Course

Sports Marketing for Today's College Athlete

Self-paced

$249 Enroll

Full course description

Overview

This online course demystifies the complex sports marketing landscape for college athletes and equips you with the knowledge to navigate its legal, ethical, and commercial dimensions. You’ll gain a deep understanding of the right of publicity, the unique challenges across NCAA divisions, and the strategies that enable student-athletes to monetize their name, image, and likeness (NIL) responsibly.

Designed for aspiring sports marketing professionals and early-career leaders, this course blends real-world case studies with practical insights to help you build a competitive edge in a rapidly evolving field. You will leave with the tools to recognize exploitation risks, advise on brand-building strategies, and connect NIL issues to broader marketing and digital identity considerations. Whether you envision a career working with athletes, agencies, or athletic departments, this course will strengthen your expertise and position you at the forefront of the future of sports marketing.

In this course, you will:

  • Explore the legal concept of right of publicity and apply the changing legal landscape to NIL and student athletes.
  • Evaluate the options that student athletes have during recruitment and throughout college to maximize their opportunities and avoid being taken advantage of.
  • Review common terms and phrases in contracts and evaluate sample contracts according to the goals of student-athletes.
  • Discuss strategies to monetize NIL opportunities, and apply these strategies to personal branding considerations.

Structure

The course is completely self paced. It will take you approximately 15 hours to complete all 3 modules. Activities include, video lessons, readings, and discussion board activities. Upon successful completion of this course, you will receive a certificate of completion.

Return to Smith Website | Download Brochure | Contact us: rhsmith-execed@umd.edu