The 2022 INFLCR NIL Summit came to a close on Wednesday, and let’s just say we didn’t want to leave.
Student-athletes were engaged in numerous conversations involving strategy, financial planning, branding and more. It was a jam packed schedule full of chances to learn and grow in NIL.
Day 1
We opened the summit with awards for student-athletes, brands and institutions that took the first year of NIL to the next level. Pushing boundaries & innovation was the theme across the board. Here were the winners:
- Innovator of the Year: Chloe Mitchell, Aquinas College Volleyball
- Best Social Media Campaign: Mercedes Benz
- Hustle Award: Rayquan Smith, Norfolk State Track & Field
- Scholar Athlete of the Year: Leah Clapper, Florida Gymnastics
- Athlete Advocate: Megan Skaggs, Florida Gymnastics
- Best Individual Campaign: Morgan & Morgan, Size Matters
- Best Team Campaign: College Hunks, Howard Men’s Basketball, San Diego Football, UCF Women’s Basketball
- Breakthrough Athlete of the Year: Jordan Chiles, UCLA Gymnastics
- Crypto Award: Shareef O’Neal, LSU Basketball
- Brand of the Year: WWE, Next In Line™ NIL Program
- Best Institutional Partner: Boise State, What’s Next NIL Program
- Male Athlete of the Year: Chase Griffin, UCLA Football
- Female Athlete of the Year: Sedona Prince, Oregon Basketball
Acceptance Speeches
Day 2
Four INFLCR Global Exchange partners were on-site: Meta, WWE, Campus Legends and DigiSign. During the second day, each of these partners spoke with student-athletes on NIL opportunities and resources available on their platforms. See what a few of them had to say:
Other panels included the likes of former USWNT player & current USC Women’s Soccer Assistant Coach Amy Rodriquez, former Vanderbilt soccer player Sarah Fuller,
Day 3
One panel on the third day was moderated by INFLCR finance & business education partner Courtney Altemus, Co-Founder of Advance (formerly TeamAltemus). The panel was focused around student-athlete empowerment through education, and included athletes from Rutgers, Florida, Michigan and Auburn. Two powerhouses in NIL on the panel are Leah Clapper from Florida Gymnastics and Geo Baker from Rutgers Basketball. These two have made and continue to make monumental strides for student-athlete inclusion initiatives for NIL. Here’s a bit of their responses to why NIL has enhanced their student-athlete experience.
Biggest Takeaway
The energy at the INFLCR NIL Summit was unlike anything anyone had ever seen from 250+ student-athletes in one room because they were all eager to learn. As we enter into year two of this new era, education and access to resources will become paramount to the broader success of NIL.
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