It’s been nearly 18 months since the introduction of name, image and likeness legislation and many in the college landscape still are learning how to traverse the challenges of allowing athletes moneymaking opportunities. That includes bowl officials and their sponsors, who are trying to figure out how to best utilize NIL to their advantage.
Cheez-It, the title sponsor of the Cheez-It Bowl and Cheez-It Citrus Bowl in Orlando, is stepping into the NIL fray by offering an exclusive opportunity for four football players attending this year’s bowl to stay in unique snack-food-themed hotel rooms the night before both games.
Florida State takes on Oklahoma in the Cheez-It Bowl (Dec. 29) and LSU faces Purdue in the Citrus Bowl (Jan. 2).
The room will feature Cheez-It bedside table lamps, orange and yellow mood lighting and plush pillows, all while giving the appearance of living in a Cheez-It box.
“For years, we’ve created absurdly satisfying game day experiences for fans, but this year we’re bringing the over-the-top excitement only Cheez-It can give directly to players,” Erin Storm, brand senior director for Cheez-It, said in a release. “By offering the cheeziest players the full Cheez-It experience via our first-ever NIL deal, we hope to take team spirit to the next level and give them a one-of-a-kind stay before a one-of-a-kind matchup.”
It’s the first of what could be a growing trend of sponsors and bowl game officials using NIL to promote game brands.
For Nick Carparelli, the executive director of Bowl Season which supports and promotes the 43 bowl games, the opportunity to connect with fans through NIL is exciting. The group already partners with OpenDorse, a company that connects businesses with college athletes, to provide education for its bowl partners.
“Most bowls are still playing a little bit of a wait-and-see,” said Carparelli. “We want to be very respectful of what our conference partners and those 10 commissioners want us to do with NIL.”
Carparelli points to how some college basketball players have been able to capitalize on NIL opportunities at unique tournaments like the one in the Bahamas as ways that bowl games can also benefit from promoting their event.
“We think down the road; there’s going to be a really big place for bowl games to play in that, to put money in the hands of the student-athletes, to provide some service to promote either the sponsors of the bowl game or the destination of the bowl game,” added Carparelli. “But we’re gonna take our cue from the commissioners.”
As executive director of Florida Citrus Sports, Steve Hogan has been a part of Orlando’s bowl scene for over a quarter of a century. FCS has run and maintained the Cheez-It and Citrus bowls among other events at Camping World Stadium. Hogan’s been a proponent of NIL and believes there will be opportunities for his organization.
“We absolutely want to use and be a part of the NIL system moving forward,” said Hogan. “We’re not yet there where we want to be, but we will be soon. There’s a lot of learning that’s been going on about NIL for everybody and I’m excited about what it can do for the teams and the players.”
Hogan sees the potential to couple NIL opportunities with philanthropy work throughout Central Florida.
“By having them promote even a cause like Lift Orlando, here and around the neighborhoods around the stadium. We see it as a perfect fit for the student-athlete,” Hogan said of the organization, which helps revitalize the communities around Camping World Stadium. “The athletes are in business now and they have clients.”
Carparelli sees the potential for bowl game sponsors to play a more significant role in NIL opportunities, much like Cheez-It.
“It’s very possible now that sponsorship packages can be designed by bowl games for corporate partners that include student-athlete activation and the bowl games pass some of that money on to the student-athlete,” he said. “That’s something we’re starting to explore. I haven’t made that leap yet, but I think it’s something that potentially could benefit everyone involved.”
But Carparelli cautions that any future decisions on NIL will come down to conversations between bowl organizers and conference commissioners.
“They’re under a lot of pressure to find ways to put more money in the hands of the student-athletes,” Carparelli explains.
