005. From Endorsements To Equity
The Future of Athlete Partnerships Is Here
Building on the themes explored in our last edition on professionalizing college sports, this issue we'll get deeper into the transformation of athlete compensation and empowerment.
College athletes are moving beyond simple endorsement deals and becoming owners and equity partners, a new approach that creates long-term revenue streams. NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) ignited this change, but what’s emerging now is a shift toward athletes as culture creators and owners in the sports business.
This edition highlights the role of the College Sports Commission and NIL GO platform powered by Deloitte in monitoring and scaling NIL deals, while spotlighting breakthrough models like Shadeur Sanders’ Prime Equity contract and the Unrivaled Basketball women’s league. Each a move toward empowerment for athletes, and not just one-off endorsements.
This work is personal for me too. As an adjunct professor in sports marketing at Houston Christian University - Archie W. Dunham College of Business, I guide students through building campaigns for teams like League One Volleyball (LOVB) Houston and the Houston SaberCats Rugby. We focus on evaluating real-world strategies organizations like New Balance, Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, and L'Oréal use with athletes to grow brand awareness, design authentic fan engagement, and secure creative partnerships.
Quick Context
What is NIL? The right for athletes to monetize their personal brand through endorsements, sponsorships, and social deals breaking decades of NCAA restrictions.
College Sports Commission (CSC): Independent body approving NIL deals over $600 to ensure compliance and valid business purposes.
NIL GO & Deloitte: The tech platform powering CSC approvals. Bringing scale, transparency, and standardization to an ever-changing market.
The Shift
The CSC and Deloitte’s NIL GO platform have introduced much-needed structure to an evolving space that's been in it's Wild West era. With over 8,300 deals approved, $80M in value, and more than 28,000 athletes registered, NIL finally has a centralized system. This body and platform legitimizes the process and sets clear standards for the future.
Meanwhile, the deals themselves are shifting in scope and sophistication. Shadeur Sanders’ groundbreaking Prime Equity contract is a clear signal of what’s up next: equity-based models. His deal ties him into merchandise sales, promotional rights, and ongoing revenue streams allowing him to monetize his brand beyond his 5th round contract value.
Women’s sports are pushing innovation even further. Unrivaled founded by WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart has signed 14 NCAA stars including JuJu Watkins (USC), Azzi Fudd (UConn), Flau'jae Johnson (LSU), and Lauren Betts (UCLA). The model blends NIL opportunities with content creation, skill development, and leadership summits like The Future is Unrivaled. It’s a blueprint for equity-driven, athlete-first ecosystems that could redefine women’s basketball and beyond.
The Gap
Despite the momentum, NIL is still in its early stages. The progress is significant and the path forward in college sports is slowed by structural hurdles that limit equity and consistency across the ecosystem.
Compliance Complexity: Processes to approve NIL deals are still old school at some schools, delaying opportunities and confusing compliance for athletes and universities.
Equity Access: A number of athletes, especially women, are still excluded from equity-driven models, leaving them dependent on short-term sponsorships.
The Move
The opportunity now is to connect strategy, tech, and partnerships so NIL evolves into a sustainable system that benefits athletes, universities & athletic departments, and industry partners.
For University & Innovation Leaders
Cultural Storytelling: Partner with local creative agencies to personalize athlete storytelling with authenticity rooted in community and culture.
Diverse Partnerships: Balance big brand deals with emerging companies (gear, accessories, niche products) to expand partnership opportunities.
Tech Integration: Adopt startup platforms to streamline NIL administration and expand university athletic department capacity.
For Founders & Ecosystem Builders
Revenue Platforms: Build tools that help schools create new revenue streams while boosting athlete branding and performance.
Community Creation: Design digital and physical spaces where athletes, fans, and universities can connect, creating spaces for collective development.
For Sports Executives & Operators
Immersive Experiences: Go beyond sponsorships to co-create fan activations blending athlete stories, real-time data, and next-gen tech.
Innovation Experiments: Test AR/VR, gamification, and digital assets to drive measurable engagement outside of game days and in-venue.
Strategic Alliances: Establish new partnerships between athletic departments and corporate brands and help them get more like professional sports operations.
Key Takeaways
NIL has matured with centralized oversight through the CSC and Deloitte’s NIL GO platform, legitimizing and scaling the market.
Equity is the next frontier, with athletes like Shadeur Sanders leading ownership-based deals that go beyond endorsements.
Women’s sports are pioneering innovation, with Unrivaled showcasing athlete-first, equity-driven models.
Challenges remain, particularly around compliance delays, equity access, and system fragmentation - historically a common problem across college sports
Make Your Next Move with HTX
We are HTX Sports Tech - a consulting agency specializing in strategy and execution.
We partner with investors, athletic departments, startups, and sports properties to navigate change with clarity and purpose. By streamlining operations, enabling smart tech adoption, and turning signals into systems, we help organizations save money, save time, reduce risk, and build for long-term impact and legacy.
The next era of college sports is here. Let’s connect and shape it together.
