NIL deals have changed the landscape of collegiate athletics, offering athletes an opportunity to use their name, image and likeness to finally pocket fair wages for their on-field production.
For athletes in smaller programs, that often means aligning themselves with local brands: a mom-and-pop restaurant here, a dingy dive bar there.
MORE: College Cold Weather Shirts NIL new guidelines, explained
For Tennessee-Martin quarterback Dresser Winn, though, it meant somethin Alabama vs. Auburn Rivalry shirt g else. The former three-star recruit took to Twitter t Texas vs. Oklahoma Rivalry Gear o announce his latest partnership– It's a deal to endorse local district attorney candidate Colin Johnson.
Winn was decked in apparel supporting College Football Playoff Jerseys Johnson's candidacy. He is the first known athlete to ink a deal with a political campaign, a potentiall Furman Paladins Jerseys y groundbreaking moment in the ever-changing college game.
Who is Dresser Winn?
Entering his sixth year with the Skyhawks, Winn has 19 passin FSU vs. Miami Rivalry Shirts g touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 21 career games. He struggled with injuries in 2021, playing just three games before suffering a severe injury against Austin Peay on March 21. Prior to the season, Winn was named to the preseason All-OVC team.
NIL and political endorsements
Winn's deal set the stage for athletes to commodify their athletic talents into political endorsement. While that might not matter for larger elections, it is those small-market, locally-based agreements that make up the cornucopia that is NI Citadel Bulldogs clothes L. And it's those deals that can prove so financially-viable to cash-strapped players.
So, although NIL has faced its fair share of criticism, namely from Alabama coach Nick Saban, it's clear that deals like Winn's have real value for athletes going forward.
"You don't have to have 40,000 followers or even 10,000, 5,000 followers to take advantage of these [NIL Clarion Golden Eagles shirt ] rules," Christopher Aumueller, the CEO of the athlete-marketing and brand development upstart FanWord, told Insider in April. "Those small deals, while they may be small in monetary value, they may go a very long ways for these student-athletes. A couple hundred dollars here and there can make a big impact for some of these young men and women."
