Michigan Athletics, in partnership with Michigan Sports Properties and Venmo, has launched a first-of-its-kind NIL content initiative featuring 27 University of Michigan student-athletes — one representing each varsity program.
Launched Tuesday with social posts across each athlete's platforms, the program is scheduled to continue throughout the spring.
Designed to authentically connect student-athletes with fans, the program empowers participants to create original content across their personal social media platforms while showcasing how they use Venmo in their everyday lives, from managing money on the go to getting paid for their hard work, according to the announcement at mgoblue.com.
"College athletes today are building businesses, growing audiences, and signing deals, all while competing at the highest level," the announcement reads. "Venmo has been part of how this generation moves money since before NIL was a household term, and this program reflects Venmo's commitment to financial empowerment and showing up authentically for athletes as they navigate the evolving NIL landscape."
Student-athletes will bring their own voice and creative vision to the program, telling authentic stories about their lives, their finances and what it means to be a student-athlete in the NIL era, from how they spend and save to how they represent their school pride with the Michigan Venmo Debit Card, the announcement explains.
"The collaboration with Venmo is an incredible opportunity for Michigan and our student-athletes — not only to partner with an outstanding brand on an NIL agreement, but to do so in a way that authentically reflects who we are," said Michigan athletics director Warde Manuel. "Featuring a student-athlete from each of our teams sends a powerful message about the depth of talent, leadership, and impact across our entire department. This is the first of what we hope will be many cross-sport partnerships as we continue to pursue competitive excellence while expanding NIL opportunities for our student-athletes. We're proud to help create pathways that support them in competition, in the classroom, and as they build their personal brands and NIL goals."
Added Jennifer Cadicamo, vice president and general manager of Michigan Sports Properties, the locally based team of Learfield and the exclusive multimedia rights holder for Michigan Athletics, "We're thrilled to see our collaboration with Venmo expanding. Their dedication to supporting student-athletes was already evident through their NIL payment platform initiative, and their direct commitment to student-athletes from all 27 of our Division I programs through NIL activation is further evidence of that incredible support."
Michigan hopes that by bringing together a diverse group of student-athletes and a platform built for the way this generation pays and gets paid, the program will reflect a new model for how brands can show up meaningfully in collegiate athletics.
