When college athletes gained the right to profit from their name, image, and likeness many questions emerged. One was how beneficial would NIL be for women's college athletes? Another was how beneficial would NIL be for athletes participating in non-revenue producing sports? Tyler Shooshani, the founder of Inked Sports, is working to ensure that NIL is beneficial for both women's college athletes and athletes who participate in non-revenue producing sports.
Inked Sports is an influencer marketing, creative, and management platform that facilitates streamlined sponsorship deals to deliver measureable impact at scale with a focus on underserved female athletes. Inked Sports' mission is to help the underserved community of college athletes while combating the ever-evolving industry of influencer marketing. Tyler seeks to carry out Inked Sports' mission by assisting women's college athletes with garnering NIL deals as he most recently did for Kait Devir and her teammates on the University of Southern California's (USC) women's lacrosse team.
Kait Devir is a photographer and a member of the USC women's lacrosse team. Kait began working with Tyler and Inked Sports by photographing an Inked Sports college athlete for their NIL deal with an athletic leisure brand. After taking the photos, Kait and Tyler developed a business relationship where Kait freelances for Inked Sports as a photographer.
While working together, Kait told Tyler that she and her teammates play with Nerf guns to decompress before their games. Kait informed Tyler that she had unsuccessfully tried to garner a sponsorship with Nerf for the team. Tyler suggested that they consider working with another similar company. Kait thought that was a great idea. Thereafter, Tyler reached out to Gel Blaster and shared the lacrosse team's pre-game ritual. Gel Blaster is a company that is leading the "next evolution of fun" with their revolutionary mess free toy blasters. Gel Blaster loved the team's story and wanted to give the team products. The company immediately sent Kait enough Gel Blasters for the entire team.
Through this deal, Tyler is carrying out the very mission of Inked Sports by increasing the visibility and opportunities available to female college athletes participating in non-revenue producing sports. Kait stated that having someone like Tyler is extremely helpful when it comes to reaching out to companies for NIL deals. Tyler and Inked Sports provides the necessary bridge to connect with companies so that a simple direct message does not go overlooked. Through Inked Sports, Tyler is ensuring that NIL is beneficial to women and athletes who participate in non-revenue producing sports.
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