USC announces details of major NIL program to launch later this summer
USC has announced new plans to better position itself in the new landscape of college athletics, where Name, Image and Likeness has quickly become an essential backbone of recruiting and roster management.
USC has partnered with Stay Doubted to represent Trojans student-athletes, facilitate NIL deals, create athlete content, fan subscriptions etc., that are all a prominent part of the game now.
Stay Doubted is described in the news release as "a modern-day media agency empowering the next generation of student-athletes and fans, to provide enhanced NIL services to its student-athletes." All deals will be made between the athletes and Stay Doubted as a third-party agency, but USC now effectively has an in-house platform in place to take the lead on all things NIL.
Per the news release, Stay Doubted has managed over $63 million in sports partnerships, including more than $1 million in collegiate athlete partnerships in the first year of the NIL era, while boasting a notable client roster in the brand partnerships space, having worked with companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, State Farm, Verizon, lululemon, and many others.
Stay Doubted has established a subsidiary, BLVD LLC., which will operate as an agency and media company that will exclusively serve USC student-athletes to assist with the development of NIL opportunities. Stay Doubted will have at least seven full-time employees dedicated to BLVD activities.
“From the moment the NCAA revised its rules regarding the use of NIL, President Carol L. Folt encouraged me to develop the best NIL support program in the nation for our student-athletes consistent with our vision to be the most student-athlete centered program in the country,” USC athletic director Mike Bohn said in a statement. “We offer dozens of services to support all aspects of the student-athlete experience: coaching, medical, academic, nutrition, strength training, sports psychology, career planning, and so many more. NIL is a new dimension of the student-athlete experience, and we want to provide best-in-class services to our student-athletes in this area as we do all others.”
“I am grateful to President [Carol] Folt for her leadership and guidance as we developed this program. We have patiently studied the NIL environment both within our program and nationally to inform our decision-making. We believe every student-athlete should have access to NIL support resources and currently only about 3% of our student-athletes have engaged professional service providers. We strive to support our student-athletes in all ways, including in the NIL space. We are thrilled to be able to meet this need and make these resources available through a qualified and reputable third party for our student-athletes should they wish to take advantage.”
BLVD will officially launch later this summer, in advance of the fall sports season.
It's not a "Collective" like other schools have created -- and that's by design, as it embraces some similar concepts in the way of offering ways for fans to get involved and contribute but it draws a stark delineation from the blatant "pay for play" scenarios happening elsewhere. The BLVD venture is setup to operate for existing student-athletes, not as a direct inducement for recruits to choose USC, but it will no doubt be a part of the recruiting pitch to prospects in terms of what the Trojans can do to help players pursue NIL opportunities once they're on campus.
"This agreement and the creation of BLVD are an absolute difference-maker for both our current and future student-athletes. There is simply nothing else like this in our sport. Combining BLVD with the significant advantages of being in Los Angeles provides an NIL program that will have no equal," USC football coach Lincoln Riley said in a statement.
The news release states that all USC student-athletes will have the opportunity to voluntarily opt-in to non-exclusive NIL representation through BLVD, and that the university will not be a party to those agreements, nor will it receive any share of revenue from student-athlete NIL endeavors and that all BLVD activities "will be conducted in a manner consistent with California state laws, NCAA rules, and the USC Athletics Student-Athlete Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) Policy."
BLVD will help USC athletes obtain NIL benefits in the way of sponsorships, group licensing, promotions and events, and merchandising.
"Since the inception of NIL, the focus has been on establishing long-term sustainable structures that place student-athletes at the forefront of opportunities and industry-leading resources,” Michael Jones, CEO of Stay Doubted, said in a statement. “This arrangement achieves that and more. The economic power of Los Angeles is a differentiator that is hard to match. We are prepared to use the Stay Doubted network of brand partners and in-house capabilities to establish BLVD as a leader in the NIL era.”
There is also a creative component to BLVD that will solicit subscriptions from fans for exclusive content.
Per the news release, "For added exclusive USC student-athlete content and experiential programming, USC fans will have the opportunity to sign up for membership subscriptions. Various levels of membership will be available, and members will gain exclusive access to NIL-related membership perks from USC student-athletes, such as cameo style appearances, event appearances, autographed memorabilia and more. Through their independent agreements with BLVD, USC athletes will be compensated for their participation in NIL activities associated with the creation of original content and fulfillment of membership perks. USC student-athletes will also receive revenue generated from any third-party sponsorships associated with BLVD’s original content. ...
"For their own brand enhancement, USC student-athletes will have the opportunity to tap into Let Creators Create, which is a media library and experiential program focused on empowering the next generation of creators. USC student-athletes will get tactical tips, tricks, and tools from the biggest creators."
Athletes who take on representation from BLVD will also be provided resources in the areas of accounting, banking, investing, taxes and legal advice.
Per the news release, "The third-party NIL agency model originated from the vision of a USC NIL Task Force that was commissioned by President Folt and co-chaired by Bohn and Senior Vice President and General Counsel Beong-Soo Kim. The task force’s efforts were supported by Faculty Athletic Representative Dr. Alan Green and included representation from Athletics, Faculty, the Office of Athletic Compliance, the Office of General Counsel, the Office of Government and Community Relations, Student Affairs, University Communications, and Trademarks & Licensing.
"USC’s NIL strategic planning and educational consultant, Altius Sports Partners, advised USC on the development of the Stay Doubted agreement."
“We are pumped to have been part of such an aggressive, innovative approach from its inception and look forward to seeing USC excel with our continued support and guidance,” Celine Mangan, senior account executive for Altius, said in a statement. “This is a revolutionary model, and I’m confident others will follow.”
USC executive senior associate athletic director Brandon Sosna, who is set to leave the Trojans for a job with the Detroit Lions, was also involved in putting together the partnership as one of his final projects with the school.
"From day one, we have strongly held the belief that there is no better place in the country than USC and Los Angeles for student-athletes to be successful in the NIL era," Sosna said in a statement. "Our marketplace, powerful alumni base, industry-leading guidance from Altius, and summer professional development programming with the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, Marshall School of Business, Gould School of Law, and other schools provide a platform that has no equal. When those strengths are paired with Stay Doubted and BLVD, we believe we have the most strategic and sustainable NIL support program in the country for our student-athletes.”