North Carolina and other universities open online NIL marketplaces

INFLCR, one of the leading brands name, image and likeness of business management apps for college athletes, unveiled its latest round of online NIL marketplaces for specific teams, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

These marketplaces, like the recently announced Carolina NIL Exchange, serve as conduits between collegiate athletes and businesses/individuals looking to partner with them on NIL opportunities. These partnerships may include autographs, social media posts, and personal appearances, among other things. INFLCR, which works with more than 250 college and professional sports organizations, has already introduced a few dozen of these localized marketplaces, with more to come in the next few weeks.

“We appreciate expanding our partnership with INFLCR with the addition of the Carolina NIL Exchange because it allows us to help our student-athletes expand their NIL opportunities,” UNC Athletic Director Baba Cunningham said in a statement. “Making connections is key to finding these opportunities, and having a central marketplace where student-athletes can interact directly with businesses is key. This is another great addition to our extensive NIL program.”

Specifically, in the case of North Carolina, all of the school’s 800-plus athletes will be automatically registered with the Carolina NIL Exchange, where they (or their representatives) can be contacted by both global and local companies. According to the release, neither the school nor the INFLCR will participate in the negotiations. To start engaging with athletes, interested parties simply “request access” to the marketplace online, providing all relevant information.

“UNC continues to be a leader in empowering student-athletes around the NIL, so we’re excited to introduce this custom INFLCR-based local exchange platform to the entire Tar Heel community,” INFLCR founder Jim Cavale said in a statement. “With North Carolina being a major national brand, the Carolina NIL Exchange will open up a tremendous amount of NIL opportunities for Tar Heel student-athletes for years to come.”

An added perk for athletes who find NO opportunities through the marketplace is that upon completion of the transaction, the INFLCR software will generate two required sets of forms: one for the athlete to submit to the school’s appropriate NCAA compliance office, and one for the appropriate tax filing purposes.

Other NIL management companies, such as Opendorse, also have their own online marketplaces, including those with the University of Oregon, The University of Texas at Austin, and Ohio State University, among others.

(Top photo: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports)