Therabody Signs Emily Cole as First Female NIL Athlete

NIL has been a hot topic in the world of college sports. Recently, Therabody announced its first female NIL athlete, Emily Cole, a 2022 ACC silver medalist and author.

Therabody and Duke University track and field athlete Emily Cole announced their NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) partnership. Cole, a 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference silver medalist and sports nutrition author, is Therabody’s first female NIL partner.

NIL refers to the way college athletes can receive compensation. NIL gives athletes the right to publicity that ordinary citizens already have, but that the NCAA previously did not permit. Athletes are allowed to accept compensation in exchange for allowing businesses the ability to use their identifying characteristics in products or advertisements, and can also promote themselves or other companies in public appearances.

Before June 2021, athletes were not allowed to sell their likeness while being on scholarship. However, after the Supreme Court unanimously held in NCAA v. Alston that the NCAA was not legally allowed to limit any education-related payments to students, the rules of the game changed. After this decision, the NCAA deferred to states, who created their own NIL rules. If a state did not pass a law, schools could change their own rules. A wave of endorsement followed.

As Therabody’s first female NIL athlete, Cole is making strides in the industry. She joins Therabody’s impressive lineup of athletic partnerships, including James Harden, Cristiano Ronaldo, and DeAndre Hopkins. Cole was so passionate about the results she received while using Therabody’s ecosystem of products that she began creating her own content about them, leading to the partnership. Her favorite products include SmartGoggles, which help her relax, and the PowerDot and RecoveryTherm, which help with her menstrual pain.