CAROLINA ATHLETICSLAUNCHes EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING TO STRENGTHEN NIL OPPORTUNITIES
Courtesy of UNC Athletics
Emphasizing its commitment to education, opportunities, choices and commercial activity for student-athletes, Carolina Athletics has establishedLAUNCH, a comprehensive Name, Image and Likeness program that will teach Tar Heels how to elevate their platform and provide tools to enhance their personal brand.
LAUNCH will provide expert education and resources related to digital branding, financial planning, effective networking and more as part of new and expanded partnerships with Altius Sports Partners, COMPASS and INFLCR. This is in addition to the Carolina Leadership Academy, which has provided career and leadership programming to Carolina student-athletes for 17 years.
“Carolina Athletics has long been committed to outstanding experiences for our more than 800 student-athletes across 28 teams, and that includes providing outstanding educational resources and programming related to Name, Image and Likeness,” said Carolina Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham. “Our LAUNCH program will position our Tar Heel student-athletes for success in NIL as we all navigate this new era in college sports.”
To help support the LAUNCH program, Altius Sports Partners will provide high-level strategic guidance to UNC, helping senior administration put the pieces of the NIL puzzle together – from departmental processes to education and social media.
"There is no college in the country quite like the University of North Carolina when it comes to athletes’ brands,’’ said Altius CEO and Founding Partner Casey Schwab. “Tar Heel student-athletes are in a unique position to maximize on their NIL. We are proud to partner with UNC to equip the department as they prepare and empower all stakeholders in the NIL era."
COMPASS, a fully integrated education and compliance solution developed by CLC, will serve as the administrative infrastructure for student-athletes and staff to disclose and monitor NIL deals, as well as provide and track important legal, policy and best practices education.
“UNC has been a longtime advocate of student-athlete NIL and providing innovative solutions, and we are excited to provide the COMPASS system to serve as the core platform for student-athletes, staff, and other stakeholders to help ensure compliance with NIL activities.” said Cory Moss, CLC CEO.
Carolina Athletics also has expanded its relationship with INFLCR — the leading brand-building platform for student-athletes — to include INFLCR Plus, which will equip Athletics Department staff with the additional software, assets and guidance to maximize their messaging to potential recruits while providing unique insights for current student-athletes looking to build their brands and benefit from future NIL opportunities.
“It's been a pleasure to work with Bubba Cunningham and the leadership at North Carolina since the beginning of INFLCR,’’ said INFLCR CEO Jim Cavale. “This group truly puts the student-athletes first in every regard, starting with brand building and maximizing the potential in this name, image and likeness era.
“The addition of INFLCR Plus will not only help coaches recruit compliantly, showcasing the brand impact that North Carolina athletics has on student-athlete brands, but it will also give student-athletes additional education around their brand value and strategies they can use to improve that value and really win in the NIL era.”
In April, more than 100 Carolina student-athlete alumni also signed on with The Brandr Group to form a first-of-its kind voluntary group licensing program that allows former college athletes to profit from their marketability. The initiative began with alumni from Carolina’s storied men’s basketball and women’s soccer programs, and it is expected to expand in the future.
Carolina Athletics will continue to seek partnerships and opportunities across the University to enhanceLAUNCH programming and education. The LAUNCHinitiative strongly integrates the Department of Athletics’ Carolina Values and priorities:
· Education: provide exceptional educational experiences while students compete athletically at the highest level.
· Opportunities: maximize the number of opportunities for students to participate in intercollegiate athletics.
· Choices: provide choices to meet the needs of our students – including the choice to play on national teams, to play professionally and to return to UNC to finish a degree.
· Commercial Activity: Fairly grow and share revenue to provide opportunities to participate in a broad-based athletics program.
Courtesy of UNC Athletics
Emphasizing its commitment to education, opportunities, choices and commercial activity for student-athletes, Carolina Athletics has establishedLAUNCH, a comprehensive Name, Image and Likeness program that will teach Tar Heels how to elevate their platform and provide tools to enhance their personal brand.
LAUNCH will provide expert education and resources related to digital branding, financial planning, effective networking and more as part of new and expanded partnerships with Altius Sports Partners, COMPASS and INFLCR. This is in addition to the Carolina Leadership Academy, which has provided career and leadership programming to Carolina student-athletes for 17 years.
“Carolina Athletics has long been committed to outstanding experiences for our more than 800 student-athletes across 28 teams, and that includes providing outstanding educational resources and programming related to Name, Image and Likeness,” said Carolina Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham. “Our LAUNCH program will position our Tar Heel student-athletes for success in NIL as we all navigate this new era in college sports.”
To help support the LAUNCH program, Altius Sports Partners will provide high-level strategic guidance to UNC, helping senior administration put the pieces of the NIL puzzle together – from departmental processes to education and social media.
"There is no college in the country quite like the University of North Carolina when it comes to athletes’ brands,’’ said Altius CEO and Founding Partner Casey Schwab. “Tar Heel student-athletes are in a unique position to maximize on their NIL. We are proud to partner with UNC to equip the department as they prepare and empower all stakeholders in the NIL era."
COMPASS, a fully integrated education and compliance solution developed by CLC, will serve as the administrative infrastructure for student-athletes and staff to disclose and monitor NIL deals, as well as provide and track important legal, policy and best practices education.
“UNC has been a longtime advocate of student-athlete NIL and providing innovative solutions, and we are excited to provide the COMPASS system to serve as the core platform for student-athletes, staff, and other stakeholders to help ensure compliance with NIL activities.” said Cory Moss, CLC CEO.
Carolina Athletics also has expanded its relationship with INFLCR — the leading brand-building platform for student-athletes — to include INFLCR Plus, which will equip Athletics Department staff with the additional software, assets and guidance to maximize their messaging to potential recruits while providing unique insights for current student-athletes looking to build their brands and benefit from future NIL opportunities.
“It's been a pleasure to work with Bubba Cunningham and the leadership at North Carolina since the beginning of INFLCR,’’ said INFLCR CEO Jim Cavale. “This group truly puts the student-athletes first in every regard, starting with brand building and maximizing the potential in this name, image and likeness era.
“The addition of INFLCR Plus will not only help coaches recruit compliantly, showcasing the brand impact that North Carolina athletics has on student-athlete brands, but it will also give student-athletes additional education around their brand value and strategies they can use to improve that value and really win in the NIL era.”
In April, more than 100 Carolina student-athlete alumni also signed on with The Brandr Group to form a first-of-its kind voluntary group licensing program that allows former college athletes to profit from their marketability. The initiative began with alumni from Carolina’s storied men’s basketball and women’s soccer programs, and it is expected to expand in the future.
Carolina Athletics will continue to seek partnerships and opportunities across the University to enhanceLAUNCH programming and education. The LAUNCHinitiative strongly integrates the Department of Athletics’ Carolina Values and priorities:
· Education: provide exceptional educational experiences while students compete athletically at the highest level.
· Opportunities: maximize the number of opportunities for students to participate in intercollegiate athletics.
· Choices: provide choices to meet the needs of our students – including the choice to play on national teams, to play professionally and to return to UNC to finish a degree.
· Commercial Activity: Fairly grow and share revenue to provide opportunities to participate in a broad-based athletics program.
