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Supporting UCLA student-athletes' ability to profit from NIL opportunities

December 20, 2022 | Bruin Athletics

A letter from Athletic Director Martin Jarmond.

Dear Bruin Nation,

Your loyal and generous support makes an indelible impact on our ability to provide nearly 700 UCLA student-athletes with an unmatched intercollegiate athletic and academic experience. Your support also allows our student-athletes to thrive in both the classroom and in competition, including winning an incredible 120 NCAA National Championships thus far.

However, the landscape surrounding college athletics is dramatically changing – and for UCLA to continue to hold its spot amongst the nation's elite, we, too, must evolve in how we support our student-athletes.

In accordance with state statutes and relevant association legislations, NCAA Division I student-athletes are now able to capitalize on their own name, image and likeness (NIL). We want to make it clear to our fans, our community and most importantly to our student-athletes, UCLA Athletics is committed to supporting our student-athlete's ability to profit off of their NIL, doing all we can to help them build their personal brands and assisting to maximize NIL opportunities.

As such, we encourage all alumni, fans and friends of UCLA Athletics to support the collectives and marketplaces related to NIL opportunities for UCLA student-athletes.

UCLA Athletics remains committed to supporting our elite student-athletes who excel both in the classroom and in competition. NIL opportunities, through our comprehensive NIL program, "Westwood Ascent," are now a critical part of that support. NIL opportunities allow student-athletes to profit in exchange for work such as autographs, appearances, promotions, camps, and collectibles. We are thankful to the collective of individuals and marketplaces whom have joined together to provide NIL opportunities to UCLA student-athletes. We thank those who have already helped our student-athletes take advantage of NIL by supporting one or more of these groups, or working with our student-athletes directly through the Westwood Exchange official marketplace.

For those interested in supporting NIL opportunities for UCLA student-athletes, there are several ways you can contribute and learn more about our programming efforts: 

  1. Westwood Ascent is a comprehensive Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) program designed to support student-athletes to build their personal brand and maximize their NIL opportunities focusing on three pillars - Education, Brand-Building and Monitoring and Disclosure, which is required for NIL activities. Learn more here.
  2. Westwood Exchange is the official student-athlete NIL business registry, custom-designed for businesses, donors, alumni, and any other interested NIL dollars wishing to connect with UCLA student-athletes. Learn more here.
  3. The Men of Westwood is the official collective for NIL opportunities for UCLA football and men's basketball student-athletes. Learn more here.
  4. The Wooden Athletic Fund, the general fund for UCLA Athletics, will continue to fund scholarships and resources for UCLA student-athletes. Donations supporting UCLA Athletics remain a priority in providing the best experience possible for student-athletes and we hope fans will be willing to support both NIL opportunities, as well as the Wooden Athletic Fund. Learn more here.
  5. We are committed to supporting other collectives formed to support our teams and student-athletes in the future.

In addition to the NIL opportunities above, UCLA Athletics has partnered with the UCLA Law School and the UCLA Anderson School of Management (Anderson) on a series of workshops and educational sessions available to all UCLA student-athletes. We have also partnered with INFLCR to provide additional education, brand-building and disclosure support for all student-athletes. For a comprehensive review of NCAA education for boosters and collectives please find our education here.

We hope you will support NIL opportunities for our student-athletes and teams and appreciate your consideration.

Go Bruins!

Sincerely,

Martin Jarmond

Alice and Nahum Lainer Director of Athletics

Josh Rebholz

Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Relations