Keytaon Thompson and Brennan Armstrong, Virginia Cavaliers football — Photo courtesy of Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports

FanJolt Partners With Cavalier Futures to Connect UVA Athletes and Fans

Inside UVA's latest Name, Image, and Likeness partnership

Author:
Matt Newton
Updated:
Jun 22, 2022 9:40 AM EDT
Original:
Jun 21, 2022

As the University of Virginia and its student athletes navigate through the uncharted territory of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) in collegiate athletics, doing things the right away remains a top priority. To that end, UVA's alumni-driven NIL collective Cavalier Futures has partnered with FanJolt, a digital platform designed to facilitate celebrity interactions with their fans to generate financial support for their philanthropic efforts.

"The original vision was really to provide this platform and give them the ability to connect with fans online in a multitude of different ways and use it as a way to help raise money for their charities and their foundations," said Trevor Short, founder and CEO of FanJolt. "We are excited to partner with Cavalier Futures, elevating UVA's elite athletes onto a global platform through interactive, live experiences."

Launched earlier in 2022, FanJolt's clientele is already quite impressive. "We have a lot of incredible names that are involved in supporting their charities with it from Patrick Mahomes in football to Aaron Judge in baseball to Rafael Nadal in tennis to Kevin O'Leary in business," Short said.

The charitable element of FanJolt's platform is a foundational aspect of its new relationship with Cavalier Futures and UVA student athletes as they try to build and maintain a reputable brand in their NIL dealings.

"Philanthropy is also an important part of FanJolt, which aligns with the Cavalier Futures mission to help promote student athletes' focus on community and social activism throughout the Charlottesville area," stated the official press release announcing the collaboration.

The partnership, which represents the first time FanJolt has aligned with an academic institution, is set to launch in August, but UVA football players Brennan Armstrong and Keytaon Thompson gave UVA fans an idea of what to expect on FanJolt's platform with a live broadcast last Thursday.

Fans were able to view the broadcast by purchasing a ticket and portions of the proceeds went to The Humane Society of Richland County, near Brennan Armstrong's hometown of Shelby, Ohio.

This latest endeavor matches the theme of giving back to community that many of UVA's NIL dealings have carried so far. Even Brennan Armstrong's major sponsorship with local McDonald's franchises included visits to the Charlottesville Ronald McDonald House, serving as a stark contrast to some of the extravagant NIL deals being struck with student athletes around the country that feature seven-figure contracts and luxury vehicles. With the world of NIL in collegiate athletics operating without any rules or restrictions, UVA's approach has been cautious and careful.

"We want it to be a situation where Cavalier Futures is sustainable. While the Wild Wild Wild West is going on and these flashy deals are being reported - it's my thought that at some point, some of these schools or some of these collectives are going to regret trying to put out the sexy information," says Lo Davis, Executive Director of Cavalier Futures. "It's about who they're associated with and their profile and their brand building. I don't think we have to pay a star quarterback a million dollars to be successful. But if we can create a high five to six figure opportunity or opportunities, that's going to help them build their brand... And the last thing we want to do is create any red flags for the student athlete, the collective, or the school. So we're playing by their rules, and then when they change and they adapt, we will do the same."

With the all-around betterment and advancement of the UVA student athlete at heart, Trevor Short was also pleased to announce during our interview that businessman and Shark Tank investor Daymond John has partnered with FanJolt and will provide financial advice to any student athlete who joins the platform through his online course, Daymond on Demand.

"You've got tens of thousands of student athletes across the country that are beginning to make money... and a lot of these student athletes don't really have any financial literacy," Short said. "One of the talent that we currently have on FanJolt and he's a huge supporter of FanJolt is Daymond John, the star of Shark Tank, and he really preaches financial literacy... He recognizes this problem in college sports and he wants to help educate them... so anyone who comes onto the FanJolt platform, all the UVA athletes who come on, they'll actually receive Daymond's financial literacy course."

From helping UVA student athletes make the most of their NIL opportunities to advising them on how to build and maintain that wealth, FanJolt and Cavalier Futures are committed to supporting these Wahoo athletes as they maneuver through this new age of college sports.

Read more from Cavaliers Now