USD’s Brooklyn Bollweg Becomes First South Dakota Collegiate Athlete Signed To Sponsorship Deal
Story courtesy of DakotaNewsNow.com
Sioux Falls native takes advantage of new NCAA rules allowing athletes to profit off their name, image & likeness
”I really didn’t think it was going to be a huge opportunity for me just because I am not one of the most known athletes at USD.” Coyote Junior Brooklyn Bollweg says.
Fortunately for USD’s Brooklyn Bollweg, being a regular at her hometown Silverstar Car Wash really does have it’s perks.
“She’s been a customer of ours. She grew up locally here in Sioux Falls. We’re also really excited to be able to partner with a female athlete. To be able to support a local athlete who’s from here and plays for a South Dakota school is a good fit for us.” Silverstar Regional Manager Andrea Vetos says.
It took a little longer for Brooklyn to decide if the opportunity was a fit for her.
“I was like, well, I don’t know. I asked my mom about it. It felt really wrong just because we’ve never been able to do that. We got a group text from our coach that was basically breaking down everything they know as of right now. I think they did a really good job about edjucating us about how to build a brand, making sure that everything we post and sign with is something that we do believe in.” Brooklyn says.
After clearing it with USD’s compliance officer and signing, Bollweg created and published Silverstar sponsored posts for her social media for the weekend.
“To be able to be the first company in South Dakota to make that partnership, and to partner with Brooklyn who kind of understands the historical significance of it as well, is great.” Vetos says.
And she understands better than most just how important the name, image and likeness legalization as a walkon who, like many athletes across the nation, is getting either partial or no scholarship help.
“They (fans) only see us for a couple months out of the year but we work year round on our sport so it makes it really hard to have a job. It definitely helps to being able to count on something else for an income to be able to pay for school.” Bollweg says.
It’s a first, small step for college athletes in South Dakota, with Brooklyn hoping others will take their own leaps.
“I would just encourage people to reach out to business that they think they align with and take a chance!” Brooklyn says.