Meta launches NIL Empower 2.0 class with 30 female athletes

Meta has unveiled its second NIL Empower class. With a focus on education, mentorship, career coaching and brand connections, 30 women athletes from across nine conferences will have the opportunity to increase their NIL value on Facebook and Instagram.

Each athlete will be associated with a brand as part of the deal. Meta has already signed five athletes to a partnership with the meal-planning company Eat to Perform. The company is still looking to sign on more brands as part of the initiative.

As part of their partnership with the technology conglomerate, athletes will sit in educational sessions with Meta and NIL experts. The classes will include lessons on the best practices on Facebook and Instagram, specifically with a focus on reels and monetization. This will put the student-athletes at an advantage to build their social media following and cash in with their NIL.

Four-time WNBA All-Star Alana Beard will also sit down for a career development workshop with the selected athletes. She is now the founder of Transition Play, which is a platform focusing on the talent development of athletes.

Athletes will also be assigned an NIL mentor where they will be given one-on-one access. The first iteration of the initiative launched last fall. Meta has been an agressive player in the NIL space. Earlier this year it announced a partnership with INFLCR, bringing social media education and direct account support to student-athletes on the platform.

No terms of Meta’s contract were disclosed.

Women cashing in with NIL Era

Meta is not the first organization to use NIL as a marketing tool. Sprouts Farmers Market signed 50 women to NIL deals to celebrate Title IX’s anniversary. Bumble also announced a very similar deal with 50 more female athletes.

Women have been one of the biggest winners in the NIL Era. Data recently released by Opendorse, which provides technology to the athlete endorsement industry, showed that women who play basketball, volleyball, softball and who compete in swimming or diving rank third through sixth, respectively, in terms of the total compensation earned on the platform, by sport, through the end of May.

Athletes involved in Meta NIL Empower class

Here’s the complete list of players that have inked NIL deals with Meta.

Name	School	Sport	Grade
Acacia Lofton	Clark Atlanta	Women’s Track & Field	Freshman
Alex Jean Glover	SMU	Women’s Volleyball	Junior
Alexia Mobley	Louisville	Women’s Basketball	Redshirt freshman
Anna Camden	Penn State	Women’s Basketball	Senior
Cami Wilson	Oregon	Women’s Acrobatics and Tumbling	Junior
Corey Friedenbach	San Diego State	Women’s Track & Field	Senior
Emily Cole	Duke	Women’s Track & Field	Junior
Flau’jae Johnson	LSU	Women’s Basketball	Freshman
Francesca Belibi	Stanford	Women’s Basketball	Senior
Gabby Anderson	Harvard	Women’s Basketball	Freshman
Hannah Barber	Alabama	Women’s Basketball	Fifth-year senior
Hasna-Kaarina Badji	Rhode Island	Women’s Track & Field	Graduate student
Jess Doyal	Davidson	Women’s Volleyball	Junior
Katie Beiler	Louisville	Women’s Rowing	Senior
Kaylin Hsieh	Notre Dame	Fencing	Junior
Kelly Richardson	Georgetown	Rowing	Sophomore
Laila Phelia	Michigan	Women’s Basketball	Freshman
Laney Higgins	Oglethorpe	Women’s Volleyball	Freshman
Leah Clapper	Florida	Women’s Gymnastics	Graduate student
Lexi Edwards	Ohio State	Women’s Gymnastics	Senior
Logan Eggleston	Texas	Women’s Volleyball	Senior
Makenzie Steele	Clemson	Women’s Track & Field	Sophomore
Olivia Sekany	Washington	Women’s Soccer	Graduate student
Paige Sinicki	Oregon	Womens Softball	Sophomore
Sierra Brooks	Michigan	Women’s Gymnastics	Junior
Sitori Tanin	Loyola Chicago	Women’s Basketball	Junior
Sophie Jones	Duke	Women’s Soccer	Senior
Syd Mckinney	Wichita State	Softball	Senior
Sydney Stephens	Illinois	Women’s Soccer	Sophomore athletically (due to COVID year)/Junior academically
Zoe Schweitzer	Ohio State	Women’s Gymnastics	Senior