What is a NIL Marketplace?

Name, image and likeness (NIL) – a person’s personal brand value or the right to publicity. A Marketplace is defined as an open exchange for buyers and sellers. A marketplaces you might be familiar with could be Amazon, eBay, Uber, AirBnb, Craigslist, but an NIL marketplace is where a person sells their personal brand value to a company that buys the benefits of it. Think of this as crowdsourcing for NIL. Here is a current list of marketplaces that college and/or high school athletes can enroll in to help them monetize their Name, Image and Likeness.

*Note we are updating this list often, so check back frequently.

MARKETPLACES

Platform	Types of Opportunities			Fees/Revenue Share
98Strong	Brand partnerships			Free for student athletes; varies for brands depending on campaign
Athletepreneur	Brand partnerships			Brands are charged a platform fee instead of a per deal fee. Athlete’s pay fees on a sliding scale based on their NIL Score (a proprietary ranking of the marketability of their NIL). If an athlete comes to them for other ancillary services, the fee may be reduced.
Athletes.TV	Ad-supported video content			Free for student athletes to create a channel and free for fans to watch; athletes get 60% of ad revenue from their channel
Athlete Direct	Autographs, sell gear, licensed merchandise, brand building			Student athlete gets paid 70% of net sales
Athlyt	Brand partnerships, casting calls, live appearances, NFTs, etc.			10% fee charged to brand; no fee for student athletes
Blue Wire*	Podcast platform			Student athletes receive share of advertising revenue
Cameo*	Personal video messages			Student athlete gets 75% if booked through the website, 75% after 30% to Apple if booked through the iOS app
CleanKonnect	Brand partnerships			Fee charged to brand; free for student athletes
CoachTube	Digital instruction			Coach/student athlete or a charity of their choice can keep 100% of the revenue (minus standard transaction fees) when you bring new students to CoachTube. For every student CoachTube brings to your course through their marketing efforts, they split the sale 80/20 – the student athlete receives 80%, CoachTube gets 20%.
CoachUp*	In-person, small group and personal coaching sessions			$49.99 one-time activation fee plus $9.99 annual membership; earnings vary based on number of sessions with an individual athlete: 1 session pays 57% to coach, 2 sessions is 72%, 3 sessions is 82%, 4 sessions is 87% and 5 or more sessions are 95%
display*	Create content for brands that offer affiliate commission			Up to 50% for ad revenue and affiliate commissions
Dreamfield*	In person opps like autograph signings, meet and greets, clinics, 1:1, commercials, podcasts/radio spots, digital media campaigns, print media, individualized offers for athletes.			Platform charges a fee to the buyer; once the event is complete student athletes keep 100% of the booking price.
Engage	Booking everything from speeches to one-in-a-lifetime experiences			15% fee for buyers; no fees for student athletes
Fan Arch*	Digital storefront for personalized merchandise
Fangage	Digital autograph sessions
Fans Meet Idols	Digital storefronts for student athletes to sell videos, products, appearances, etc.			Student athletes keep 75-95% of each transaction.
FanZone	Mobile app/marketplace to monetize content through subscriptions and experiences. The app also has additional monetization features, including video chats and messaging.			Student athletes keep 90-95% of each transaction.
Find My NIL	Brand partnerships and online community for student athletes			Student athletes and sponsors can sign up for a 3-month trial, thereafter it becomes $4.99/mo for athletes and $99/mo for businesses. Find My NIL does not take any percentage of completed deals.
Huckle	Marketplace to directly connect student-athletes with companies and brands through shared interests and passions to collaborate and mutually profit.			FREE for student athletes; companies and brands are charged a fee of 15%
Icon Source*	Brand partnerships
Indi*	Monetizing content creation (product recs, shout out videos, tutorials, etc.)			Rates vary based on the type of content.
Influential*	Brand partnerships
Influxer	Brand partnerships			10% paid by the brand
Jenloop	Social posts for individuals or businesses			25% fee for student athletes
Jersey Sponsor	Brand partnerships			15% fee paid by the brand; free for brands for up to 5 direct messages or invites per month or $99/mo for unlimited; no fees for student athletes
Klout Machine	Brand partnerships			10% from the brand and 10% from the student athlete Note: their marketplace is still being developed, but they are already facilitating deals
Lummys.com	Branded content is posted within the athlete’s Twitter and/or Facebook feeds			Athletes get paid 50% of every CPC (cost-per-click).
MarketPryce	Brand partnerships			$8/month to join for student athletes but they get 100% of income they generate on the platform
Matchpoint Connection	Brand partnerships (focus on local businesses)			The brand is charged 9% in addition to the offer amount and the student athlete is charged 9% from the offer amount.
MOGL	In-person Appearances, Social Media Campaigns, Endorsements, Brand Partnerships, and Merchandise Sales (all directly disclosed to university compliance)			Free for Athletes; 20% fee paid by business
Mojo*	Digital youth sports coaching
NOCAP Sports	Brand partnerships, merchandise, personal appearances, etc. in addition to compliance and education for institutions			Free for athletes. 18% fee paid by brand
Obsesh*	Personalized digital coaching (skills & technique)			Student athlete keeps 75% of the booking
Opendorse	Brand partnerships in addition to compliance and education for institutions			30% fee paid entirely by buyer
OpenSponsorship*	Brand partnerships			Student athletes pay 10-20% commission on each deal, and brands pay for a $399 subscription to put up a campaign. If brands already know the student athlete they want to work with, they can send direct proposals for free or upgrade to whiteglove service (https://opensponsorship.com/pricing) for $1250/mo.
Playbooked	Brand partnerships
Postgame	Brand partnerships
Sideline Swap*	Sell gear			Listing is free; 12% fee for first 5 items sold, 9% thereafter plus payment processing fee of 2.9% the cost of the item + $0.30; buyer pays shipping
SportEndorse	In-person Appearances, Social Media Campaigns, Endorsements, Speaking Engagement, Product Evaluations and Brand Partnerships			Student athletes pay 12-16% commission on each deal done on the platform, and brands pay $360 yearly or $35 monthly to put up opportunities. Agents can join the platform for $360 yearly, or $35 monthly, and we will share commissions with them.
Spring*	Direct-to-consumer digital storefront			Processing fee is 10% of the selling price, plus a $0.40 charge
SQWAD*	Digital contests and fan engaging gamification
Stipend	Experiences, including coaching			Buyer pays 5% service fee, plus a 12% fee is taken out of the face value of the experience before revenue is distributed to the student athlete
Subtext *	SMS texting			20% of subscription fees received by student athletes
The Players Trunk*	Sell gear
Vantage Sports	Digital coaching/training			Clients pay 10% service charge; 1% is donated to the Doug Flutie Foundation for Autism
Workhorse	Brand partnerships
Yoke	Gaming

Moore Public Schools, first school district in Oklahoma to invest in NIL Education for its coaches

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, DEC 21, 2022 –Moore Public Schools has selected the Bedford Agency to help train, educate and mentor the Athletic Department and Coaches in Name, Image and Likeness as a district-wide initiative.  Moore Public Schools is now the first school district in Oklahoma to invest in NIL education for its coaches. 

Bedford Agency will provide workshops and provide a video-on-demand training curriculum (NIL Playbook) to its coaches through its partnership with Eccker Sports under the Bedford Agency Teams Route brand.  Earlier this month within Moore Public Schools, each head coach conduct an initial training on Name, Image and Likeness workshop and was provided access to an on-demand content and training (NIL Playbook) and certification with additional training workshops for there coaches planned in the spring.

NIL guidelines were passed by the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association (OSSAA) in October of this year and thus the need by Moore Public Schools to offer NIL Education to its coaches and staff.   Bedford Agency and Eccker Sports are also the official partners of the OSSAA. 

“A key element of this is education and bringing together the best of the best in NIL education and resources to educate and empower as many coaches and athletic staff as possible and ultimately parents and student-athletes,” said Bryan Bedford, CEO, Bedford Agency. “We are very excited to partner with Moore Public Schools to offer their top-of-the-line NIL Education to help them navigate an otherwise complicated topic and process, and thrilled they are the first school district to recognize the need and make an investment.”

“Being able to educate our coaches on NIL was hugely important to us as a district leadership team and working with the Bedford Agency to offer best-in-class NIL education and leveraging their local (OSSAA) and national (Eccker Sports) partnerships was a no-brainer,” said Brian Fitzgerald, Athletic Director, Moore Public Schools.  “Working closely with Bedford Agency allows us to meet the needs of our coaches on a topic that is very new to us and provides tremendous value to our student-athletes and families as they look to pursue Name, Image and Likeness opportunities in the future.”

About Bedford Agency

The Bedford Agency provides actionable insight and expertise for companies, coaches, student-athletes and families navigating the world of Sports Business, College Sports Recruiting and Name, Image and Likeness process! A family-owned Christ-centered business that is uniquely positioned to offer expertise, strategic consulting, educational content and technology to transform the college recruiting process like never before. It’s rich foundation includes a history around college recruiting, camps, consulting and events. In 2021 the Bedford Agency launched its first set of brands Recruit Route, Recruit Route Elite, Transfer Route. In 2022, it launched Teams Route a turnkey offering to help high school and club coaches and their entire programs managed & become educated on recruiting and NIL.

About Moore Public Schools

Moore Public Schools has 35 schools, over 24,000 students and over 1,600 certified educators.  High Schools include three 6A High Schools: Moore High School, Southmoore High School and Westmoore High School.

Contacts

Media Relations:
Ashley Pries, +1 (559) 908-9559
ashpries4@gmail.com

One of the many observations of the early days of Name, Image and Likeness is the realization that we are dealing with young people who have very limited understanding of business, finance and marketing. These student athletes, whether they are in college or now in High School have very limited understanding of the choices and decisions they make and how those may have much larger implications. One that I am keenly concerned about its finances and tax implications for High School student-athletes and there families. Here are a couple of Tax considerations that High School families should be considering:

Tax TipS for High School #NIL

NIL creates an opportunity for athletes to learn the ropes about personal finance, budgeting, and taxation at a young age. Consider some basic ground rules and potential issues:

• High School athletes are not employees of the school and are generally not employees of the companies paying the athlete for NIL. Generally, High School athletes will be considered independent contractors by the companies who sign them to NIL deals.
• Most, if not all, payments an High School athlete receives will have no income taxes withheld, which means if the payment is taxable, tax will be due when the athlete’s tax return is filed. Athletes should budget accordingly for cash-flow purposes, as federal, state, and potentially local income tax may be owed before April 15.
• Compensation may be in the form of cash or non-cash items such as clothing, food, sports equipment, gifts, and discounts on products. Non-cash compensation is also taxable income.
• State and local tax issues may arise if an athlete resides in one state but attends school in another state — or perform services such as sponsorships, promotions, or events in other states. Those student athletes in boarder states that do or don’t allow NIL need to pay close attention.
• Depending on the size of payments the athlete receives, they may need to consider making quarterly estimated tax payments throughout the year to avoid interest and penalties.
• Income received for use of NIL could jeopardize an NCAA athlete’s eligibility for need-based financial aid.
• Please consult a CPA or tax planning professional for all your business and tax needs.

Again these are just a handful of tips for High School student-athletes and families to consider around Name, Image and Likeness. For more information on how we help schools becoming educated on NIL, please check out http://www.thebedfordagency.com

The Bedford Agency and our CEO, Bryan Bedford have been fielding tons of media request to talk about recruiting and NIL. From our agreement and guidelines with the OSSAA to media requests and podcast. Here is a update list of resources, stories and podcasts to keep you informed on the latest.

Bedford Agency Partners with Eccker Sports to provide High School Coaches and Student-Athletes With Education and Assistance in Recruitment and NIL 10.4.22 Link

OSSAA Passes NIL Guidelines for NIL & partnership with Bedford Agency & Eccker Sports 10.5.22 Link

Helpful #NIL tips for High School Coaches/ADs, Parents and Students! 10.27.22 Link

Still in its infancy, NIL education remains at the forefront of the OSSAA’s goals (Tulsa World) 11.17.22 Link

Oklahoma high school NIL scene is quiet now, but possibilities are vast (Oklahoman) 11.20.22 Link

Much has been made about Name Image and Likeness the past couple years. From the pro’s to college and now in many states at the High School level all across the United States. So I think it makes sense to share a few pointers to help High School Athletic Directors & High School Coaches better understand the landscape of modern day #NIL and College Sports Recruiting.

Athletic Directors:

1.Train coaches on NIL (especially as it impacts recruiting)

2.Ensure your students understand the State NIL guidelines (NIL Playbook)

3.Control, copyright or protect school specific Intellectual Property (domain names, logos, etc.)

4.Have a policy/process for parents/boosters to discuss NIL opportunities that are in compliance with school policies or sponsorships

5.Ensure you have a policy that protects your sponsors.  Make sure coaches, athletes and parents understand your policies

6.Look to add curriculum into the school that helps educate kids on entrepreneurship, finances, marketing, branding, and more

7.Add NIL context into any school or district wide Social Media or Recruiting workshops!

8.Disclosure!!!! Have a process by which each athlete/parent self reports NIL deals so that you have proper visibility

Coaches:

Education is super critical. Do you understand the rules, the local or state policies and the implications? For coaches/AD’s this is super important to start now and to be that first line of support for student-athletes and parents who being this journey to ensure they are prepared and educated to do things in the right order at the right time. Here are our recommendations for High School Coaches & NIL policies/education:

•Education: Understanding Terms, Eligibility & Considerations

•Discuss Social Media & its impact on NIL with your student-athletes

•Consider monitoring…

•Share Quick Tips (Schools & Student-Athletes/Families)

•Add NIL topic into annual parent meetings

•Post State Rules/Guidelines on NIL

•Post District Policies on NIL

•Encourage NIL education

Here is a mini #NIL checklist:

*Review your state and school district policies! You HAVE to know the rules before you engage in NIL.      

*Have student-athletes start writing down an initial “Business Plan” that states a student-athletes goals, brand vision, timing, how you will manage endorsements and sponsorships, legal and tax planning.  When they write this plan and beyond you SHOULD ASK QUESTIONS. Ask them!!! Nothing wrong with asking lots of questions as you enter the NIL space!

*Encourage them to set up a true business entity, foundation, or corporation.  We would recommend they work a CPA to help you set up a business that aligns to your business plan. This can be started at any age, as the benefits could be significant for any student-athlete with a solid plan rooted in common-sense.

*Control your Intellectual Property! Buying a personal brand (name) website ASAP. I.e. YourName.Com especially for elite prospects can be important.   They will want to control this as it’s a way to control there brand long term.   If they have a personal brand logo designed already or planning one in the future make sure they have a copyright for it! 

*Smart Social: Clean and scrub all social channels to ensure credibility and to showcase themselves completely, not just as an athlete. Control there personal brand at all costs!  Become well rounded on social media by starting to post on all aspects of your life to create followers even before you start doing NIL deals.

*Personal Brand Vision Statement: Make sure they have planned and aligned what they personally want to represent.  Are they into fashion, farming, or whatever, then the vision statement should align to that statement? This guide will help them as to what they should and shouldn’t do (can help with recruiting honestly). Having this will also align your social activities or endorsements you might them to consider.

*FASFA Planning: Do they understand how NIL deals will impact there the tax/FASFA implications? Have they put money back? Do they realize you will have to disclose your NIL income on your FASFA when applying for financial aid for college?   

*Less is more. While its great to chase commercial deals, your athletes won’t have time to do a bunch of these deals nor actively pursue them, especially balancing school, training, practices, games and whatever is left relative to a social life.  Be smart in the early stages of NIL. Remember not every deal is a good deal (short and long term). And please don’t have them tweet out “My DMs are open” …. because honestly just like in life, you should want to be picky with who you do business with! 

*Put money back! Hopefully when they do enter into a NIL agreement they do that with a true business plan in mind. If they don’t, please ensure you understand the tax and FASFA implications. Holding some money back on each deal to ensure you are covered from a tax perspective is important. In addition, consider any expenses or tax write offs associated with your new ventures. 

*Review EVERYTHING and Be careful with agents. First and foremost, you need to have a contract for every deal you deal. Have someone read the legal terms of these agreements and understand your commitments and deliverables. These could be attorneys, agents or family business friends. These resources can be useful but their are a lot of areas to be eyes wide opened about when considering an agent or marketing representative. If presented with legal documents, make sure they have someone else review it. This could be very damaging very quickly, not to mention the implications on agent selection beyond moving into any professional sports career. Be smart, have them do there homework!  

We hope this check-list helps you as a Athletic Director or HS Coach. We have programs and offerings to help in each of these areas, so please reach out if we can help or visit http://www.thebedfordagency.com or http://www.recruit-route.com.