Could your social media profiles be holding you back from landing that NIL deal?

Since we celebrated the two-year anniversary of NIL (Name, Images & Likeness) earlier this month on July 1st, young athletes have the ability to capitalize on their personal brand through endorsements and sponsorships. This is a significant milestone for NCAA Student Athletes and has taken the world by storm.

However, most brands have become selective with who is representing their brand and do not want to work with immature or unprofessional athletes. We all know that our social media profiles are a direct reflection of our character and brands want to work with athletes whose values align with the company’s and will represent them in a positive light. If your content consistently portrays you as immature and unprofessional, most brands will not want to associate with you which will limit your ability to secure NIL deals. 

3 tips on what you should be posting to increase exposure for NIL:

1) Highlights and “behind the scenes” footage:

The most popular content that athletes post on social media is highlight reels of performances. There is no doubt that posting your impressive moments will attract the attention of potential sponsors. Posting more than your game-day performance such as your workout sessions, recovery techniques, wellness tips, and general lifestyle content will provide a deeper glimpse into your life and give potential sponsors a better idea of who you are.

2) Personal stories & inspirational messages:

In addition to sports content, you can use social media to share your personal stories such as your journey, challenges and overall dedication to your sport. By sharing inspiring messages and insights into your life, you can better connect with your audiences and portray yourself as a role model, ultimately making yourself more attractive to sponsors. 

3) Community involvement & family:

Another popular choice of content among athletes to post is advocacy. Sharing content regarding social change, charity events/fundraisers and volunteer work can highlight your commitment to making a positive impact beyond your sport. Most brands like to see social responsibility and philanthropy, so they may be more interested if you show that you are actively involved in your community. Also, family vacations, birthdays, accomplishments, etc., are a great add-on to your posts and overall view of your life.

For young athletes, social media can be a stepping stone for successful NIL deals. Posting responsible content online, showcasing that you align with their brand values, and actively managing your online presence can help aspiring collegiate athletes maximize their NIL opportunities. 

About LifeBrand

LifeBrand offers a simple solution for young athletes looking to build or maintain a strong online reputation. Our AI-powered software privately scans your social media accounts and once complete, flags any questionable content posted from their very first post. YOU then have the opportunity to keep, edit or delete the content in a matter of minutes. Additionally, every flagged post comes with an explanation, which helps young social media users understand why the technology chose to flag the content and ensure they don’t post similar content in the future. 

Student athletes work incredibly hard year-round on their sport to catch the attention of not only coaches, but now NIL recruiters. Don’t let social media be the reason you can’t capitalize on your name.

In the competitive world of high school club and travel sports, no spot on any team is guaranteed. However, there are steps student-athletes can take to not only better prepare for their club tryout but also to stand out in the crowd and secure the spotlight on the court or field. Pay close attention to the following five steps, and be ready to invest some time, energy, and focus, to ensure you are equipped to face your club tryouts head-on.

5 Steps to a Successful Tryout

1. Train

It’s no surprise that your club tryout will take a toll on your body physically. Do yourself a favor and start the training ahead of time. This way, your athleticism can shine and your endurance can run the course of an aggressive multi-day tryout. There are numerous sports-specific workouts published publicly that you can do at home or at the gym. Make a plan, write it down, start early, and stick to it.

2. Reach out to the club Director

Ask about booking individual lessons with one of their coaches. Speaking as a 12-year club coach, this is a fantastic way to get your name out there. Learn about the club, its coaches, and get 1-on-1 training from the experts.

3. Register for tryouts ahead of time!

Many clubs organize their tryouts based on numbers, and preregistered athletes usually get ahead just by signing up before the deadline. Perks like skipping the registration line upon arrival on day one, receiving a pre-numbered tryout shirt, and getting the chance to start warming up early as the latecomers fight through all the red tape are just some of the advantages.

4. During the tryout:

Be vocal, volunteer to shag balls, and play with a smile! When it comes to sports, we coaches can teach you how to play, how to swing harder, jump higher, or run faster. What we cannot teach is coachability, personality, or spirit. Showcase that you are a team player, be vocally supportive of the athletes around you, introduce yourself to the coach rating your court/field area, and always take a few minutes before each water break to help gather equipment.

5. Leave nothing behind.

You may not be the fastest runner in the gym, the highest jumper on the field, or the strongest hitter on the court; but what you can do is give it all you’ve got. Dive for every ball, call for every pass, sprint as fast as you can, transition to each spot faster than others, showcase your endurance and your athletic ability, and never give up. If your vocals match up with your heart, you will get noticed, and in all the best ways.

No matter what sport, club/travel/AAUs are often where US college coaches find and recruit talent for our upcoming seasons. Club is no longer just the sport you play between your high school seasons to stay in shape. Club sports showcase some of the most competitive teams there are in high school circuits today. If you are serious about wanting to be a better athlete and get noticed by club coaches, then follow the above 5 steps carefully and intently. Remember: the path of vigilance is always a direct path to success.

The demand for high expectations can set anyone up for failure, especially for youth athletes who are not mentally tough or not accustomed to being pushed into a level of discomfort, like tryouts.

For some, participating in strenuous activities brings a stressful sense of urgency in the form of stage fright, headaches, continuous perspiration, numerous trips to the bathroom (all forms of anxiousness, nervousness, and scared feelings) performance anxiety equating to the pressure to perform.

The expectation of performance and fear of failure cripples athletes at all levels due to the worthiness of impressing a coach, parent, siblings, scouts, and teammates, often sometimes sabotaging their performance due to a lack of confidence.

Developing concrete yet consistent strategies to counteract mental setbacks can help athletes have a better experience while succeeding in their sport. In addition, assisting an athlete in identifying various triggers can help change how an athlete performs. For example, some strategies might come from practicing with those (parents, teammates, or friends from an opposing team) willing to participate, or mindset strategies that will help the athlete focus on the task and not comparison.

More importantly, talking to experienced athletes who have been in similar positions should document a consistent strategy, a plan of preparation “drills and exercises” to encourage success. Furthermore, having a plan is vital in keeping yourself calm and focused, which will enhance your capabilities despite your feelings.

Concentration, calmness, and confidence also can help one avoid the traps of focusing on the wrong things before and during the tryouts. Instead, focus on what you can control, and things might come to you easier because nothing can be achieved without practice.

Here are several tips to help anyone have success during tryouts.

Get a good night’s sleep; at least 8 hours.

Athletes that train and participate in games should sleep about an hour extra, when applicable.

Make Film study a priority.

A visualization mindset is a vital tool used by highly successful people.

Drink plenty of water, consume fruits and veggies.

Water is most healthful; more importantly, athletes can stay hydrated by adding fruits and vegetables.

Get a massage or stretch therapy.

Massages improve an athlete’s range of motion, soft tissue function, athletic performance, and decrease delayed onset muscle soreness, in addition to stiffness and fatigue after a performance.

Hit the weight room; it breeds confidence.

Exercise will certainly boost your self-esteem.

Don’t focus on your competition.

Focusing on your competition prevents original ideas and creativity. As a result, you are missing out on the best athlete you could be.

Know your weaknesses.

Knowing your weaknesses is equal to knowing your strengths for success.

Pay attention to what’s going on.

Distractions often derail individuals; therefore, directing your attention to your priorities will allow you to accomplish the unthinkable.

Listen to feedback.

It’s not uncommon to hate constructive criticism; however, criticism can be your best lesson. It’s a sign that someone loves you and cares.

Be coachable.

Coaches love coachable athletes; it improves their willingness to learn, takes your ability to the next level, and helps you attain achievable goals.

Understand The Power of Self Talk

Self-talk can assist in correcting negative thoughts and coping during difficult tryouts. Self-encouragement can go a long way before and after. It allows one to accomplish obtainable goals.

Have fun!

Always have the mindset to learn and increase in established mental abilities.

CLICK HERE to learn more about mental health in sports or HERE for more about tryouts.

If you spend a game warming the bench, it can be frustrating. If you spend a season warming the bench, you have become better at precisely one thing: increasing the wood temperature. Every player, including Aaron Rodgers and Michael Jordan, has sat watching their teammates play at some point in their career. No one expects you to enjoy the situation, but how you handle it can stand you in good stead with your current coach and, more importantly, keep you involved in the sport for longer.

How much is enough playing time?

The answer is different at different levels of development. For young players learning the game, the answer is simple: you need to play. If you are only getting a few minutes here and there, you should consider moving to a different team or even sport, where you can get game time and have fun. Good coaches and teams recognize the need for everyone to play and be involved, which may mean running additional teams. At an early age, it should not be about winning championships but encouragement and participation.

In middle school, when children start to make more of their own decisions about sport, the two questions I would ask are:

1. Am I having fun?
2. Am I getting better?

If the answer to both of these is, ‘yes, then you are in a good place. You are enjoying the sport and improving. This is a perfect place to be, even if you aren’t the starter. However, people can get into your mind: teachers, parents, and other adults can all add their opinions, whether helpful or informed or not.

“You should be getting more game time,” and ”I don’t know why the coach is playing X. You clearly should be starting.” Those may seem positive but can give you a sense of either entitlement or resentment. Neither are positive character traits.

Coaches sometimes make mistakes on selection. They are human beings, after all. They may be focused on winning the match this weekend rather than looking after your future career.

If you are not improving and think lack of game time is the reason, you may have to switch clubs. However, at this level, that is more difficult.

Look In The Mirror

The hardest thing to do is look in the mirror and say, ‘What can I do to get better?’ Some things are out of your control: height, muscle fiber type, your parents, and being drafted by an NFL team with a 3-time league MVP starting at quarterback ahead of you (Brett Favre). But many things are within your control, and it is best to focus on those things rather than what you can not control. Here are three of them:

• Do I work harder than any other player? (Effort is entirely within your control).
• Do I know what I need to do to improve? (I might need to ask the coach this).
• Am I a good teammate? (Being nice and supportive will encourage other players to involve you and help you get better. It will definitely be noticed that you are a good ‘locker room’ person).

I was rarely penciled in as a starter when I was competing, and I spent many fruitless hours fretting about being selected. Remember that, unless your Mom or Dad is the coach, you are not in control of team selection: the coach is. You can choose to improve and get better and give the coach no choice but to select you, or you can gripe and whine and look for someone else to blame.

Sometimes, you do have to change teams to get more playing time, but that should be a second or third resort. The first is to look to work harder and get better. The second is to be patient and bide your time. You are only one tackle or one ‘flu bug away from being called on to replace the player ahead of you.

Make sure you are ready for it. And enjoy the time with your teammates while you can.

Read More:

• 20 Tips to Help Your Athlete Get Off the Bench
• How Kids Can Tell If Their Coach Cares
• How to Develop a Successful Mindset for a Youth Athlete

Sitting on the bench is a reality of playing sports. You will probably have to spend some time cheering on your teammates from the sidelines at some point in your career. But if you dream of being on the court, how can you get more playing time?

Talk to Your Coach

The first thing you need to do if you’re looking for more minutes is have a conversation with your coach. Ask to schedule a meeting and have an open discussion about your role on the team and your desire to play more.

The best thing you can do is ask “Coach, what do I need to do or change to help this team be successful?” If you frame your desire to play more around the team’s betterment, it shows your coach that you are a team player and are willing to learn and grow.

Often coaches will explain the role they see you filling for the team, or point out areas for improvement in your game. Once you have a clear guideline of what is expected of you, and what you need to do, you can set out on improving your game.

Put in Extra Practice

The next step is to put in extra hours. If you are behind on your conditioning, get some extra wind sprints in. Maybe your skills need a bit of an upgrade? Try to schedule an extra 10-20 minutes a day of ball-handling or form shooting. If you’re having trouble getting the plays memorized, talk with your coach about watching film, or recruit some teammates to help you before or after practice.

The key is that this needs to be on top of your daily practices. The only way you’re going to earn more time is by putting in more work than the person next to you.

Have a Good Attitude

If you pout about not playing enough, you will most likely play even less. But if you are cheering on your teammates from the bench and spreading positivity, your coach is going to be much more likely to play you more.

Maintaining a good attitude through adversity is a hallmark of a good athlete. Keep your head up.

Make the Most of the Minutes You Have

Be ready to make the most of the minutes you get when you’re put in the game. This means you need to stay involved when you’re on the bench. Know the offense and defense your team is running and know who you’re guarding. After that, focus on playing for the team and giving your utmost effort. You’re not trying to be a star player, but a reliable player.

Don’t worry about making mistakes. They’re going to happen. What shows the coach you’re ready to play more minutes is how you respond after a mistake. Don’t hang your head or mope. Make up for it with a big hustle play!

Work Hard

If you’re not the most skilled player on the team, you will most likely have to make up for it in effort. Everyone should have to work hard, but sometimes that’s not reality. Show the coach how much you want it by giving 100% effort at all times. Every team needs a player who can make hustle plays. If you can be that person, you will get more playing time.

Dive on the floor for a loose ball. Go in hard for a tackle. Dive for a line drive. These are the little things that go a long way to show the coach your dedication.

Transition to a New Position

If you’re not getting playing time because there are a lot of players ahead of you for a certain position, consider talking with the coach about switching to a new position. Let’s say the team already has four post players. Then, maybe can you work on your shooting and transition out to a wing player. If you’re the third-string quarterback, consider possibly transitioning to safety.

Taking this route means learning a new set of skills and taking up a new role on the team, so it might take a little longer for this to earn playing time. But it is something to consider if you’re really trying to up your minutes, as it makes you a more versatile player.

You May Not Get More Playing Time

Even if you follow all of these tips and do everything right, there may not be room for you to have more minutes. This is a critical point for an athlete because you can accept this fact and decide to enjoy the experience and be the best teammate possible. Or you can let it fester and come between you and your teammates and coach. I urge you to try and come to terms with your role on the team.

And, the beauty of sports is that things change quickly. You may unexpectedly get your shot because of a teammate’s injury, players graduating, or even a new style of play. No matter what happens, try to find joy in being part of a team, getting a good workout, and participating in a sport you love.

There is much to be gained from sports if your child can have fun and not worry about winning. Of course, everyone wants to win, but truthfully, for your child, it should be all about fun. You will see amazing qualities emerge if playing sport is exciting and enjoyable. For example, improved social skills and teamwork, good emotional and mental health, and higher levels of leadership qualities, academic achievement, and responsibility will result.

However, sportsmanship must be developed for all of this to happen because it blends all these attributes together and more.

What is Sportsmanship?

Sportsmanship is being fair, respectful, and ethical to coaches, referees, competitors, and teammates. The practice of good sportsmanship applied and learned on the field are qualities that transfer and are used in life. The quintessential example of good sportsmanship comes from your Mom or Dad. Your support from the sidelines can send positive or negative signals encouraging good or bad behavior on the field.

Here are seven important ways to be a perfect role model of sportsmanship for your child. Sometimes it is not about what you say but how you look and what you do.

1. It is crucial to be a good sport because your child sees and absorbs everything.

Your child’s feelings of sportsmanship will deepen based on how they perceive your participation. For example, if your child observes you yelling at the referee, quarreling with the coach, or making fun of the opposing team, they will think it is acceptable to do the same. And possibly, turn your youngster into a bully and lose respect for authority.

Youth sports are meant to develop character and leadership skills. So, be sure to support both teams enthusiastically, so your child’s sportsmanship will enhance their abilities.

2. Be mindful of your body language.

You may not be aware, but your child unconsciously picks up your body language and the common gestures you make. For example, how you stand, your body posture, how you move your eyes, shake your head, etc., can show frustration or dissatisfaction. You don’t realize it, but they unconsciously detect it. As a result, your child may feel stress, anxiety, and nervousness.

So, be mindful of your body postures and stances. If you think, say, and do positive things, it will change your body language.

What’s happening in your mind is expressed through your body’s physical appearance. For example, saying positive words, cheering, and smiling, will send different body signals to your child visually. If you think your child made a bad play and you don’t, smile and cross your arms; it shows frustration without saying a word. Just relax and enjoy your child’s game. You will be surprised how much it works!

3. Don’t be hard on your child if they make a mistake.

Mistakes will happen. They are a part of life, and your child will make many of them. Tell your child it is ok. And when off the field or at practice, work on the mistake without them knowing to help them become better. This way, you will not make them self-conscious. It will change them emotionally and mentally for the best.

Mistakes are not signs of weakness; they are signs to help your child grow and become stronger. Accepting and understanding mistakes helps your child’s brain absorb information better, improve faster, and make fewer mistakes in the future. However, if your child fears making mistakes, they will make more of them.

So, there is no need to pinpoint and scream during the game.

4. Make sure you cheer your child’s efforts, not just the best moments, like scoring a goal.

They need to know that playing on a team has a structure, that all plays and players create the goal, not just the scorer. All the effort leading up to the score was essential to score the point. Cheering all their efforts on the field will help them understand teamwork and how a team functions.

5. Have fun.

If your child sees you are having fun, it takes the stress off them, and they can just play and enjoy the game. And will play more freely, not worrying about making a mistake. However, sometimes your child may feel they need to impress you. So let them know that fun is the main objective. Furthermore, when your child is having fun, they will be excited. And excitement stimulates your child’s brain to learn and absorb much more about the game, their skills, sportsmanship, etc.

6. Always end the game by shaking hands.

Even if your child played a challenging game and maybe had an issue with a player or the ref, teach them to let it go. Shaking hands is a perfect way to leave the field in peace. It is a sign of respect, and what happened is over. If you cast threats, anger, and frustration, it will negatively impact your child’s performance. Most importantly, make sure you thank the coach and referee after the game with your child.

7. Practice self-control.

Games can get heated. Sometimes the calls don’t go the correct way. Sometimes the referee misses a foul. You need to control your emotions during the game. If you can remain cool, calm, and collective, it will help your child do the same. And if they can remain calm, they will maintain good performance. Your self-control will help your child stay focused in the game and not worried about how the referee missed the foul.

Remember, your child is learning. If you make playing sports fun for them, it will bring incredible value to their lives. So, positively support them and avoid negativity.

For more articles on how parents can improve sportsmanship, CLICK HERE!