Sonny Hoekstra

Hello, I am Sonny Hoekstra. I am a sophomore at IU.



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The new landscape of social media in collegiate sports: How NIL has changed the game

By  AnaCecilia Cornejo, Aisling Zarate, and Sonny Hoekstra,

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Oct. 30, 2024) – Eyes focused, heart racing, a weighted metal ball in hand, patiently awaiting the announcement to throw. The track team can be heard from across the sidelines, screaming and radiating energy for their team. Drew Franklin can feel his muscles tense up as the time is ticking, quickly planting his feet to get his proper foot positioning. Transferring all his energy from his legs to his core, he slings the ball forward and it lands. The judge quickly goes over to measure the distance, now all that awaits is the results.

Drew Franklin's headshot
Drew Franklin shows off his spikes wearing his Indiana University track and field uniform. Franklin throws shot put for Indiana’s track and field team, this has brought him many social media deals -Photo provided by Drew Franklin.

The results are in and Franklin has successfully set a new record in his Shot Put event! The whole crowd and team erupted in cheer as they stood to give a standing ovation. After the meet Franklin takes to social media to share his accomplishments with his followers. Like many athletes, Drew Franklin, a current sophomore at Indiana University Bloomington, has seen how the role of social media corresponds with Name, Image, and Likeness deals.

NIL, short for “Name, Image, and Likeness,” grants college and high school athletes the right to profit from their own image. NIL rights allow athletes to engage in endorsement deals, advertising, merchandise sales, and paid social media sponsorships. Previously, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the NCAA, which prohibited student-athletes from monetizing their NIL deals. But that has since changed following the 2021 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. In 2024, the NCAA reached a settlement that further expands NIL rights, allowing colleges to compensate their athletes and allocating nearly $2.8 billion for past and current athletes. Athletes can now leverage from NIL rights by signing contracts and working with brands.

Since NIL has been established, athletes like Franklin have been able to explore the territory of NIL with social media and leverage financially. This has changed the game completely. With many social media sites, such as TikTok, increasing in popularity IU athletes have been taking advantage. “A lot of attention comes from TikTok” , said Franklin. He explained how companies look into your profile and audience. “Athletes on my team who have more followers and overall likes, are getting asked to do promotions more often”, said Franklin. This new era of athlete influencers has transformed social media with the utilization of social media as a professional asset to gain profit opportunities.

Professor Glennon in office
Professor Joe Glennon poses for picture after his class. Glennon has been a teaching Media Advertising at Indiana University for two years. Photo by Aisling Zarate.

NIL has also been a great opportunity for brands to work with collegiate athletes. By using athletes, brands can expand their reach to various audiences. College sports are becoming more and more popular in recent years, so by using a popular athlete’s image there is an opportunity to reach a larger audience within a specific demographic. This allows brands to connect with consumers on a more personal level. Professor Joe Glennon at Indiana University has seen his fair share of brand building. Professor Glennon was the department chair of Advertising and Public Relations at Temple University and is now a senior lecturer for Indiana University’s Media School. “There’s a direct relationship between share of voice and market share. That’s on the consumer and brand side, but there’s a parallel to that on the athlete and NIL side”, said Glennon. The marketing metric, share of voice (SOV) Glennon mentions, measures how much a brand is being talked about compared to its competitors. The value and image of the brand is helped when having a relationship with athletes on social media, especially when the athletes image aligns with theirs.

Indiana University Athletics has demonstrated the importance of how real-time content in sports has affected the engagement of their social media posts as well as their athletes. Jack Venegoni, a current Indiana University Athletics Social / Digital Media Intern knows personally how IU’s efforts has boosted athlete visibility. Working with the Cuban Center for Sports Media Venegoni has worked with various teams such as football, men and women’s basketball, volleyball and many others. During basketball season, Venegoni would receive photos during the games and begin uploading them live during the game. “The athletes are able to use all photos and videos we take of them on their personal counts”, Venegoni said. Player highlights being posted online in real time boosts their personal brand, fans from all over the country interact as the emotions are at an all time high.

Jack Venegoni's headshot
Indiana University student Jack Venegoni poses for his headshot. Venegoni majors in Sports Media, he also interns for the Cuban Center where he covers Indiana Athletics on social media and observes how his his real-time content impacts player’s visibility—photo provided by Jack Venegoni.

Venegoni also noted about an NIL deal that became a huge deal in Bloomington, the Malik Reneau burger. After his freshman year, Indiana University’s basketball power forward Malik Reneau signed a NIL Deals with Big Woods restaurant to get his own item on the menu. The burger has been advertised all over Reneau’s social media and brought a lot of publicity to Big Woods. The restaurant has gained a lot of social media attention because of this and “It became a big deal and became a meme, it soon got more people to realize that they haven’t even tried it and gave them more publicity”, said Venegoni. Through partnerships like this, athletes and business both mutually benefit and drive significant business growth. Social media is important within NIL deals because the influence and fanbase from a collegiate athlete can create buzz and attract new customers for business and brands.

The relationship between social media and NIL deals has benefitted athletes, brands, and business. As seen through athletes like Drew Franklin and Malik Reneau, the use of social media has increased their reach, turning their athletic accomplishments into a valuable resource for themselves and partnering with businesses. Online presence allows for brands to interact with college sports audiences while providing athletes with opportunities to take advantage of their likeness. NIL deals are more than just partnerships with brands, athletes and brands now work together to build connections and relationships that are shared online.

Indiana University students share their opinion on how social media effects college athletes. Many college athletes have taken to social media to build themselves a personal brand.

Featured photo taken by Lauren Bacho.

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Public Relations Story, Uncategorized

Tim Cook announces a new way to make life convenient: The Apple Watch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contacts

Sophia Sessa: Writer

Demi Heinz: Editor

Sonny Hoekstra: Photographer

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, presented a new advancement in wearable technology, this Tuesday (Sep 9th 2014), in Cupertino California, the first of Apple’s smart watch products, to connect the ease of your phone right to your wrist. 

The enthusiasm and positive attitude of Tim Cook was well received  by the audience, reflecting the reaction to the new product. Once Tim began discussing the various and unique features of the new product the crowd’s excitement became palpable as cheers filled the room. Tim seemed calm and comfortable on the stage strutting around in a simple button down, presenting his knowledge and confidence in the product. “I am so excited and I am so proud to share it with you this morning” Cook said beaming about the product. After playing the demonstrational video of the Apple Watch, Kevin Lynch walked onto to stage playing a crucial part in demonstrating the intricate features the watch has to offer. 

Grace Harris prepares for her nightly run with the physical tracking features of the Apple watch. Workouts are able to be tracked and displayed in real time whether it is time elapsed, distance traveled, heart rate, or more.

The Apple Watch, as Cook and Lynch explained, has ground breaking features and advancements. “A precise, customizable timepiece” is what the new Apple Watch product truly embodies. It is customizable to fit anyone’s personal style and is meant to be worn at any time. It is the perfect combination of technology and style. Unlike other wearable technology the design is very sleek and clean, making it just as fashionable as it is functional. Another feature of this timepiece is allowing people to communicate more effectively, right from your wrist. It is a device that is very convenient and pairs perfectly with their prior device, the Iphone. The Apple watch is single handedly the next major step in the evolution of the company. 

The most prominent feature is the dial, which is known as the digital crown. “It’s a very simple and elegant and amazing input in navigation devices” according to Cook. It is used to zoom in and out of the home screen and go into an app effectively. The apps displayed are the ones that are also on the Iphone, making the watch easy to navigate. Another astonishing feature is that the Apple Watch can sense when the wrist is raised, detecting motion. The home screen is immediately displayed and shows personal apps without touch. What is truly amazing is that both of these outstanding features mentioned don’t even involve the touch of the screen. This is preventative to any damage the watch could endure. Adding on, the watch features short cuts within the app. This makes the watch very convenient in many ways. Smart replies, which are the shortcuts, work for texts and calls. All of these efficient and

Kaitlin Morlan begins her day checking the weather by simply looking at her wrist. One of the many ways the new apple watch is able to offer convenience throughout the day.

quick features and on the Apple Watch are perfect for this fast paced world.  

The Apple Watch is truly a great product and there are multiple versions of it, including the Sport and the Edition. There is a set price of 349 dollars and it will be available within the following year. The Watch is an astonishing advancement in technology and there is so much more to come with Apple’s products. “We are so excited about the Apple Watch and I hope you are as well,” Cook said, beaming with joy.