Arkansas Edge unveils program to raise money for Razorback athletes

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

Arkansas Edge, the name, image, and likeness (NIL) group for the Arkansas Razorbacks, has launched the Spare Change Round Up program, allowing people to round up their purchases to support Razorback student-athletes, according to a Friday (Oct. 18) news release.

Those who enroll can link their debit cards, credit cards or checking accounts to automatically contribute spare change from their purchases to NIL initiatives.

“Fans have expressed a desire for a way to round up purchases to support NIL opportunities, and we’re excited to introduce the Spare Change Round Up program,” said Kyle May, executive director of Arkansas Edge. “This scalable and effortless approach allows fans to participate easily and choose how much they want to contribute without needing individual programs with each merchant and regardless of where they bank or live.”

Arkansas Edge unveils program to raise money for Razorback athletes

UA announces Arkansas Edge, an NIL collective for Razorback athletes

by Paul Gatling (pgatling@nwabj.com)

On Tuesday (Nov. 28), University of Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek announced details of a new name, image and likeness (NIL) collective for Razorback athletes called Arkansas Edge.

“As we continue to strategically position our programs to compete and win championships within the SEC and nationally, Arkansas Edge is the optimum way for Razorback fans to support our student-athletes through NIL,” Yurachek said in a UA news release.

Since the implementation of the new NCAA NIL guidelines on July 1, 2021, there has been a surge in the establishment of NIL collectives, especially within Power 5 schools. The collectives provide a platform for boosters and fans to engage with athletes through NIL deals, pooling resources and creating user-friendly marketplaces.

UA announces Arkansas Edge, an NIL collective for Razorback athletes

College athletes now allowed endorsements, but international students prohibited

KUAR | By Laura Jansen

This story was reported by KUAR News intern Laura Jansen, a native of the Netherlands who is attending the University of Arkansas at Little Rock as part of a volleyball scholarship.

A legal challenge to an NCAA policy prohibiting players from accepting endorsement deals, which was eventually considered by the U.S. Supreme Court, led to the policy being struck down. That prompted the Arkansas General Assembly to pass legislation this year allowing players to be compensated for the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL), effective July 1.

College athletes can work with companies or build their own brands by advertising the brands on social media or selling such products with a personal coupon code. However, students still cannot get paid for their participation and performance in games or accept recruiting inducements.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2022-04-19/u-s-college-athletes-now-allowed-endorsements-international-students-prohibited

University Of Arkansas At Little Rock/ University Of Central Arkansas

University of Arkansas at Little Rock baseball player Jorden Hussein (left) has been able to endorse products to cover his expenses while University of Central Arkansas beach volleyball player Carolina Barbosa (right), being an international student, cannot take advantage of the change to NACC rules.