USA Triathlon and the USA Triathlon Foundation have launched the Watch Us Thrive Collective. This new initiative aims to provide the… ‘opportunity for NCAA women’s triathlon student-athletes to capitalize on their name, image and likeness (NIL).’
For a number of years, the NCAA has used the name, image and likeness of college athletes to promote NCAA athletic programs and drive revenue. In turn, this allows student-athletes to receive compensation for the use of their NIL.
USA Triathlon notes that it is the first national governing body in the US Olympic and Paralympic movement to launch an NIL Collective.
“Now is an incredibly exciting time for women’s collegiate triathlon, both as we head toward becoming an NCAA championship sport and with the emergence of NIL deals in collegiate athletics,” said Tim Yount, Chief Sport Development Officer of USA Triathlon.
“The Watch Us Thrive Collective will allow NCAA women’s collegiate triathlon fans and supporters of the sport a tangible way to help current and future triathlon student-athletes, while the athletes can help spread the word about the virtues of our sport, community and NCAA women’s triathlon.
“It also shows USA Triathlon is committed to being a long-term and active partner in the development of this sport at the NCAA level.”
Financed through donors, the Watch Us Thrive Collective supports women’s triathlon student-athletes in the form of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) payments. In return, NIL recipients will promote triathlon and NCAA women’s triathlon movement on their social media channels and through other digital avenues.
More than 300 women from 24 countries compete in women’s collegiate triathlon at the varsity level at NCAA Division I, II and III schools across the USA. More than 40 schools offer women’s collegiate triathlon at the varsity level, an important benchmark reached earlier this year.
The NCAA Emerging Sport for Women movement now has a few more steps to take on its way to being fully managed by the NCAA as a Championship Sport.
The 2022 women’s collegiate triathlon season concludes on November 12 in Tempe, Arizona, for the 2022 Women’s Collegiate Triathlon National Championships, hosted by Arizona State University. Throughout the next week in the lead up to the Women’s Collegiate Triathlon National Championships USA Triathlon will highlight the athletes, coaches and storylines in “day in the life” features, social media takeovers and more.
