Cleared to earn money, college athletes tap creative sides
Print Edition
The Marshall offensive lineman, all 6-foot-4 (195cm) and 300 pounds (136kg) of him, unleashed a year鈥檚 worth of energy in his first on-stage performance since the start of the pandemic, playing guitar and belting out songs in his Kentucky baritone for a modest crowd outside a Huntington ice cream store.
His keychain fastened to a belt loop and a can of smokeless tobacco bulging from a back pocket, Ulmer spent an hour singing country favorites along with one he wrote before finishing up with his spin on a West Virginia favorite, John Denver鈥檚 鈥淭ake Me Home, Country Roads.鈥
This time, he used his real name, too.
The NCAA鈥檚 decision to allow athletes to be paid for their fame and celebrity has led to scores of deals big and small from coast to coast since July 1. Sponsorships and endorsements are the most common, but there has been another welcome wrinkle: Ulmer and other athletes are now able to show off their creative, artistic sides and earn some money while they鈥檙e at it.
For Ulmer, it means being able to play his music at gigs without masking his identity under the pseudonym 鈥淟ucky Bill.鈥 For Nebraska volleyball player Lexi Sun, it has meant helping design sports apparel. For SMU defensive back Ra-Sun Kazadi, it means he can sell his art.
鈥淐ollege athletes for the longest time haven鈥檛 really had a lot of opportunities to make money,鈥 Ulmer said. 鈥淚 think this is a great one for me. But it鈥檚 not really about the money.鈥
Like Ulmer, Kazadi sees his craft as an extension of himself. His works are a wide-ranging assortment that includes paintings of athletes, civil rights leaders, Egyptian Queen Nefertiti and the late rapper Tupac Shakur. Among his digital works is Emmy-winning actress and singer Zendaya.
A junior, Kazadi, who goes by Ra, has been painting only since high school. Some works are lighthearted and fun. Some were done as stress relief. Others reflect a certain point in his life. He also runs a separate non-profit group to promote social justice and community conflict resolution.
鈥淢y art, it is me,鈥 Kazadi said. 鈥淗opefully when people see it, they kind of see me. They kind of see what I鈥檓 thinking, how I鈥檓 feeling. So I feel like a lot of what I don鈥檛 say is communicated through my art.鈥
Before the NCAA change earlier this summer, Kazadi wasn鈥檛 allowed to connect his face to his work. A Texas law that debuted last month letting students to profit off their name, image or likeness 鈥渉as made a huge change in my life,鈥 in part through art sales off his website.
He鈥檚 also showcasing his work at art shows, landed a sponsorship-mentorship deal with a custom art company, is working with real estate companies and interior designers, and there鈥檚 been greater curiosity from high schools seeking to have him paint murals on their campuses.
The post-NIL interest has been so profound that Kazadi is mulling the possibility of hiring someone to help him out.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely helped me navigate the art world and helped me know that it鈥檚 actually a possibility,鈥 he said.
Sun wanted her deal with volleyball apparel company Ren Athletics to allow her personality and style to shine through in the launch of her clothing line 鈥 a black sweatshirt with her name and a golden outline of the sun鈥檚 rays.
鈥淭hey gave me like an open slate to create whatever I wanted and I was just super excited about that freedom and being able to take advantage of that,鈥 Sun said.
It quickly sold out. Company spokeswoman Natalie Hagglund said the Sunny Crew shirt was the biggest promotion in the company鈥檚 nearly 10 years in business and that additional products with Sun鈥檚 name are under consideration.
Sun also struck an endorsement deal with Nebraska-based jeweler Borsheims. Sun, who is pursuing a master鈥檚 degree in advertising and public relations, said she has picked up some business skills.
鈥淚 would say that鈥檚 the biggest thing: Just with NIL in general, I think the experience of being able to have these interactions and business conversations of making a deal and what these meetings look like and all of those things,鈥 she said.
Nebraska is among dozens of schools with formal NIL programs and many have arrangements with companies eager to hook up athletes with various brands. Some have put their business schools to work helping athletes take advantage of the new market. Indiana recently posted a NIL directory of all Hoosier athletes. At Duquesne, Jordon Rooney was hired as the first Division I personal brand coach.
Back at Marshall, Ulmer鈥檚 teammate, defensive lineman Kyron Taylor, started Foreigner Clothing LLC last year. The line that includes T-shirts and sweatshirts features a scorpion, which both is Taylor鈥檚 astrological sign and represents the 鈥渘ew life鈥 his father was given when he moved to the United States from the Caribbean, he said.
Taylor鈥檚 promotional work includes using other athletes on social media as brand ambassadors. Everything remains on a small scale, but Taylor is constantly jotting down new ideas. He estimates sales are about a dozen per week. Orders are shipped from his home, which is one positive aspect from living alone 鈥 no complaints from roommates about tripping over inventory.
鈥淚 live by myself so I can have storage for my brand,鈥 he said.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
