There it was this morning, news that one of the major leagues had brought on a prominent “influencer” and TikTok star to help them as an advisor. All well and good, another league trying to make a splash by involving someone with a larger following who may have an interest in the game, someone who now may or may not have direct access to the leadership. Big following, big access, big results, right?
Well maybe not.
As another colleague pointed out a few minutes after I asked, “the influencer” grabbing such a lofty position has almost more bots on his massive following list than actual followers, and that was just from a 30 second query on Twitter. As the colleague pointed out, “How can these leagues, with millions at stake, not spend 30 seconds doing a search to see if the person they are bringing on even has a legit following?”
Good question, and in the rush to be relevant, sadly, size, even perceived size with little homework, matters.
Now I can say I have no firsthand knowledge into whether said league is paying this influencer or just borrowing from his thought process. What does matter is the cautionary tale this could involve as the Name Image and Likeness craze kicks off on July 1 in college sports, and brands big and small may look to capitalize on the availability of athletes in campaigns. NIL is way overdue, and Nicole Auerbach’s story in The Athletic outlines the universal rules the NCAA came in to put in place late on June 30 to make sure the playing field is somewhat even when things get going this week.
Now how fast will they go and what will they look like is anyone’s guess, but it is also a question of Caveat Emptor for brands who think this is going to be an easy goldmine, or for that matter college athletes who suddenly think they will go on social media post things and the checks will start flowing. The chances of making big dollars are really smaller than what it would take to make the Baseball Hall of Fame. We will see local companies get buzz for small payments for their wide-ranging programs at a school like The University of Nebraska, or you will hopefully see athletes get compensated for making camp appearances or being able to help fund charities with their NIL. That’s where the real value will come in. But bigger than that? Those opportunities are going to be fleeting and will take time.
For sure we will hear about some select big deals, just like we always heard about the “millions” esports players were making. In reality, the big earners were few, just like in any elite competition, and the reality of small or less cash flow is more the reality. That’s business, and for any students studying economics, it is simple supply and demand.
On the business side for those making investments, I go back to where I started this. Do your homework and decide what you want an ROI to be for the investment. If it is a patronage play to help out athletes, great. If it helps sell a few pizzas, awesome. If the right strategy with the right athletes at the right cost leads to a windfall of traffic even better but know where you are investing just like you would in any campaign. LOOK at followers…ask what engagement rate it, ask how a social campaign done by the athlete brings in share of voice. How are you tracking success? Are you using custom codes or hashtags? And most importantly, make sure those you are dealing with will be held responsible for what they agree to do. This is a new world for young people who are getting tons of advice, and they may not be best at time management. Make sure that any deal is structured correctly, professionally and rewards those who do the work, just like they do in the classroom, and on the field. Often times by the way the most creative and engaged will not be the biggest names, they will be the most industrious and creative. A story this past weekend pointed out that the most engaged athlete at Iowa State University was not a hoops or football player, it was a wrestler. So, pick the right partnerships, not the widest.
Good luck to all, have at it, take your time and let’s see where the NIL race goes.
