Unlock the power of NIL

Good morning. March madness is on.

The 2024 March Madness season is one of the highest profile times in college championship season for two reasons: media attention is at an all time high for women's sports and college athletes are getting paid serious cheddar.

One of my favorite stories is Jack Gohlke of Oakland, who went viral this past weekend. Jack went from 500 to 50,000 followers on Instagram and multiple NIL deals done over the weekend. My favorite quote of his was how he setup a 'contact for inquiries' email because it was impossible to do business off Instagram DM. Sounds like the ideal candidate for the CG Sports brand camp experience.

In reading the latest NIL Marketing Partnerships Report for 2024 from our friends at SponsorshipUnited, several things stood out that I'd like to highlight for you:

1. Changing Brand Dynamics: A staggering 35% of brands now exclusively invest in NIL athletes, signaling a paradigm shift away from major pro sports athletes. Categories like Pharmacy, Educational Services, and Car Wash Services have embraced NIL investments, while others like Hardware and Jewelry offer untapped opportunities for brands.

2. Athletic Standouts: Recent graduate Alex Glover leads the pack with 41 NIL deals, followed closely by basketball champion Angel Reese and veteran quarterback Chase Griffin. Women athletes, on average, secure a higher number of brand deals compared to their male counterparts.

3. Conference Dominance: The SEC emerges as the frontrunner in college conferences with 670 NIL deals, followed by the Big Ten and Pac-12. LSU takes the spotlight as the top school with 200 deals, across multiple sports!

4. Gender Balance: While men secure the majority of NIL deals (65%), women athletes are closing the gap, representing 52% of all NIL deals. Women's deals span various sports, including basketball, gymnastics, volleyball, softball and swimming, offering a broader spectrum of sponsorship opportunities.

5. Social Media Influence: Athletes like Caitlin Clark and Caleb Williams leverage their social media platforms to enhance brand visibility, with engaging content and significant follower growth. Brands capitalize on these partnerships to reach wider audiences and drive meaningful engagement.

There's a lot more detail and data that can be shared. If anyone is particularly interested, feel free to schedule time with me and I'm happy to walk through all things NIL with you. This offer is open to athletes or brands, btw. 

The CG team is focused on closing out a few more cool deals before the official end of Q1 while also looking at what we have in the barn for our Q2 pipeline. Here we go!

Have a great Wednesday,

Cejih 

P.S. Nervous about missing upcoming news from CG Sports? Follow us on Instagram (@cgsportsco), Facebook (CG Sports Management), and, of course, our weekly newsletter.

The CG Sports team was out and about last week! Cejih Yung, CEO, flew to Fort Lauderdale, FL for a business trip with client Abbas Karimi! In 12 hours, the two: drove around town, made autograph cards (and signed them), had a meet and greet with a new partner, AND found time for a swim practice! 

Jump over to the CG Sports Instagram account to see photos from Cejih and Abbas's adventure! 

Jack Wallace raced at the 2024 U.S. Sprint Olympic and Paralympic Team Trials for the Canoe/Kayak team. He achieved a "big race PR in allegedly slow conditions" for the MKL3 200m.

Next stop for Jack: Szeged, Hungary in early May for the final Paralympic qualifier at the 2024 ICF Paracanoe World Championships! 

2024 is flying by, which means that we are getting more and more excited for LEAD 2024! Coach Christen Shefchunas will be returning for LEAD 2024 to talk all about CONFIDENCE. She helps athletes of all levels tackle pre-race fears, imposters syndrome, what-ifs, and more. 

Registration to join Coach Christen and the Lead Sports Summit team is now open! 

Embracing Editing

Writing is a process; it is not done in one sitting. Any time I work with a writer, we always reach a point where I ask them to step away from their writing and take a break. The reason is that the best editing happens when you look at your writing with fresh eyes. 

Our mission at CG Sports Publishing is to tell our author's stories authentically. We also want to make sure that we uphold the standards of the publishing industry and that's why all of our manuscripts are seen by both an editor and a proofreader. 

Here's what you can expect when working with one of our CG Sports Publishing editors: 

• They will be a sounding board. Not sure how to phrase something? Did you write the same paragraph two different ways? Thinking about moving chapters around? Ask your editor! They are excited to help you sort out your thoughts and create the best final edition of your manuscript! 

• They will lend you their expertise. I love grammar and that's part of why I'm a writer/editor! It is a joy for me to go through a manuscript and double-check everything from the big picture structure of the text to the placement of each comma.

• They will be honest with you. Sometimes we are really excited about pieces of a story, but it just doesn't flow with the rest of a chapter. An editor's job is to be honest with you and tell you when pieces need to be rewritten, moved around, or cut altogether. Be open to those conversations. 

Publishing relationships are built on trust. We thank every CG Sports Publishing author who has trusted us with their story and we look forward to working with many more in the future! 

The CG Sports team out in the wild! Coach Jay Hernandez and Mike Nicloy, Head of Publishing at CG Sports, met up after the Bucks/Nets game this past weekend! 

Keep an eye out for Coach Hernandez's book Rep Your Story later this year! 

New Balance

Since 1906, New Balance has been empowering people through sport and craftsmanship's to create positive changes in communities around the world. New Balance's impact is bigger than just sneakers; they routinely champion those who are driven by their passions and seek to elevate the sporting community.

Click here to shop all that New Balance has to offer.

Catch up on all episodes of Champion's Mojo

If you're a fan of podcasts and haven't checked out Champion's Mojo, consider this your perfect opportunity to begin! The Champion's Mojo podcast features hosts Maria Parker and Kelly Palace, two world-record setting Masters athletes, interviewing champions, coaches, and experts in what helps them excel in sports and in life. 

Catch up on EVERY episode at ChampionsMojo.com.

Craving more from the Champion's Mojo team? Grab your copy of Kelly Palace's Take Your Mark, LEAD! and Maria Parker's Do Tough on Amazon!