UConn’s Paige Bueckers may be most marketable college basketball player in nation

Who is the most marketable women’s college basketball player? When Blake Lawrence, the CEO and co-founder of Opendorse, recently asked a reporter that question, the name that immediately came to mind was UConn sophomore Paige Bueckers, who this week secured a groundbreaking multiyear deal with Gatorade to become the brand’s first college athlete partner.

Lawrence then asked about the most marketable men’s basketball player. The answer is far less clear. Gonzaga’s Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren, Duke’s Paolo Banchero, Memphis’ Emoni Bates and even some others might top that list.

“If you put yourself in the shoes of a marketer — for these national brands, advertisers, even local companies — women’s basketball student-athletes right now in the NIL era may be easier to identify than the men,” Lawrence told On3. “That is what has stood out to us in our data. National advertisers, when picking between a men’s basketball or women’s basketball player, they’re certainly favoring women’s basketball. It’s a nod to some of the top stars and an interesting data point.”

The Gatorade deal, which Bueckers announced in an Instagram post, is the strongest example of this trend. The most marketable women’s basketball players — UConn freshman Azzi Fudd and Fresno State’s Cavinder twins are others at the top of the list — are uniquely positioned to benefit mightily in the NIL era. In addition to amassing strong social media followings, they are on college campuses for four years, unlike the vast majority of the male stars. In Opendorse’s most recent data, women’s basketball ranked third among sports in total NIL compensation (8.7 percent). 

Bueckers’ deal is also significant because many, if not most, national brands have taken a more cautious approach to entering the NIL space. Bueckers is an athlete who has followed that same playbook in recent months. Before the Gatorade announcement, she only had one publicly known NIL deal, becoming spokeswoman for StockX, an e-commerce platform. She also had filed a standard trademark application on July 13 for her nickname, “Paige Buckets.”

For athletes nationwide, social media continues to be the largest driver of deals, both in terms of compensation and activity. But Bueckers’ strategy clearly has been to take the quality over quantity approach when it comes to NIL. Her coach, Geno Auriemma, telegraphed that strategy at Big East media day, telling Front Office Sports: “If Paige plays it right, there will only be two, three or four [companies]. But they won’t be getting free haircuts. They’ll be really big.”

And now Bueckers, the reigning women’s player of the year, joins Gatorade’s impressive stable of athletes, including Lionel Messi, Serena Williams and Zion Williamson. Bueckers’ NIL potential is as high as almost any college athlete. And after this season, she still will have two years of eligibility remaining.

“There are not many seven-figure-potential student-athletes in the country,” Lawrence said. With Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, “imagine that UConn women’s basketball on any given year might have a couple.”

New way to do NIL business

INFLCR on Tuesday launched INFLCR+ Local Exchange, which will help streamline the way businesses initiate contact with athletes and secure NIL deals with them. The product has launched with nine schools: Arizona, Boise State, DePaul, Florida, Oklahoma, St. John’s, Southern Miss, Syracuse and Texas A&M.

It provides businesses and individuals with a customized portal for communicating with athletes. After a business registers on the school’s Local Exchange, they can access a searchable database of athletes from that school, filtering them based on a variety of criteria. Then they can message the athlete directly in the application or request contact information of the athlete (or their agent). INFLCR does not play any role in the negotiations, nor does it receive any transaction fee.

The compliance disclosure will include a payment processing tool, enabling the business to securely pay the athlete. Some 210 schools subscribe to INFLCR’s software, and many more are expected to launch Local Exchange in the coming weeks.

Since July 1, INFLCR has processed reporting for more than 6,500 NIL transactions totaling more than $10 million. Local Exchange is expected to double the annual revenue INFLCR receives from schools through subscriptions. The average Power 5 school now spends in the mid-five figures on its subscription; that will increase to six figures annually.

Quick hits

+ Want a ticket to watch top-ranked Georgia play Alabama in person Saturday in Atlanta? This is the most expensive SEC Championship Game on record, according to TickPick, the no-fee secondary ticket marketplace. TickPick says that the average purchase price is $850; that’s 274 percent more expensive than the next-priciest conference championship Saturday, the Big Ten title game featuring Iowa-Michigan ($227) in Indianapolis. Historically, the next most expensive SEC Championship games were in 2019 ($372 for Georgia-LSU) and 2020 ($364 for Alabama-Florida). TickPick also notes that 57 percent of ticket purchases for this matchup have a Georgia zip code, with a current “get-in” price of $377. For fans looking for a seat in the lower bowl, the get-in price is $780. Additionally, TickPick’s most expensive purchase was made for two tickets in Section 129, Row 7 (between the 30- and 40-yard lines) for $2,149 a ticket ($4,298 total).

+ College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving is the first company to endorse a Historically Black College and University team in the NIL era. The sponsorship of the Howard men’s basketball team covers the entire roster for this season.