Opendorse Blog
Your source for athlete-driven news, insights, and education.
Recent Posts
A Brand’s Playbook for College Football Kickoff: Activating Athletes at Scale
College football kickoff is the single biggest attention window of the entire season. Fans are hungry for football after a long offseason; engagement peaks early, and the energy around programs is at its highest point of the year. It's also the...
The NIL Market Hit $4.5B: Here’s Why Everyone (Including Us) Underestimated It
A year ago, Opendorse projected the NIL market would reach $2.8B in 2026-27. We were wrong, and not by a small margin. We've revised that estimate to $4.5B, roughly 61% higher than our original number. We have the most direct visibility into NIL transactions of anyone...
Above the Cap: How Schools Are Funding NIL Beyond the $21.3M Limit
When the NCAA's revenue-sharing model went into effect, it was framed as the thing that would finally create a level playing field in college athletics. Every school operating under the same cap, every program competing on the same financial terms. In...
She Didn’t Have a Mentor, So She Became One: Cami Merickel’s NIL Story
For almost three years, Cami Merickel thought NIL was built for somebody else. Football players. Basketball players. Athletes with bigger names, bigger platforms, and more obvious paths to brand deals. Not a track and field athlete trying to figure out...
Opendorse and Shopsense AI Launch AI-Powered Shoppable Storefronts Across the Athlete Commerce Media Network
Opendorse One™ Athletes Debut as Initial Wave of Creator Storefronts, Connecting College Sports’ Most Influential Athletes to Commerce at Scale (Lincoln, Neb. and San Francisco, Calif. – June 19, 2026) – Opendorse, the technology, data, and service platform...
Opendorse Creates New Category in Retail Media with Launch of Athlete Commerce Media and Opendorse One™
Company elevates college athlete influencers to deliver the missing layer for retail media networks, connecting cultural influence to verified commercial outcomes at scale LINCOLN, NE. (June 18, 2026) – Opendorse, the technology, data, and service...