STATESBORO – Eagle Nation Collective (ENC), the Official NIL Collective of Georgia Southern Athletics, launches the “Soar Up For The Eagles” program that gives fans the opportunity to round up their purchases to the next dollar to benefit student-athletes at Georgia Southern University.
Aramark and Southern Exchange are the first two partners to sign up for “Soar Up” with the ENC. Other local businesses throughout Statesboro and Bulloch County will be announced soon.
Aramark Sports + Entertainment (Aramark) is the new concessions operator for Georgia Southern Athletics and serves six of Georgia Southern’s competition facilities across campus. Southern Exchange Company is the Official Retail Partner of Georgia Southern Athletics to include in-venue retail outlets inside Allen E. Paulson Stadium (football), J.I. Clements Stadium (baseball) and the Jack & Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center (basketball – projected to open December 2024).
“This is an easy and convenient way for Eagle Nation to help us bridge the NIL financial gap at Georgia Southern,” said Kennedy Finch, the ENC Executive Director. “Aramark and Southern Exchange are the perfect partners to help us launch ‘Soar Up.’ Their locations and prominent point-of-sale retail checkouts in the athletic venues will connect with fans where they enjoy being the most, at Georgia Southern games.”
“The Soar Up program offers Eagle Nation a new and innovative way to support the NIL efforts of our student-athletes,” said Director of Athletics Jared Benko. “What makes this initiative particularly exciting is how simple and user-friendly it is. Our daily mission is to set our student-athletes up for success in life, and NIL is a key part of that. We are deeply grateful to have partners like the Eagle Nation Collective who share in this commitment.”
“Soar Up” is donation roundup program used by many charities to help generate incremental funds to support the organization’s fundraising efforts. The idea behind “Soar Up” is a simple one. The point-of-sale gives the total amount of the bill to the customer. The cashier then asks if the customer wants to round up to the next dollar amount and the proceeds benefit ENC.
In addition to their in-venue locations, Southern Exchange will also provide the “Soar Up” option in their main retail store located at 1598 Chandler Road across from Georgia Southern’s campus.
If businesses are interested in joining “Soar Up,” they should contact the ENC directly at info@EagleNationNIL.com.
The Eagle Nation Collective is the Official NIL Collective of Georgia Southern Athletics. Started with a group of twenty investors, the collective currently represents a student-athlete from every athletic program at Georgia Southern.
NIL comes from the right of publicity, which is an intellectual property right that protects a person’s right to use their name, image, likeness, or other components of their identity (e.g., nickname, pseudonym, voice, signature, likeness, jersey number, or photograph) for commercial benefits or promotional purposes.
On July 1, 2021, the NCAA enacted the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policy. This was a direct result of O’Bannon and Alston’s legal cases.
An approved NIL activity occurs when a student-athlete provides a service using their NIL in exchange for some form of compensation at market value. The most important concept associated with an approved NIL-related activity is “an exchange of services.” The student-athlete provides a service using their NIL, and the recipient of that service compensates the student-athlete in return. NIL activities include, but are not limited to, the following:
Yes. Student-athletes cannot enter into deals that promote any third party related to or associated with the development, production, promotion, distribution, wholesaling, or retailing of the following: tobacco products, including but not limited to any tobacco product, alternative nicotine products, electronic nicotine delivery system; alcohol products, beverage, or brand; adult entertainment products and/or services; gambling/sports wagering in any format (i.e., in person, online, etc.); prescription pharmaceuticals; NCAA banned substances; weapons (including but not limited to firearms and ammunition), political advertising, or other opportunities that go against Georgia Southern University values.
No, if a student-athlete receives money or goods without providing a service, it would be considered an extra benefit under existing NCAA rules. The student-athlete would be deemed immediately ineligible and must go through the NCAA’s reinstatement process before returning to competition. All NIL activities MUST be quid pro quo: there must be an exchange of goods or services for compensation related to one’s NIL. However, there can be no compensation tied to athletic performance such as statistical achievements, wins, or awards.
