Frequently Asked Questions

Current college student-athletes (NCAA D1, D2, D3, NAIA, and JUCO), high school athletes in states that permit NIL, brands of any size, service providers like photographers, trainers, and marketers, and fans who want to buy experiences and content directly from athletes.

Our AI reads athlete profiles — sport, school, audience size, engagement, interests — against brand criteria like target audience, budget, and campaign goals, then suggests partnerships likely to clear review and perform. The more complete your profile, the better the matches. You always decide what to accept.

Click "Partner With Athletes" and complete the brand questionnaire — campaign goals, audience, budget, timeline, and the athlete profile you're after. Our AI suggests matches, or you can browse the athlete directory directly. Most campaigns launch within 48 hours of approval.

If the athlete is at a Division I school and the deal exceeds the thresholds above, yes. The athlete files, but the submission depends on documentation from you — the contract, deliverables, and the commercial rationale. We assemble that package as part of every deal on the platform, so you aren't chasing paperwork.

A signed agreement with specific deliverables, proof your business sells to the general public, and the payment terms. For larger deals, be prepared to show how you arrived at the rate. Our contract templates capture all of this by default.

Yes, and it's your responsibility as much as the athlete's. Sponsored content must be clearly and conspicuously disclosed — #ad or #sponsored placed where a viewer sees it before engaging, not buried in a caption. Our content approval flow checks for disclosure before anything publishes.

Brands on our platform report stronger engagement from athlete audiences than from general influencer campaigns, particularly for local and regional activations. We provide reach, engagement, click-through, and conversion analytics on every campaign so you can measure it directly rather than take our word for it. See our case studies for specific results.

Collectives are booster-funded organizations affiliated with a school. Deals with them face heavier scrutiny as "associated entity" transactions and a different threshold structure. We're an open marketplace — you're contracting directly with an athlete for genuine commercial work, which is the arrangement the current rules are designed to permit.

In states that permit it, yes — with a parent or guardian signing and additional restrictions on school marks and categories. See the Parents & Guardians section.

Yes. Most schools require disclosure before signing, separate from CSC submission. We generate a compliance report you can hand to your athletics compliance office, and we can integrate directly with your school's disclosure system.

NIL income is taxable as self-employment income. You owe federal and state income tax plus self-employment tax of 15.3%, and we recommend setting aside 25–30%. Starting with the 2026 tax year, payers issue a 1099 only above $2,000 — income below that is still fully taxable and still yours to report. If you expect to owe $1,000 or more, plan on quarterly estimated payments rather than one bill in April. Revenue-sharing income from your school is taxed separately. We provide earnings reports, financial literacy resources, and referrals to CPAs who work with athletes.

It depends on visa status. F-1 student visa holders face real restrictions on earning income in the U.S., though some schools have found compliant paths — passive income, deals performed in the athlete's home country. Talk to your school's international student office and an immigration attorney before pursuing NIL opportunities. Enforcement in this area is tightening.