FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITIES SLOWLY GROW FOR COLLEGE GOLFERS
CHRIS LANG
Connor Burgess ’ Instagram bio is typical enough for a college athlete . It features his name and the words “ VT Golf ’ 22 ,” signifying when his eligibility to compete for the Hokies ’ men ’ s golf program ends . The same is true for Sky Sload , who competes for the University of Virginia ’ s women ’ s golf team .
Both athletes feature another line in their respective bios as well : “ Rhoback U Athlete .”
Court rulings in the summer of 2021 ushered in a new era of name , image , and likeness ( NIL ) compensation in collegiate sports . Though most NIL deals are being struck with athletes in major revenue sports like football and men ’ s basketball , college golfers are getting in on the action as well , albeit at a more limited scale .
Rhoback , an athletic clothing apparel company based in Albemarle County that promotes itself using the hashtag “ crave activity ”, was quick to court college athletes to help sell its brand . When NIL deals began forming in the summer of 2021 , Rhoback quickly received more than 1,000 applications from interested athletes , including Burgess and Sload .
“ Knowing that Rhoback was a company that exudes positivity and brings people together by inspiring activity , I immediately accepted ,” Sload said .
✱ HOW IT WORKS
Rhoback U provides its members a shareable Rhoback link that athletes can post on social media profiles . If those unique links generate a first-time sale , the athlete is rewarded with a cash payment . It ’ s a win-win scenario for both the athlete and the company , which gets word-of-mouth marketing to grow its brand organically .
“ We believe college athletes truly represent the # craveactivity lifestyle we live by , and strongly believe these athletes deserve to be rewarded for their hard work on and off the field ,” Rhoback wrote on its website .
“ Golf is my passion and I ’ m proud to be a Division I athlete at UVA ,” said Sload , a senior who grew up in Ashburn and is a member at The Club at Glenmore . “ Likewise , it ’ s an honor to be an ambassador for a great brand like Rhoback . I absolutely crave activity and love fashion , especially activewear and athleisure wear . I ’ m thrilled to have the opportunity to benefit and use my social influence to help Rhoback be successful .”
In January , two of the nation ’ s top collegiate golfers announced NIL partnerships : Stanford ’ s Rachel Heck with wealth management and investment banking firm Stifel ; and Texas ’ Cole Hammer with William Morris Endeavor Sports .
Under new rules , college athletes can earn compensation from their sports celebrity
by CHRIS LANG
Virginia Tech ' s Connor Burgess
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