NEW YORK— Columbia Athletics and Opendorse have partnered to launch the official name, image and likeness marketplace for Lions student-athletes. This partnership is the first of its kind in The Ivy League.
The Opendorse-powered marketplace offers the opportunity to mobilize the Columbia fan base and local organizations to best support the student-athletes competing for the university. Columbia is also among the first programs nationwide to provide a comprehensive marketplace for supporters to reach out to student-athletes and offer rules-compliant NIL opportunities.
Now, Columbia fans, brands, sponsors and donors can browse, book, pitch and compensate any Columbia student-athlete for NIL activities in a single NCAA-compliant platform, built specifically for student-athletes' needs.
"The number one priority is to fully support our student-athletes as they manage their personal brands and benefit from name, image and likeness opportunities," Campbell Family Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Physical Education Peter Pilling said. "Our partnership with Opendorse is another step for us to continue to assist our student-athletes in this evolving environment."
Every Columbia student-athlete also has the option to create their own Opendorse profiles, which allows them to review opportunities, accept deals and receive compensation all in one place. The platform also serves as the compliance mechanism by which student-athletes can report on all name, image and likeness activity.
"Columbia's reputation as a premier academic and athletic institution was on full display as we explored this partnership," said Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence. "The Lions are now in prime position to make the most of their NIL opportunities with the leading marketplace, education and compliance solutions. I'm proud that Opendorse can help Columbia launch the first-of-its-kind marketplace in the Ivy League."
About Opendorse
Based in Lincoln, Nebraska, Opendorse was founded in 2012. Its aim today is to help maximize name, image and likeness opportunities for student-athletes while delivering security and simplicity for all involved parties. The Opendorse-powered marketplace is built on a decade of athlete marketing technology and experience. Opendorse has facilitated hundreds of thousands of name, image and likeness deals and endorsements with athletes at every level of sport. The marketplace is used by over 90,000 athletes to manage deals from pitch to payment, and even tax prep, every day.
About Columbia University Athletics
With more than 700 student-athletes competing on 31 varsity sports teams, Columbia University sponsors the largest NCAA Division I athletics program in New York City. Most Columbia teams compete on the island of Manhattan, either on Columbia's Morningside Heights campus or at the Baker Athletics Complex in Inwood. Columbia University is a founding member of The Ivy League, one of the most historic collegiate athletic conferences in the nation.
For more information about Columbia Athletics, please contact the Office of Communications/Media Relations at (212) 854-2534 or visit www.gocolumbialions.com. For ticket information, please call (888) LIONS-11.
