‘It honestly really does mean the world’: Morningside’s Madison Clayton reacts to NIL sponsorship agreement
Story courtesy of SiouxlandProud.com
We’re a little over two weeks into college athletes being able to make money off their name, image, and likeness and the world doesn’t seem to have imploded. In fact, the first female athlete in the state of Iowa to benefit from the new rules comes from Morningside.
On July 1, the world of college sports changed forever with student athletes now able to profit off of their name, image, and likeness while still in school. And Morningside’s Madison Clayton took advantage of the benefits by receiving a sponsorship from Silverstar Car Wash.
But how exactly did this agreement start?
“We were reaching out for an individual, a student-athlete that was in the community, you know, and we were going for a female athlete,” said Marty Donat, a regional manager for Silverstar Car Wash.
Silverstar got in touch with Clayton and struck a deal, making her the first female student-athlete in the state of Iowa to sign an NIL agreement.
“It is surreal, still shocking, still in the middle of all of it, so I think once everything slows down, it’ll finally, reality will finally set in,” Clayton said.
And with Clayton producing content for the company, the senior Mustang will also get some things in return as part of the deal.
“What she needs to do is just more… She’s carrying herself in the community at a high level. And the investment between both of us, I think, affect each other the same way. So really, she’s gonna be an ambassador of Silverstar and we’re kind of an ambassador for her now,” said Donat.
“I got an email from Nate, another guy that I worked with, and he said he’s gonna send me a free car wash pass, so hopefully, that’s good for a while,” Clayton said.
It’s a first for both parties but each side is thrilled to be a part of such a historic moment in college athletics.
“Myself, being an ex-student-athlete in college, I sure wish this was available when we were playing. But you know it’s great to be a part of now, and I really understand the importance of what this could do for her,” Donat said.
“It was new to me so I don’t know if a lot of my teammates know about it, I know a lot of people at Morningside didn’t even know about it, so I think it’s awesome that they learn from me,” said Clayton.
Clayton will continue to blaze the trail for those looking to follow in her footsteps.
“I think it’s gonna be able to help grow these student-athletes and when they get outta school, just be more well-rounded and understand the importance of what they can bring to a community,” Donat said.
“To be the first to come out of a small school in Iowa and do this and pave the way for a lot of people, it honestly really does mean the world,” Clayton said.
With this amazing opportunity, Clayton is trying to help other student athletes take advantage of this new NIL deal.