Isabella Trine

I am a junior at Indiana University studying Merchandising with a minor in Fashion Media.



Projects by Isabella Trine

News Story

How Bad do Athletes Really Want it When it Comes to the NIL?

By Kiera O’Reilly, Isabella Trine and Sophia Sessa.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Oct 31, 2024)—Imagine you are just a junior in high school, sitting down at your kitchen table on the phone with a D1 sports coach officially offering you a spot on their team. Continuing your sport means it will become your whole life, but you don’t get anything in return in terms of financial support from your own performance. Not knowing what your future holds, and worrying about how to make money, however yet you put all your time and effort into that sport. Then, flash forward to the 2021 Supreme Court ruling, you will probably have no hesitation in what your next step will be. 

 

In July of 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that NCAA athletes could capitalize and profit off of their name, image, and likeness- also known as NIL. Prior to that ruling, college athletes were not given the opportunity to receive any financial compensation for their own NIL, as it would go against the NCAA’s “amateurism” condition. Now with this opportunity being open for athletes, it’s up to the high school aged athletes to decide where they will attend, as well as the extent they want to push themselves to build their own NIL.  Opening this up for college athletes, it creates room for brands to become sponsorships and give more attention to the athletes leading the athletes to continue getting compensated. 

 

Dr. Clavio talks to class about NIL
Dr. Galen Clavio, Professor at IU and Director of the National Sports Journalism Center at Indiana University, gives a speech on NIL. (Photo curtesy of Kenzie Vitale)

“Everybody in this room has the rights of publicity, you have the right to profit off your name, what you look like, and how your likeness is utilized within any form of media or advertising or business. This is not a case of new rights being granted to college athletes, it is instead the removal of restrictions that were being imposed by college athletic departments upon college athletes.” says Dr. Galen Clavio, a professor at Indiana University Bloomington and director of the National Sports Journalism Center at IU.  Having this opportunity to open up for these collegiate athletes, it’s a much more of a motivation to continue to work on their own NIL and build what they have, while getting the deals and sponsors they are allowed to officially work with. 

Izaiah Steury, current cross country and track runner at the University of Notre Dame shared his views on NIL. (Photo courtesy of Izaiah Steury.)

“I think the NIL is a great opportunity for collegiate athletes because they earned it but at the same time I hope this opportunity doesn’t ruin the experience of being an athlete.” says Izaiah Steury, cross country and track runner at University of Notre Dame. He suggests how the financial side of athletics shouldn’t be the main reason to work hard, rather than just doing what you’ve always loved. The NIL has had a very positive impact on college athletes, and is benefiting athletes to profit from all the hard work they have put in. Steury continues to go on and say, “I have not received any NIL money due to not putting enough effort into it.” This shows the dedication athletes need to put in from the recruiting process through their college athletic carrier to build their NIL. 

2 players on the womens lacrosse team at Indiana University pose post game.
Olivia Gall, current lacrosse player at Indiana University, shared her opinion on NIL. (Photo by Sophia Sessa)

The sponsorship opportunities are just one of the many factors that play into how athletes are choosing where they will attend college, and how the recruiting process has had to adapt to the new landscape of college athletics. “I think it one hundred percent impacts the transfer portal. When you are at a bigger school, you have more offers from more brands.”, says Olivia Gall, current Indiana University student and lacrosse player for Indiana University. With that being said, due to the NIL, it can be harder for smaller and less known universities in comparison for example a Big 10 school even if they are equal at athletics. Brands want to get their products and names out to the public, collabing with well known athletes benefits both parties which is what they want. 

 

When looking at Indiana University and these other well known, big D1 schools have a much higher chance to recruit these top athletes not because of their athletic departments, but as well as the NIL benefits the athletes will gain. 

 

 

Individuals going throughout their day while walking on Kirkwood were interviewed on their point of view on the NIL.

 

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Public Relations Story

CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, Present’s Apples Newest Innovation, The Apple-Watch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contacts 
Alex Drago (writer)
Aisling Zarate (photographer)
Isabella Trine (editor)

CUPERTINO, California (Sept. 9, 2014) –  On Tuesday, Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, unveiled the newest addition to the Apple family, the Apple Watch. This smart-watch allows you to use many of the iPhone features from the convenience of your wrist.

Towards the end of the event, just when the unknowing audience thought it was over, Cook surprised his audience when he presented Apple’s new product, the Apple Watch. “But we’re not quite finished yet. We have one more thing,” Cook said. The audience cheered loudly, unaware that there was going to be more. Cook expressed how this new tech watch has been in the works for a very long time and that this product would redefine what people expect from technology. As Cook walked off the stage, the lights went dim, and the big screen revealed the innovative smartwatch.

Soccer referee holds flag while watching the game.
Juan Mendez, high school referee, wears an Apple Watch to keep track of time during the soccer game. Mendez can multi task by also keeping up with text messages and emails on the watch.
Student, Jolie Johns, wears her Apple Watch during basketball practice. Johns appreciates the watch's features as she can track her heart rate and calories burned while working out.
Student, Jolie Johns, wears her Apple Watch during basketball practice. Johns appreciates the watch’s features as she can track her heart rate and calories burned while working out.

Beaming with pride, Cook came back out on stage and displayed the Apple Watch on his wrist. This high-tech product is incredibly customizable and personal. “You can find one that reflects your personal style and taste. Because you wear it, we invented new, intimate ways to connect and communicate directly from your wrist,” Cook said. Some of its features include a health and fitness companion, being able to receive phone calls, and answer emails. 

While the Apple Watch is similar to the iPhone, it is also diverse in that Apple placed extra functionality on the watch, such as the dial on the top right side of the watch, known as the digital crown, and translates motor movement into data. This is used in place of ‘pinching and zooming’ on an iPhone. The digital crown allows users to scroll on text messages and other apps, and return to the home screen by pressing on it. The crowd cheered loudly as they found this feature fascinating. In order to have an Apple Watch, you need to have it connected to an iPhone, and the watch includes a feature where users can see music played on the devices around and the watch can control music on iPhone, Apple computer, and the music stored at the watch. 

Jony Ive, Senior Vice President of Design at Apple, went on to thoroughly describe features of the watch in a video. I’ve described how when creating the watch, they wanted to take a powerful piece of technology and make it accessible, relevant, and personable. They designed this product to be so personable that you would not want it to get into the wrong person’s hands, so consumers wear it on their wrists. Apple wanted users to embrace the individuality that came from wearing the watch. The new Apple watch is so personable to the user that when the user raises their wrist, it senses the movement and activates the home screen which consists of a variety of apps that are familiar to iPhone users.  

As the video directed by Ive goes on, it displays all the different features the Apple Watch contains. These include making phone calls, creating timers, a library of music, the calendar, weather, and many more. “Apps are designed for lightweight interaction,” Ive said. The watch creates a way for users to have an easily accessible feature you would have on the iPhone, but from right on your person which can be worn everyday, for any occasion. As the video ended, the audience embraced it with applause for so long and loud that Cook could barely get a word out. Cook’s face showed all his emotions, and he waved to the audience as he was elated to see how positively the audience reacted. 

Apple’s team had worked on the Apple Watch for a long time. They covered every aspect needed to create this very unique piece of technology. Cook called out one of the key contributors to the device, Kevin Lynch, the Vice President of Apple, to give the first live demo of the watch. Lynch came out wearing the watch on his left wrist, for the audience to see the demo, Lynch had a custom watch connected to the screen. He goes on to explain features such as the face of the watch, which is extremely customizable as you can change the font, color, and functionality. “…We’ve also been working to enable third-party developers to extend their apps to Apple Watch,” Lynch said. Lynch then goes on to explain how users can use social media apps like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. “It’s something functional yet incredibly beautiful, it empowers people and enriches their lives,” Cook said. This watch is motivated to help people to be active, and healthy, and have an easily accessible piece of technology. Apple’s newest addition will be available in stores on April 24, 2015. “It will be available early next year and it is worth the wait,” Cook said.

 

Co-founder and CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs, shown above sharing that the Apple Watch shares many of the iPhones innovative features. Apple focused on bringing the technology of their iPhones and Macs down to a much smaller size.

Kevin Lynch, Vice President of Apple, seen above demonstrating the features of the maps app on the Apple Watch. He is showing that many of the iPhone’s capabilities can also be used on the Apple Watch.

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