Syracuse Volleyball - NIL Partnership Development
For Syracuse Women’s Volleyball, I built a personal NIL deck for Sydnie Waller, using SponsorUnited to research potential brand partners. I worked directly with Sydnie to learn about her background and interests, then built each recommendation around what she wanted her brand to be. The deck profiled her background, interests, stats, and Instagram presence, then turned that research into a personal brand. It included a custom logo, a fan-facing trading card, a youth volleyball camp sponsored by a local diner, and a four-part charitable plan supporting the Black Women’s Health Imperative. I then proposed five brand partnerships: Texas Roadhouse, Nike, Wegmans, AMC Theatres, and Crunchyroll. Each one was tied to something specific about Sydnie, from her Tennessee roots to her love of movies and anime to Syracuse’s existing sponsors. For every brand, I checked sponsorship history and audience fit in SponsorUnited and outlined an activation, such as a limited-time menu item, a “Pregame Grocery Run” video series, and an anime-themed content launch.
The challenge was building a strong brand for an athlete with a modest following of about 2,300 Instagram followers. Instead of relying on reach, I used her 15.8% engagement rate and her real interests to find brands that fit her, including some with little presence in college volleyball. Working directly with Sydnie meant balancing her goals and personality with what brands look for, so each pairing had to feel authentic to her and realistic for the sponsor. Through this project, I strengthened my skills in athlete branding, sponsorship research, NIL partnership planning, activation strategy, content planning, and client communication.