Name, image and likeness: Cincinnati partners with firm to create more NIL opportunities

The University of Cincinnati is trying to be a major player in the name, image and likeness space.

Cincinnati is one of six universities that are partnering with Altius Sports Partners, a name, image and likeness licensing advisory firm that will place what UC and the firm are calling a "general manager" on campus to help generate NIL opportunities for student-athletes, UC announced Monday.

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The Altius representative will work with UC's Impact program to create a name, image and likeness vertical that will support athletes for all 18 sports in collaboration with UC Director of Name, Image and Likeness John Peterson. UC hired Peterson, a former Ohio State tight end and longtime assistant coach, to spearhead efforts and opportunities for Cincinnati's football players.

"I'm thrilled to join the University of Cincinnati," Peterson said. "College athletics is going through a generational change. UC is building the foundation to support and educate the current and future Bearcats."

Peterson will lead name, image and likeness programming and serve as football's liaison and coordinator for NIL activities.

Both Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell and Peterson were members of the Ohio State coaching staff from 2004-11.

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Altius advises 30 schools, including nearly half of the Power Five. The firm started introducing its general manager program earlier this summer and will launch it with Cincinnati, Louisiana State, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, South Carolina and Virginia.

Each of the six schools is expected to open the football season with an Altius general manager to serve as a name, image and likeness ambassador on campus while also using Altius’s reach to connect athletes with brands and facilitate deals.

UC Director of Athletics John Cunningham said the Bearcats "aren't going to back down to anybody" when it comes to being competitive in the name, image and likeness space.

"There's a path that works. I think we saw that this year for us," he said. "We had over 200 deals and combined over a million dollars worth of those deals. We had great partnerships with local businesses. We had one of the best players on one of the best teams in Desmond Ridder, and he was able to take advantage of it, and deservedly so."

Cunningham said he's talked to the UC coaches about making sure they stay "within our values" and don't turn name, image and likeness opportunities into "pay-for-play" arrangements, which Cunningham said seems like the current trend elsewhere in college athletics.

Cincinnati's athletes have signed name, image and likeness deals with companies including Skyline Chili, Range Rover, Beats by Dre and Dr. Pepper. Skyline Chili signed the entire football team's offensive line to a promotional agreement that included a weekly commercial series.

"You look at the Skyline Chili thing that we did with our offensive line. That's exactly the way this is supposed to work, which is a local business that says 'Hey, there's value here,' " Cunningham said.

"... They've got to take the time to go do the commercial and really learn a little bit of business along the way and put in the time and effort to get it done, and it works for everybody. That's how it's supposed to work," Cunningham said. "But there's things going on right now that don't feel like that. It feels like something else. It feels like 'pay-for-play.' So we've got to be aware of that."

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In the next year, all incoming UC student-athletes will take a three-credit class on personal branding and values, the university announced. All of the school's athletes will participate in the Professional Sports Council, which will feature professional athlete presentations on agents, financial literacy and name, image and likeness education.

"We've got to educate student-athletes because that's what we do," Cunningham said. "If we get away from that, then we've got problems. I think it's a disservice to just give money to student-athletes and not expect anything of them in return. That's not the way the real world works. So part of it is NIL education, financial literacy, making sure as they get money, they know what to do with it, and then making sure they understand connecting to the community and giving back to it. That's what we're looking to do."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: UC partners with firm to create more NIL opportunities for athletes