Las Vegas Sun

April 24, 2024

New UNLV program to aid athletes with their personal brand

Lady Rebels vs Stanford Cardinal

Steve Marcus

A view of the Thomas & Mack Center before a game between the UNLV Lady Rebels and the Stanford Cardinal at the Thomas & Mack Center Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. The Cardinal players huddle at right. The games are being played without fans due to COVID-19.

UNLV is launching a new program to help hundreds of student-athletes how to possibly get compensated for the use of their name and likeness.

KVVU-TV reported Wednesday that UNLV has established “The Vegas Effect," which will assist athletes in navigating how to take advantage of name, image and likeness opportunities.

The announcement comes as the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday the NCAA can’t limit education-related benefits — like computers and paid internships — that colleges can offer their sports stars. The ruling could help open the door to further easing in the decades-old fight over paying student-athletes.

“The Vegas Effect" program includes a platform to connect student-athletes with resources to help them build their personal brand. There are also ways to connect to on-campus resources for help with financial literacy, handling of taxes and career development.

School officials say they created the program in anticipation of NCAA-approved legislation permitting college athletes to generate revenue for themselves. The legislation will take effect next year.