With NIL opportunities and social media reshaping college athletics, ASU athletes are stepping into a new era, where visibility goes beyond the playing field. From TikTok to Instagram, student-athletes are finding new ways to connect, inspire and earn through their personal brands.
For Sierra Ryan, a sophomore defender on the women's lacrosse team, social media has evolved from a platform of connection to one of purpose.
"We realize that those things that we had been trying to obtain and had seen on our social media, we are now doing," Ryan said. "With the space of NIL, a lot of us realize that it's a great opportunity to capitalize on sharing our stories and sharing what we're up to on social media to inspire other young people."
Ryan is also the founder of Fuel Warden, a nutrition management platform for athletes, and said that this and NIL opportunities have caused her to view herself as more of a creator than a consumer.
With this, Ryan said that balancing authenticity and professionalism in an online environment can be challenging.
"I'm constantly in limbo with it," Ryan said. "It is hard to capture everything and to be doing social media full time for people who are so busy ... so sometimes being authentic can be a struggle."
Todd Drennan, a professor in the department of marketing, said authenticity is one of the most valuable traits for athletes and content creators building personal brands.
"Authenticity, in my opinion, is always crucial," Drennan said. "You can fake it till you make it ... but it's easier just to be your authentic self and curate that authentic self in a way that is tactful and best supporting your goals."
In addition to balancing authenticity and professionalism, Ryan faces the universal athlete responsibility of representing not just herself, but her team and school.
"Image is absolutely an important thing to be mindful of as an athlete," Ryan said. "There are stories you see in the news for other universities where sometimes we get caught in the crossfires of ... some sort of drama, or some sort of instance where someone is getting trouble for not representing themselves well, and that carries a heavy weight."
Going beyond NIL and athlete marketing, Ava Quigley, a senior studying marketing, uses social media as more of a creative outlet. As a member of the dance team, Quigley shares a behind-the-scenes view of her life as a student-athlete.
"What really started my journey was that I honestly just wanted to share my life," Quigley said. "Lots of people see our pictures or see us on the field, but they don't know how much work actually goes into getting there — the tryout process, the day in the life, how many practices we have to go to."
Quigley has amassed an impressive online reach with TikTok, boasting over 32,000 followers and 5.2 million likes. She said posting consistently has played a large role in gaining both audience and brand attention.
"I've had brands start sending me products, which has also been something that I'm so beyond grateful for," Quigley said. "It's really cool just to see how far it's come, even in such a short amount of time, since I've started posting consistently."
To younger athletes hoping to build a brand online, Ryan said embracing the visibility and getting past the embarrassment is key.
Ryan recently received a DM from a high school soccer player asking, "How do you create content to attract NIL deals without embarrassing yourself?" To this, she said it's as simple as not being afraid of judgment and being authentic.
"You have to get over the fear of people judging you, you have to get over it, it will be uncomfortable,” Ryan said. “If it was easy, everyone would be doing it ... just show up as yourself, and that is 100% enough."
Quigley offered similar advice about authenticity.
"When I was younger, I looked up to these dancers and athletes so much, and it would have been so cool to be able to see a more in-depth and authentic way of them describing it firsthand," Quigley said. "Also, really showcasing your personality, even with people who I follow on social media, I love when they get to showcase their personality."
With ASU being one of the many schools to grow its NIL presence and athlete support systems, Drennan said this digital shift is here to stay.
"It's going to be essential for them to understand personal branding and analytics so that they can really get the best return on investment for their entire career and their career goals," Drennan said.
As athletes are redefining themselves online, social media has become a place for audiences to see the full picture of the practices, the pressures and the person underneath the uniform.
"Athletes are more than just athletes," Ryan said. "We can do things, and do hard things, beyond just being on the field. When you are an athlete, there are so many pieces to it beyond the things that are romanticized ... the lives of athletes (are) absolutely hard, but we're more than just athletes."
Edited by Alan Deutschendorf, Henry Smardo and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at mssuarez@asu.edu and follow @melinasszmedia on X.
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Melina Suarez is a reporter at the sports department, telling the stories of ASU sports and related topics at The State Press. She is in her 1st semester with the State Press.
