ATHENS — The University of Georgia athletic department announced it’s partnering with Altius Sports Partners in an effort to educate the Bulldogs’ student-athletes on pending Name-Image-Likeness (NIL) legislation, per a release.
“We are excited for our partnership with Altius Sports,” UGA athletic director Josh Brook said in a release. “I’m thrilled to be able to offer this educational and personal development opportunity to all of our student-athletes in advance of the expected NIL changes in collegiate athletics.”
UGA will coordinate a year-long series of “educational workshops” with Altius Sports Partners (ASP), providing resources and opportunities for student-athletes to ask questions and provide feedback.
The NIL instruction for the Georgia student-athletes will cover personal branding, brand management, business formation and entrepreneurship basics, per the release. Financial literacy and opportunity will also be covered, in addition to enhancing money management, tax skills and social media.
The student-athletes will soon be allowed to benefit directly from camps and clinics as well as in-kind deals, equity and investment, so those are other areas UGA and ASP will work to educate and inform the Bulldogs’ student-athletes.
“Education will be critical to prepare our student-athletes to thrive in a new paradigm,” said Will Lawler, UGA Deputy Athletic Director for Legal and Regulatory Affairs. “With expertise in diverse topics from the regulatory to student-athlete development, Altius will provide a wide variety of programming to assist our student-athletes in developing the skills they need to forge a successful path through the new and uncharted environment.”
The ASP industry involves a great deal of expertise, from CEO and founding partner Casey Schwab, to founding partners David Carter and John Entz.
Others at ASP include: educational consultant and sports law expert Gabe Feldman; advisors Jené Elzie, Oliver Luck, Jessica Mendoza, Kenneth Shropshire, and Malcolm Turner; strategy and marketing consultant Courtney Brunious; account executive Celine Mangan; and coordinator Carly Tower.
Altius Sports Partners is also working with the athletic departments at LSU, Texas and South Carolina.
“This partnership with the University of Georgia Athletics will allow ASP to work hands-on with one of the most elite athletic programs in the country on a unique approach to student-athlete NIL education,” Casey Schwab said.
“With ASP’s comprehensive educational curriculum and our collaborative work with UGA Athletics, UGA student-athletes will be equipped to embrace and excel in the NIL era during their time in Athens and beyond.”