ORONO, Maine — More student-athletes at the University of Maine are taking advantage of name, image, and likeness (NIL) opportunities with the help of a new organization, the Bear Down Collective.
In 2021 the NCAA ruled that student athletes can earn money through NIL deals.
Businesses and donors pay athletes to make personal appearances, sign autographs, and endorse products.
"Anytime you can find any form of passive income, that’s just consistently bringing in money, it's really helpful," Aidan Cadogan, a punter on UMaine’s football team, said.
Cadogan is one of many student-athletes earning money from NIL opportunities.
He started getting involved with NIL deals in 2022. Cadogan said he’s made around $400 from doing sponsored posts on social media.
And recently he’s expanded his horizons.
"Now I have my own 'Aidan Cadogan' merch," he added.
The merch is sold through the NIL Shop, and Cadogan keeps a portion of the profits from each sale.
"As a student-athlete, it's really tough to find time to work when you have practices, classes," Cadogan said. "I'm an engineering student, so that eats up a lot of school. Football eats up 40, 50 hours a week. So having this additional income has been game-changing."
UMaine has worked with a few companies to help athletes get NIL opportunities.
Now, a recently formed local group called the Bear Down Collective connects students with donors and businesses to help them maximize their earnings.
UMaine alumni Alex Gray and Kristen McAlpine are leaders of the Bear Down Collective.
"It will provide for them, opportunities that the students that came before them didn't have," Gray said.
They began the initiative to help student-athletes succeed and for some afford to stay in school and continue competing.
"I got a text from an athlete this morning who got a stipend from us, did some social media work for us a few weeks ago and was paid, and said 'I wouldn't have been able to make my rent this month,'" Gray said.
The Bear Down Collective, which is not profiting from the initiative, has already brought in around $25,000 for student-athletes.
Gray said around $10,000 will benefit the football team, another $10,000 for men's basketball, and $5,000 for the men’s hockey team.
They’re hoping to help UMaine teams reach greater heights.
"The more successful they are, the better we are as a region," McAlpine said. "I think it's a big draw here, and it can be something that's even bigger than it is now."
The collective wants to expand to create more NIL opportunities for athletes and hopes UMaine might eventually be able to take over its operations.
Right now, no UMaine women’s sports teams have received any donations through the Bear Down Collective. McAlpine said people can donate to any UMaine team through their website, so she hopes donors can help reduce the disparity.