How NIL Club Helps Student-Athletes Balance Life, School, Sports, and Earning

Student-athletes were empowered by Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) to create new revenue streams, but NIL created a host of issues that many athletes were not prepared to handle. Rather than empowering, NIL became yet another source of pressure on top of classwork, practice schedules, travel, and other personal commitments.

We heard the same complaints from athletes across sports and levels. Promises were made regarding deals that were never fulfilled. Once content was posted, brands stopped contacting athletes. Payments were delayed – sometimes forever. Furthermore, athletes found the compliance guidelines difficult to follow, inconsistent, and easy to break.

To many athletes, NIL was less an opportunity than an additional responsibility they did not ask for.

NIL Club was developed to help alleviate some of the challenges associated with NIL by developing a platform that aligns with the realities of student life. The objective of NIL Club has never been to transform athletes into full-time marketers. Rather, it has always been to create a method for athletes to earn money that is reasonable, reliable, and equitable.

Prior to developing the platform, we listened to student-athletes. We didn’t simply listen to well-known and highly followed athletes; we listened to teammates, role players, and athletes from sports that rarely, if ever, receive media coverage.

What they wanted was simple.

They wanted NIL opportunities that fit who they are and how they live. They asked about their pay, when they would be paid, and what was expected of them.

Three key priorities emerged from these conversations. Student-athletes want a good fit with the brand, fair compensation, and simple requirements that will not interfere with their primary responsibilities as students and competitors.

Every aspect of NIL Club was developed to meet those priorities.

Individual deals form the foundation of many NIL platforms, making them suitable for a select few athletes with substantial fan bases. However, for the vast majority, that model causes undue pressure and frustration.

NIL Club takes a different approach, focusing on teams rather than individual athletes. Athletes who sign up to support the team split the earnings equally among themselves. This removes the pressure to compete against teammates for attention and provides a more collaborative approach to earning.

NIL Club supports over 650,000 athletes across more than 20,000 teams. A national survey ranked NIL Club the most trustworthy NIL platform because athletes know what to expect and do not have to worry about being left in the dark.

A traditional NIL deal typically places the burden of securing a brand partner on the athlete. In addition, the athlete is responsible for the content, ensuring follow-through on payments, etc. This type of pressure can eventually lead to burnout.

With NIL Club, teammates share the earnings. Teams work together, and responsibilities are divided naturally. One athlete may be responsible for posting updates while another athlete is responsible for inviting supporters. No athlete is expected to perform every duty.

While NIL Club cannot resolve mental health-related issues, it is designed to minimize excessive stress.

Compliance is one of the most frequent concerns that athletes express regarding NIL. As with many things, compliance guidelines vary by state, college, or governing body, and an error can jeopardize an athlete’s eligibility.

In designing NIL Club, compliance was integrated into the platform compliance was integrated into the platform. YOKE and the athlete's school partner review all brand deals when necessary. Prior to allowing athletes to participate, NIL Club incorporates each state’s specific guidelines and regulations, using guidance provided by attorneys.

The platform automatically identifies and either flags or removes prohibited content (e.g., school logos/uniforms) and ties earnings to content and promotional activities rather than an athlete’s performance. NIL Club also includes disclosure and transparency tools to assist with reporting, and rather than attempting to circumvent compliance officers, it works directly with them.

One of the most uncomfortable aspects of NIL for many athletes is reaching out to potential supporters. Cold messages, repeated requests for support, and awkward conversations can quickly become overwhelming.

NIL Club streamlines outreach through automated text invitations. Athletes identify their contact list in the app, and the system then sends personalized invitations to those contacts via a direct link to the athlete’s team’s NIL Club page.

This approach allows athletes to establish a support base without forcing them to become salespeople.

NIL's most appealing feature is brand partnerships, but athletes are most unhappy with this area. Often, deals collapse because brands cease to communicate or are ambiguous regarding their expectations.

NIL Club changes how brand partnerships function by providing athletes with legitimate brand opportunities within the app.

Athletes have access to actual partnership opportunities with companies such as SoFi, Coinbase, Subway, Amazon, and numerous other organizations. Each campaign outlines exactly what content needs to be posted, eliminating the need for athletes to develop pitches and wait for replies from brands that may not respond.

More than 50,000 athletes successfully completed at least one brand deal during the first 90 days of a club's launch. That result demonstrates that sponsorship is not dependent on an athlete’s follower count. Trust, consistency, and authenticity between the brand and the athlete lead to greater engagement and longer-lasting partnerships.

Athletes can pick campaigns they believe in and are interested in promoting, which matters since fans quickly notice when content seems forced.

NIL Club collaborates with brands from multiple industries, including financial services, apparel, consumer goods, and digital platforms. The focus is on relevance to the athlete, rather than quantity.

We design each campaign to be simple and straightforward, with defined expectations and transparent compensation.

Since student-athletes have limited spare time, the NIL Club app was created to be user-friendly and accessible. Athletes can use the app to manage their club, create and post content, invite teammates, and track earnings.

All facets of the app are managed by the athletes themselves, with no involvement from coaches or administrators.

Delayed or nonexistent payments are another significant complaint that athletes express about NIL.

NIL Club resolves this issue by using automatic, predictable payout methods.

Revenue generated from subscriber fees and brand deals is equally distributed among participating teammates. Athletes can withdraw their earnings via PayPal or Venmo, and parents or guardians must provide support for minors. Payments are processed quickly, and athletes can see exactly what they earned.

Student-athletes already manage enough.

If you are a student-athlete, claim your team’s NIL Club at nilclub.com.

Fans subscribe for exclusive access. Athletes earn together. Compliance is built in.

NIL should enhance your experience, not compete with it. That is the standard NIL Club was built around.