IOWA CITY, Iowa — Hawkeye Sports Properties, the multimedia rightsholder for Iowa Athletics, announced a partnership with UScellular to launch a creative Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) campaign featuring two notable Iowa student-athletes, dedicated to spotlighting the value of in-person connections over constant digital engagement.
UScellular’s Official Sponsor of Timeouts 2024 program elements are led by Iowa student-athletes Drake Ayala (wrestling) and Gabbie Marshall (women’s basketball). The campaign includes content posted to the student-athletes’ personal social media accounts, highlighting the importance of real connections and encouraging fans to take timeouts to invest in life’s most important moments.
“NIL partnerships provide UScellular a unique opportunity to create a program that aligns to our values and gives a platform for student-athletes to tell their individual stories,” said Joshua Olbricht, director of retail sales for UScellular in Eastern Iowa. “As the Official Sponsor of Timeouts, we’re encouraging everyone to focus on the game experience with the people who matter most.”
The NIL athlete social media content features a series of engaging posts centered around themes such as Timeouts for What Matters, Timeouts for Team, and Timeouts with US Mode, a customizable tool, fostering healthy digital habits on your phone that enables individuals to reduce distractions for all aspects of life.
“We’re thrilled to join forces with UScellular on this dynamic NIL campaign, leveraging the influence of our student-athletes to cast a spotlight on the essential value of authentic connections and the importance of purposeful timeouts,” stated Gabe Aguirre, Vice President and General Manager of LEARFIELD’s Hawkeye Sports Properties. “This partnership is poised to cultivate a balanced approach to digital engagement among Hawkeye fans and student-athletes, promoting the importance of meaningful in-person interactions over constant on-screen engagements, while enriching the fan experience with unforgettable moments and genuine connections.”
“It is great to see Hawkeye Athletes featured in such unique NIL opportunities with our multi-media rights partner and a perfect example of how Iowa Athletics is proactively maximizing the space,” said Scott Brickman, Altius Sports Partners General Manager for NIL/Strategy and Operations. “I look forward to working with Gabe and the Hawkeye Sports Properties team on upcoming NIL initiatives and encourage businesses that the time is now to engage with Hawkeye student-athletes.”
UScellular partnered with Cade McNamara (football) as part of this program in the fall and winter of 2023.
About UScellular
UScellular is the fourth-largest full-service wireless carrier in the United States, providing national network coverage and industry-leading innovations designed to help customers stay connected to the things that matter most. The Chicago-based carrier provides a strong, reliable network supported by the latest technology and offers a wide range of communication services that enhance consumers’ lives, increase the competitiveness of local businesses and improve the efficiency of government operations. Through its After School Access Project, the company has pledged to provide hotspots and service to help up to 50,000 youth connect to reliable internet. Additionally, UScellular has price protected all of its plans, promising not to increase prices through at least the end of 2024. To learn more about UScellular, visit one of its retail stores or uscellular.com. To get the latest news, visit newsroom.uscellular.com.
About Hawkeye Sports Properties
Hawkeye Sports Properties is the locally based team of LEARFIELD, the leading media and technology company powering college athletics. All Iowa Athletics sponsorships are managed by Hawkeye Sports Properties, which does not represent student-athletes, but on behalf of the university, is actively engaged with brands to maximize their sponsorships when paired with student-athlete NIL.