The University of Louisville has announced the expansion of its ELEVATE NIL program to help athletes earn money through their name, image, and likeness (NIL). This expansion includes a free student-athlete NIL registry, the CARDS NIL Exchange, which is designed for approved businesses, collectives, donors, alumni, and other interested NIL entities wishing to connect with UofL student-athletes. In addition to this, the university has also expanded its partnership with Teamworks at the Elite level and introduced INFLCR, an innovative NIL tool that will help to simplify and strengthen the process through which student-athletes and businesses connect and work together. This partnership will power the CARDS NIL Exchange, making it easier for businesses and individuals to directly connect with UofL athletes and negotiate NIL transactions within the platform.
The CARDS NIL Exchange will be accessible to businesses and individuals from anywhere in the United States, including student-athletes’ hometowns. It also provides other benefits to registered businesses or individuals, such as easier tax reporting at the end of the year since all transactions processed within the platform are consolidated into one 1099 form. There are no transaction fees taken by INFLCR in any deals since UofL’s investment in the product covers this.
Other opportunities for student-athletes to earn money exist, such as the 502Circle Collective, which operates independently from UofL but works directly with its student-athletes to maximize their opportunities in the NIL space. Supporters can donate to the collective or become members with the option of different pricing tiers that have varying perks. The Name & Number Apparel Program allows student-athletes to receive a portion of sales revenue from having their name and number merchandise sold on the GoCards.com team shop site, as well as Fanatics.com and its network of sites. Finally, the adidas Affiliate Program is available to every Cardinal student-athlete, providing unique tracking links and the opportunity to earn a commission for sales made through those links on adidas.com or app.
UofL Director of Athletics Josh Heird explains how the CARDS NIL Exchange is an exciting feature that will make it easier for Card Nation and student-athletes to find each other and work together. He also mentioned that UofL has NIL options for every type of supporter, whether it’s through connecting a business with a favorite athlete, giving to the 502Circle collective, repurchasing athlete merchandise, or shopping through the adidas Affiliate Program.
