BU Partners with Opendorse to Provide NIL Opportunities for Athletes 

Bluefield University athletes have been given an excellent opportunity to profit from their name, image, and likeness through a partnership with the online platform Opendorse.

Opendorse is an online service that connects college student-athletes with the necessary resources to navigate the name, image, and likeness (NIL) space. The BU Athletic Department and institution have expressed their support of student-athletes in the NIL space. 

“The main goal…would be to support our student-athletes and help them build their brand,” said Bluefield University athletic director Corey Mullins, “which would benefit them as they network, whether that is an NIL opportunity or a future job opportunity.”

The University also seems to benefit greatly from partnering with the online platform. 

“We want to raise our visibility as an institution and Athletic Department through connecting social media accounts and helping to promote our student-athletes,” Mullins said. “As NIL continues to grow, and as Bluefield students increase the NIL deals that can be made, it will help us recruit high-level student-athletes.” 

Along with gaining exposure for athletes and the University, Opendorse offers educational opportunities to help athletes better utilize their platform. 

“My hope is that we will be able to develop some seminars and programming either through athletics or through the Sport Management Department,” Mullins said. 

Over the past few years, it has become increasingly evident that NIL seems to be the future of college sports through the age of influence. 

“I can see the spirit of the initiative and how it can benefit the student-athlete,” Mullins said. “I think in the age of ‘influence’ through social media, there are legitimate opportunities for all athletes to master marketing and generate income.”

Whether one agrees with it or not, NIL seems to be around and here to stay. 

“This is going to be a huge part of college sports for the foreseeable future,” said BU associate athletic director Jacob Key. 

“NIL is the future of college sports, and I think it is great that BU is supporting its athletes and giving them a platform to best market themselves,” said women’s soccer player Macy McBride. “The partnership with Opendorse is a great opportunity for all student-athletes not just to earn revenues but to learn how to market oneself and network with real businesses.” 

To best utilize the platform, student-athletes should connect all of their social media profiles and University profiles. There is a marketplace that Opendorse provides where student-athletes can see if there are any companies they would like to reach out to. Ultimately, maintaining a consistent messaging on social media will help to promote a marketable personal brand. 

“There are opportunities to make income through NIL,” Key said. “However, it is like any other job; it takes time, energy, and work.” 

Opendorse also offers an excellent user-friendly online interface.

“Creating my Opendorse account was extremely easy, and the user interface makes it easy to see what opportunities are out there,” said men’s soccer player Matthew Blankenship. “The partnership with Opendorse offers athletes a unique opportunity for all BU athletes, and it will ultimately shape the future of the NIL space for years to come as more and more athletes begin to utilize the platform,” Blankenship.” 

Ultimately, the partnership that has been established between Bluefield University and Opendorse is a unique opportunity for all BU athletes as they now have an easy way to profit off of their name, image, and likeness.