UCLA Football Student-Athletes Launch Westwood NIL Club With YOKE
Before the Bruins take the field for their 2022 season opener at the Rose Bowl, a large chunk of student-athletes have helped launch a new NIL initiative.
UCLA football players – including Jay Toia, Garrett DiGiorgio, Carl Jones, Kobey Fitzgerald, Noah Pulealii and more – took to social media on Monday to tease a name, image and likeness announcement, which ultimately arrived less than 24 hours later. The Westwood NIL Club went live Tuesday afternoon, providing a new way for student-athletes on the gridiron to monetize their collegiate careers.
Martin Andrus Jr. and Stephan Blaylock were among the players who helped publicly launch the platform on video, and others like Rutgers transfer Raiqwon O'Neal started to spread the word for the team-wide initiative as well.
“The WNC is a player-led fan community that benefits members of the UCLA football team,” a statement on the Westwood NIL Club website reads. “Through the Westwood NIL Club, these members of the team provide fans with digital content and experiences such as digital meet-and-greets, player-recorded content, and much more throughout the year. The WNC generates revenue through fans subscribing to the club. A monthly commitment of any amount allows fans to join the NIL Club and access WNC-exclusive chat rooms, message boards, and content.”
YOKE is partnering with UCLA’s football players in this endeavor. The company's Twitter account claims it “provides technology for athletes to build community and monetize their name, image, and likeness (NIL).”
Division I football programs from the likes of Michigan, Louisville, Florida State, Iowa, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Baylor, North Carolina and Arizona State have started their NIL Clubs with YOKE as well.
Minimum contributions are set at $5 per month, while those who send $25 or more can receive a free jersey. The current monthly goal is set at $50,000, but YOKE will take an 18% cut of the revenue to cover the platform fee.
Back in April, UCLA Athletics launched The Westwood Exchange, an NIL marketplace meant for student-athletes to connect with alumni, businesses and sponsorship opportunities all within the legal parameters allowed by the NCAA.
Since that announcement, UCLA has not posted much about the success of the platform, but athletes such as Chase Griffin, Kam Brown, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and more have publicized their personal NIL deals with new brands over the past few months.
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