the more you compete and share your profile, the more likely you are to be seen by other coaches.
Connect with brands to create content and showcase your skills.
Virtual Events do not just connect you with colleges and coaches. Equipment brands like Xenith that athletes use every day have launched activities you can compete in. Attaching your brand to more established brands in the industry is how you grow and create opportunities for yourself.
