Mizzou Athletics has announced an exciting partnership with Opendorse to create TradeMark, a platform that will provide its student-athletes with tools to enhance their personal brands. Mizzou becomes the first Southeastern Conference institution to launch with Opendorse Ready, which will provide superior management technology resources to all Tiger student-athletes, just as it has done for thousands of professional athletes since its launch in 2012.
“The college athletics landscape is evolving quickly and it is paramount that we provide our student-athletes with the tools and resources to enhance their personal brand identity,” Mizzou Director of Athletics Jim Sterk said. “As valuable and powerful as the Mizzou brand is, we recognize that each student-athlete who comes to Mizzou has a chance to cultivate their own personal brand, and leverage that into future opportunities that reach well beyond athletics. Each student-athlete is an extension of Mizzou’s brand, and we are excited to provide them all with the opportunity and tools to maximize their presence.”
Mizzou has some of the industry’s most powerful tools that work to enhance the brand of student-athletes by telling their stories on a national level. The world’s premier journalism school provides MU student-athletes maximum exposure. The backing of the Southeastern Conference – the nation’s premier athletic conference – and the exposure from the SEC Network, ESPN and CBS provide opportunities for every Mizzou student-athlete to be seen around the globe.
Located in Columbia, Mo., with a thriving job marketing and just two hours from a pair of major metropolitan areas, Mizzou is truly a land of opportunity for those looking to build their personal brand. The opportunities presented to Mizzou graduates extend well beyond the world of athletics.
“When you come and play at Mizzou, you’re allowed to build your own brand and set yourself up for life,” head football coach Eliah Drinkwitz said. “Our hope is that players can build their personal brand and set themselves up for a tremendous future by coming to Mizzou and representing the great state of Missouri.”
When you join our Mizzou Women’s Basketball family, our commitment extends beyond the basketball court,” head women’s basketball coach Robin Pingeton said. “Mizzou Athletics provides our student-athletes with an abundance of resources and opportunities to exceed well beyond the athletic field, and our newly established partnership with Opendorse will continue to help our student-athletes build their own personal brand.
Mizzou’s strong social media presence has provided its student-athletes another platform to grow their personal brands, too. Partnerships with Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok have helped amplify the stories of Mizzou Athletics, with Top 25 social followings for several Mizzou programs. Opendorse will enhance the presence of each Mizzou student-athlete on each of those teams.
“Everyone has a story, and it’s our job to make sure that we are providing our student-athletes with the platforms to tell their unique stories. Mizzou has so many tools already at its disposal, and a proven track record of enhancing some of college athletics’ most recognizable names,” Mizzou Assistant Athletic Director for Digital Strategy Shawn Davis said.
“From the likes of Drew Lock to Sophie Cunningham to J’den Cox, our job at Mizzou has always been to tell the stories of our student-athletes and highlight who they are beyond their sport. Our goal is for each athlete to become premier brand ambassadors – both for themselves and for Mizzou. With the world’s finest journalism school, the backing from college athletics’ premier conference, the exposure of the NCAA’s most lucrative television deal, and now the addition of Opendorse, we feel that Mizzou provides the best platform for student-athletes in every sport to maximize their exposure. We must continue to steward the personal brands of each individual athlete, and Opendorse gives us another incredible platform to do so.”
Founded by Nebraska Football alumni Blake Lawrence and Adi Kunalic, Opendorse has become a proven market leader in helping sports organizations and their athletes increase their personal brand value with social media. More than 25,000 professional athletes currently use Opendorse to maximize their endorsement value in collaboration with partners on social media. In addition to partnerships with more than 100 college athletics programs, Opendorse has also partnered with the NFLPA, NBPA, NHL, PGA Tour among other sports properties. Hundreds of brands including Pepsi, Procter & Gamble, and EA Sports also use the platform to execute endorsement campaigns with professional athletes.
Are You Ready?
See how you can elevate your program with Opendorse Ready. The program exists to help student-athletes prepare and maximize the value of their personal. Your student-athletes get access to:
- Comprehensive Profile Review
- Detailed Post Analysis
- Report Card
- Social Ranking &
- Social Summary
- Individual Valuation
- Potential Earnings Assessment
- Performance Benchmarks
- Custom Content Calendars
- Personalized Campaign Themes
- Education & Planning Sessions
- Setup & Onboarding
- Bi-Weekly NIL Academy
- And more…
