Sabrina Ionescu, a former Oregon women's basketball player, will be the Chief Athlete officer of... [+] Division Street in order to ensure that the athlete voice is heard. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images). Getty Images
Today, several former alumni and prominent University of Oregon donors, such as Phil Knight, Pat Kilkenny, Ed Maletis, Jim Morse, Jim Morse, Ed Maletis, Jim Morse, Pap Family, and Phil Knight, announced the creation of Division Street, Inc., a venture that will help Oregon student athletes monetize their NIL.
Rosemary St. Clair is the former VP and GM for NIKE Women NKE. Rudy Chapa, the former VP of Sports Marketing at NIKE, will be the Chairman of the Board.
St. Clair said that student-athletes have many responsibilities and it is difficult to figure out how to monetize them. Our team has spent decades developing the brands of world-class athletes. We will leverage that expertise to increase NIL opportunities by bringing in top experts across branding, sponsorship and digital to support all Oregon student athletes.
Sabrina Ionescu is a former Oregon women's basketball star and the No. Chief Athlete officer will be Sabrina Ionescu, a former Oregon women's basketball star and the No. 1 pick in 2020 WNBA Draft. She will be a senior advisor to Division Street to ensure that the athlete's voice is heard in all aspects of the company's activities. Through quarterly seminars, she will also share her expertise as an athlete of high profile with a growing portfolio top-tier partnerships with Oregon student-athletes.
Ionescu stated that as an athlete who navigates the world of brand partnerships and athletes, I see a real chance to offer college players professional advice as they deal with the new NIL landscape. Division Street recognizes this need and has assembled an all-star team of players to help Oregon. I am also passionate about diversity in sport and gender, so that will be a part of my new role.
Ionescu fits in the athlete-centric approach Division Street plans for keeping at the heart of its mission.
Our decades of experience in building brands for athletes has taught us one thing: putting the athlete first. We can match athletes with the right opportunities by putting them at the center.
Adopt, a brand owned by minorities and creative company that focuses on athletes and sports, will be part of the Division Street team. It was founded recently by Rich Paul, Klutch Sports Group founder. The Adopt team will be led by former Jordan Brand and NIKE executives Nicole Graham, David Creech, and Josh Moore, who bring decades of experience in digital, branding, marketing, and creative to the table. Adopt also recruited Garren Strong, a former executive at Jordan Brand and Oregon wide receive.
St. Clair answered the question about how student athletes can use the attention and platform that being a student athlete gives them to help them pursue their goals after graduation. He said that Division Street's access is crucial.
Professional counsel in brand, marketing, sponsorship and digital is essential for building brands that will help them plan for the future. We are here because of that.
Division Street has also partnered with the University of Oregons Warsaw Sports Marketing Center and School of Journalism and Communication as part of their Sport and Wellness Initiative and the newly created Oregon Accelerator. The University of Oregon's 500+ student-athletes will benefit from the accelerator, which is a unique, student-led, full-service marketing and branding collective.
