Rule changes from the NCAA pertaining to student-athletes’ ability to deservedly profit from their own name, image and likeness are seemingly imminent and are set to revolutionize the landscape of collegiate athletics.
The University of Oregon ─ in partnership with branding experts from groups such as Nike, Facebook, Twitter, INFLCR and Cole Hann ─ aims to prepare UO athletes to successfully manage their individual brands. The initiative will support the academic and professional development of student-athletes in a rapidly changing climate. The UO School of Journalism and Communications, along with the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the UO Lundquist College of Business, will be significantly involved in the program, titled EMERGE.
UO has successfully separated itself from the pack by creating this program. By preparing student-athletes for an unpredictable, yet necessary, shift in the axis of collegiate sports, every participant wins. Students-athletes will be rightfully provided with resources to manage their lucrative personal brands, and UO maintains a sense of control over its athletic department and athletes. Furthermore, the aforementioned entities, among others, will get involved in the ground level of NIL and its ramifications.
EMERGE additionally gifts UO with the opportunity to promote two of its most prestigious colleges, the Lundquist College of Business and the SOJC, while simultaneously aiding its current and future student-athletes in their various endeavors.
The three primary areas of the EMERGE program are designed to educate student-athletes on topics ranging from personal branding to financial literacy.
Other universities are sure to follow UO’s program in the near future, as those without similar programs will miss key opportunities to create mutually beneficial relationships with their athletes.
EMERGE will serve as precedent for other universities who must adapt to a novel environment that allows student-athletes to receive long-overdue financial compensation for their efforts on and off the playing field. The likely positive impact of EMERGE will attract additional prominent athletes to Eugene, as long as the program displays genuine compassion for its athletes.
NCAA rule changes regarding NIL could provide top-athletes, particularly gridiron stars, with seven-figure earning opportunities. Oregon has only one franchise representing one of the four major sports leagues: the Portland Trail Blazers. The financial opportunities for UO athletes should rival those available to student-athletes in more crowded markets. UO football is easily the most successful football program in a state that does not feature an NFL franchise.
UO has managed to separate itself from its competition and simultaneously prioritize the needs of its student-athletes through the implementation of the EMERGE program. Ideally, EMERGE will only improve relationships between UO and its athletic population, setting a necessary precedent for the rest of the nation.
Opinion: UO EMERGEs as a leader in student-athlete brand management
Bazil Sterling
November 19, 2020
DL Young /@cinematicsonly
Ducks wide reciever Devon Williams (2) slips away from a defender. Oregon Ducks Football takes on Stanford University at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. on Nov. 7, 2020. (DL Young/Emerald)
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