SDSU soccer players fight opioid epidemic through NIL deal
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A SDSU women's soccer player films a PSA as part of an NIL deal. Photo: Aztec Link, courtesy of SDSU
Another group of San Diego State student-athletes are getting paid to raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl on college campuses.
Why it matters: The novel campaign shows the diversity and depth of name, image and likeness (NIL) deals for student athletes and local causes beyond traditional brands, products and advertisements.
Driving the news: Players on the women's soccer team participated in a PSA video for International Overdose Awareness Day in August as part of an NIL deal with the U.S. Attorney's Office and City Attorney's Office.
- The players talk about the dangers of fentanyl, recognizing the signs of an overdose, and the availability of naloxone and Narcan.
Flashback: Last year, SDSU men's basketball stars were featured in a first-of-its-kind anti-fentanyl PSA under a similar deal with the Department of Justice.
What they're saying: "We lose around 800 San Diegans every year to fentanyl. … I'm particularly struck by how many of those victims are college-aged students," City Attorney Mara Elliott said in a statement.
- "This is exactly the type of communitywide effort that will be required to eradicate overdose deaths in San Diego," she said.
Zoom in: For this anti-fentanyl ad, the women's soccer team was presented with the opportunity, including the rate and deliverables, and individual players who accepted it were paid, Brenden Hill, NIL coordinator at SDSU, told Axios.
Between the lines: The social media campaign was coordinated by Aztec Link, an NIL collective that connects SDSU student athletes with businesses for promotions and endorsements.
- The organization is not run by the university, but is a mechanism for student-athletes across 16 varsity sports to get paid.
- It's essentially a donors club and marketing agency that handles NIL deals.
In 2023, the university partnered with the Mesa Foundation, another NIL collective dedicated to SDSU men's and women's basketball programs.
State of play: NIL has become a recruiting tool for colleges to reel in top talent who can profit off of their own brand, and potentially earn a share of the revenue they generate for their schools.
- SDSU has NIL-specific staff but donor-backed collectives, like The Mesa Foundation and AztecLink, are facilitating many of the deals.
- Student-athletes have partnered with national brands and local businesses, including Oggi's Pizza, San Diego Surf School and Blenders Eyewear.