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The
new marketplace offers student-athletes easier access to review
opportunities, accept offers from businesses on the platform and
earn compensation.
"The purpose is to provide student-athletes with a platform to
interact with the business community and fans," Kamron Cox, the
director of the INFLUENCE Program for the University of Illinois
Athletics, told The Center Square.
Deals that take place through the Illinois Marketplace will be
processed through Opendorse to follow state law and NCAA policy,
according to FightingIllini.com.
The Illinois Marketplace allows businesses to locate
student-athletes through individual profiles, where the athlete
sets their personal preferences, interests and social media
accounts.
"Student athletes are making social media endorsements.
Student-athletes are making public appearances. Student-athletes
are creating works of art. Student-athletes are having autograph
sessions. They're doing all this kind of stuff associated with
leveraging that celebrity," Cox said.
Social media engagement rate metrics are available to be
showcased in the Illinois Marketplace, according to
FightingIllini.com.
"We have 550 student-athletes that we serve and you may not know
which one you want but you may know 'I want a soccer player from
Illinois,'" Cox said. "Maybe you want Ashley Prell, maybe you
get Makena Silber. What the marketplace does is it allows you to
go to the Illinois-specific page, sort for soccer, and then you
can see all of the profiles there. Whereas before the
marketplace existed, you would have had to actually know that
you wanted to grab Abby Lynch or whatever."
To Cox, the Illinois Marketplace is a win-win for all who
leverage it.
"It's enough to give you the principles in a controlled
environment where you can't really lose too much and, gee, if
you have any questions we're always there to help you out," Cox
said.
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