The NCAA recently announced that they will soon be in support of college athletes obtaining brand partnership and sponsorship deals, leaving college athletes all over the nation highly anticipating the 2021-2022 season.
This development leaves room for SoClose, a website that allows fans to get "so close" with crowd support for your favorite young athletes, and influencers. College athletes can now earn income from their supportive fan base on SoClose by selling low priced monthly subscriptions to give fans access to their behind-the-scenes content, close friends content, sneak peeks, motivating work out sessions, and more.
How SoClose can Help Influencers and College Athletes
This is huge news, especially if you are currently, or intend to be, a college athlete. This decision to implement tangible recommendations that would oversee this change came after decades of athletes being forbidden to earn any form of income from their likeness or status as an athlete.
Many people feel this decision was long overdue. For SoClose, it came just in time. As the trusted, family-friendly option for Instagram celebrities and influencers today, SoClose is winning points for safety and stature having been used by top tier global celebrities in music, fashion, film, and sports.
“It's a beautiful day for all college athletes going forward from this day on!” Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James wrote on Twitter in light of the announcement of the recent news. Funny enough, we all know LeBron James skipped college and went straight to the NBA. Yet, if SoClose and these recent league changes had occurred back then, it may have been a more viable option for LeBron, who in the end would’ve scored some major money while in the NCAA.
One might even infer that by allowing college athletes to generate their own income it motivates them to get a proper education and enjoy the full duration of their college years.
As opposed to the past where no amount of hard work or dedication to their team has ever been considered worthy of any form of “salary”, the board has constantly debated whether or not to grant athletes the permission to seek financial opportunities elsewhere. Now this dynamic duo of both rule change & the coming of SoClose for Instagram is that opportunity.
“The board’s action today creates a path to enhance opportunities for student-athletes while ensuring they compete against students and not professionals,” said NCAA President Mark Emmert.
How Social Media Helped Influence the NCAA's Decision
Social and digital media played a significant role in these proposed changes, according to the NCAA Board of Governors meeting report from April 17. “The rise of social media and other digital distribution and monetization platforms has dramatically increased the opportunities for college students to make commercial use of their name and likeness.”
Thus, the vote was unanimous, and players are able to partner with promoters for pay. It’s not the same as a “pay-check,” but it’s certainly better than nothing.
So how will SoClose help them make money if they currently aren’t being paid?
Of course, the name of every college athlete doesn’t hold enough weight to carry a national brand ad to be seen across thousands of billboards and TV screens — but that doesn't mean there isn’t ample opportunity for college athletes that aren’t necessarily household names.
In today’s digitally-driven economy, we’ve seen people make millions from social media alone. Researchers have estimated the influencer marketing industry to be a $5 billion to $10 billion dollar industry capable of producing unimaginable wealth for college athletes with massive followings.
Luckily “SoClose” for Instagram will do most of the work for college athletes. Yes, they will have to continue to attract their own personal audiences, but now they have a sales funnel through which they can sell personal attention.
This platform connects users with their favorite influencers, allowing them to become “close friends” by pooling them into an exclusive circle of followers. If you’re willing to open up the doors to training sessions, and personal humorous moments, you could cash-in on every fan you befriend. This is one of many scenarios in which followers = $$$, but one of few that eliminates the hassle of staying compliant with new guidelines by eliminating any third parties, brands, and endorsements.
So, no — you don’t have to have your own video game character; you just need a few followers. Think of it like putting your endorsement earnings on autopilot! The right combination between a charming personality and the right audience can also put athletes in a position to make money by becoming a spokesperson for certain causes.