Hartford Business Journal

16 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JUNE 24, 2024 Jason Butikofer, deputy director of athletics/chief operating officer, leads UConn Athletics' name, image and likeness efforts. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER The NIL Era Here's an inside look at UConn's name, image and likeness infrastructure, and how it's key to recruiting, compensating and educating top athletes earn money from their name, image and likeness. Since then, there have been numerous updates, revisions, lawsuits and court decisions that continue to reshape what schools and athletes can and can't do. Asked about the shifting NIL landscape, Butikofer said it creates anxiety for everyone. "It's like a moving target, and things are constantly changing," he said. "So, it kind of feels like the plane's being built as it's being flown." Eric Brown, a Watertown labor and employment attorney who counsels college athletes, said NIL has undergone "a rapid evolution." In its first year, schools initially took a "hands-off approach" out of fear of NCAA sanctions, which left athletes on their own trying to find promotional oppor- tunities that often were minimal, "maybe 10 or 15 bucks for social media posts" or free merchandise, he said. "So, you've got these nationally known athletes getting a pittance, and the colleges weren't doing a heck of a lot to support it," Brown said. "They weren't training these kids on what they could do, what their oppor- tunities could be." UConn, however, was determined to set a foundation that would "tether education and personal and profes- sional growth with the NIL journey," Butikofer said. To do that, the university turned to its Werth Institute for Entrepre- By David Krechevsky davidk@hartfordbusiness.com I f you're a fan of UConn men's basketball, or you've even just casually paid attention to the team over the past two years, you probably know the name Donovan Clingan, a hard-to-miss 7-foot, 2-inch center. Winning back-to-back NCAA titles — which Clingan did during his two seasons with the team, before declaring for the NBA Draft in April — makes you famous, but so does having your face on billboards and in TV ads. That hasn't always been the case for college athletes, who in the past were forbidden by NCAA rules from accepting money to represent businesses. That has changed, though, in the still-evolving landscape of collegiate sports in which we now live — the era of NIL, which allows student athletes to earn money from their name, image and likeness. Still, you likely don't know the names of the people who help UConn student athletes navigate the nuances of NIL. Names like Jason Butikofer or David Noble. Or, those who help raise NIL money for the athletes, such as John Malfettone or Marc D'Amelio. In the NIL era, which is only three years old, what they and others do to support the school's athletes is becoming as important as the work done by the coaches, particularly in helping UConn recruit top athletes to remain competitive on the field, court or ice rink. Hartford Business Journal dove into the morass of NIL to understand how UConn competes on this new financial playing field, including a look at how much money is involved — the short answer is, no one will say — as well as where it comes from and where it goes. The most interesting revelation, though, is that UConn officials view NIL not just as a chance for a lucra- tive payday for some athletes, but as an opportunity to learn — about business and life. 'Tether education and growth' Butikofer's official title at UConn is deputy director of athletics/chief operating officer. He does a number of things, from leading ticket operations and sales, to overseeing the National C Club, which supports former student athletes and managers. But Butikofer — who previously served as deputy director of athletics at both Purdue University and the University of Washington — was hired in June 2022 by Athletic Director David Benedict for another, explicit purpose. "David originally brought me here with the priority being getting the structure and strategy set for our NIL program," Butikofer said. "We've launched and grown from there." NIL officially launched on July 1, 2021, when the NCAA created an interim policy allowing athletes to John Malfettone Eric Brown

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