What members can expect from the Barstool Athlete network

The GIST: Overa year after controversial sports media company Barstool Sports launched its Barstool Athlete network, there’s finally word on what members can expect. Despite the company’s rampant misogyny and bigotry, Barstool attracted 150K college athletes to join its NIL program, and have now developed TwoYay.

• TwoYay was announced earlier this month as the official name, image and likeness (NIL) platform for Barstool Athletes to connect with advertisers for creative collaboration.

The details: Unlike many of their NIL competitors that take anywhere between 18-20% of a deal, Barstool won’t be taking a dime from participants (at least for now), offering fast payouts from deals and no cost to join the platform.

• The catch? Barstool must approve an athlete’s participation and requires them to include “Barstool Athlete” in all social media bios. Athletes must also give permission to Barstool to use their name, image and likeness on any of the company’s platforms or channels.

Other frameworks: Barstool is trying to disrupt an already crowded NIL space — more than a dozen companies have explored fan-powered deals where athletes earn money from their loyalists. And with a target market of 180 million college sports fans, there’s no surprise why.

• For example, Opendorse has launched digital marketplaces where fans and brands can purchase things like memorabilia, autographs, shoutouts and personalized videos from student-athletes.

• Other NIL companies, like YOKE and Booster, are building subscription services where fans can pay for exclusive content posted by their favorite players or teams. Think Patreon, but sports.

Zooming out: As companies try to build and refine their NIL offerings, Barstool hopes to rely on its large network of athletes and lack of fees to set itself apart. The question remains: What is the best NIL setup? Will Barstool and TwoYay crack the code? Only time will tell.