In a monumental shift in the landscape of college athletics, student athletes can now earn money from their name, image and likeness. Things like ad campaigns, paid autograph signings and social media sponsorships, once outlawed by the NCAA, are now allowed in all 50 states.
Say goodbye to bag men and under the table cash deals, and hello to a new era of college athletics where players can openly earn income from their fame.
Where can players go to immediately cash in on their campus stardom? Cameo, of course.
With the new rules in effect just Thursday morning, athletes are already making their way to the Chicago-based celebrity shoutout app. Spencer Rattler, the quarterback at the University of Oklahoma, will send you a video for $125. Buddy Boeheim, a Syracuse basketball player and son of legendary coach Jim Boeheim, is available for $60. University of Oregon women’s basketball player Kylee Watson will give you a shoutout for $40, and Northwestern University quarterback Ryan Hilinski can be booked for $50.
"What’s so exciting about this is that the next LeBron James and the next Tom Brady will be using products like Cameo from the time they get to college," Cameo CEO Steven Galanis told me.
Galanis said Cameo has worked with college athletes in the past, with players offering video messages to fans for free in order to grow their brand. Now, with laws in place that allow players to make money from their fame, Cameo becomes a natural place for athletes to earn income—especially for players that may experience the height of their fame while in college.
"There’s some people whose earning potential will probably be higher in college than it ever would have been in the pros," Galanis said. "This is a group of people that’s always been famous but hasn’t been able to monetize."
College athletics—with their rabid fan bases who would be eager to pay for a personalized video from their favorite player—open up an entirely new vertical for Cameo, which earlier this year raised $100 million at a valuation of more than $1 billion.
"It expands our talent," he said. "Every year there’s a new Duke basketball player, a new running back at Alabama."
And forming relationships with athletes early in their careers could pay dividends for the startup long term.
"We’re developing a partnership with these players so much earlier in their career, at a time when they’re more famous than they are rich," he said.
