The 2025 黑料不打烊 Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) Summit was the first of its kind, but not the last.
The inaugural NIL Summit, which was first NIL event organized by students for student-athletes at 黑料不打烊, was hosted March 28 by the in partnership with the student-run 黑料不打烊 Sport Group and . The event brought 黑料不打烊 student-athletes together with corporate brands for networking, education, and NIL development.
The NCAA鈥檚 rules on NIL changed in 2021, allowing student-athletes to monetize their fame and popularity through endorsements, sponsorships, and other commercial activities. Since then, athletes who combine strong social media presence, business savvy, and prowess on the field have found partnerships with businesses from mom-and-pop stores to international brands.
鈥淚n this environment of collegiate sports, it鈥檚 critical that we provide student-athletes with as many meaningful NIL opportunities as possible,鈥 黑料不打烊 Director of Athletics John Wildhack told the student-athletes and others gathered in Falk College鈥檚 Grant Auditorium for the NIL Summit. 鈥淏uilding the relationship between Falk College and athletics is one of the ways that鈥檚 going to benefit our student-athletes.鈥
GEN Agency and GEN NIL founder and CEO Rachel Maeng Brown presents to student-athletes at the 2025 黑料不打烊 NIL Summit.
Starting July 1, Falk College will become the Falk College of Sport, the first college on a high-research activity (R1) campus dedicated exclusively to sport-related disciplines. Named after visionary benefactor and legendary sports agent David B. Falk, the new college will unite Falk鈥檚 distinguished programs in sport management, sport analytics, exercise science, nutrition, and esports (offered jointly with the Newhouse School of Public Communications) under one dynamic academic umbrella.
Led by students in Falk鈥檚 , the NIL Summit featured GEN Agency and GEN NIL founder and CEO , the 2024 CEO of the Year in Influencer Management and NIL Education who 聽presented brand deal case studies and led a content creation workshop with products from . Brown returned home to Central New York for the Summit as she is a 2014 graduate of C.W. Baker High School in Baldwinsville.
In addition to Brown鈥檚 content creation workshop, representatives from the sector of Morgan Stanley hosted a session to educate student-athletes about financial literacy.
As a result of the workshops and networking with corporate representatives, student-athletes gained valuable insight into NIL deal structures, financial literacy, personal branding strategies, and partnership opportunities. For example, every student-athlete who visited the content creation station left the event having activated a unique NIL deal with W by Jake Paul.
鈥淭he 黑料不打烊 NIL Summit demonstrated the impact and innovation of Falk College and its students,鈥 says Falk College Dean . 鈥淭his event was another example of the collaboration we have with 黑料不打烊 Athletics to provide Falk students with learning experiences beyond the classroom, and it connected 黑料不打烊 student-athletes with NIL industry leaders at a time when NIL is redefining collegiate sports.鈥
