Efforts to improve name, image, and likeness remain a major theme under incoming Athletic Director Bryan Blair
, and the Syracuse Orange are moving forward with a new push designed to expand revenue-generating opportunities for student-athletes.Syracuse University Athletics on Tuesday announced a new partnership with One Orange Alliance, a third-party NIL marketing agency. Broadly speaking, the initiative seeks to connect corporate entities that donate to SUA with athletes. It also strives to maximize
NIL revenue for players.
According to the announcement, the broad goal of this is consolidation and working toward a “comprehensive, long-term NIL and commercial strategy,” according to an SUA news release.
“By aligning third-party NIL efforts for each of our programs under one entity, our teams will be better positioned for success in this transformative era of college athletics,” Blair wrote in the release. “One Orange Alliance will further our student-athletes’ NIL opportunities and streamline the process for all of our stakeholders to get involved.”
The efforts to grow NIL opportunities with One Orange Alliance will be in addition to the current revenue sharing with the House v. NCAA settlement, according to the announcement.
Of note, the release includes quotes from football head coach Fran Brown, plus both basketball and lacrosse head coaches, all embodying a similar message of having a unified NIL effort for the athletes, the major programs, and Syracuse Athletics as a whole.
The announcement comes as growing revenue opportunities remain at the core of Blair’s vision for Syracuse Athletics going forward. Blair told Syracuse.com that it was important to bring a unified approach
“One thing I noticed, studying this opportunity from afar and then up close, is we’ve had a lot of fits and starts in terms of what our NIL approach is and a lot of well-meaning people have stepped up,” Blair said.
“I don’t know that I’ve seen the level of cohesiveness or togetherness that I would like to see. I think you have to make it really easy for people to understand how they can support and where they can support.”
Some early complaints from fans focused on an inability to pick where their donations would be used, but the One Orange Alliance is focused on relationships between businesses and athletes.
In addition to this latest effort, Syracuse recently launched a new, fan-based competition aimed at raising money for its sports programs.
