Life After Sport: the brand you already have

Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege of standing in front of college athletes across a range of sports. Different locker rooms, different personalities, same goal.

I help them position themselves for stronger NIL opportunities: knowing what makes them stand out, what partners look for and how to tell their story with confidence. Along the way, I help them see something bigger. The brand they are building now isn’t just about this season or their next deal.

It is the foundation for everything that comes after the game. And most athletes are much further along than they realize.

Your jersey has an expiration date. Your brand doesn’t.

Every athlete knows the clock is running. Four or five years of eligibility, maybe a few more if you play professionally. What most people don’t tell you is that the brand you are building right now outlasts all of it.

Your brand is not your logo, your follower count or your stat line. It is what people feel and remember after you leave the room. It is the energy you bring, the way you treat people and the story you tell about where you have been. That travels with you into every job interview, boardroom, community board and family dinner for the rest of your life.

NIL is the first chapter of your brand, not the whole book.

Sport already built the foundation

Here is the good news. If you are a college athlete, you are not starting from scratch. You have spent years building the exact qualities employers, partners and communities look for. You just may not have the words for them yet.

Showing up. Early mornings, film sessions and practices when you would rather be anywhere else. That is reliability, and it is rare.

Presence under pressure. Serving at match point. Free throws in a packed arena. Fourth and short. Learning to perform when it counts is a skill most professionals spend years trying to develop.

Being part of something bigger. You know how to play a role, lift a teammate and win as a group. Every great organization runs on that.

Getting back up. Losses, injuries, benchings and slumps. You already know how to take a hit and keep going.

These are not just athletic traits. They are brand traits. The work is learning to name them, own them and tell them in a way that connects long after your last game.

What volleyball gave me

I know this because I have lived it. I am a proud native Tucsonan, a University of Arizona fine arts graduate and a volleyball letterwinner from 1986 to 1989. At the time, I thought volleyball was about volleyball.

It wasn’t. Sport taught me about identity, team, showing up and performing under pressure. Those lessons followed me into every chapter that came next: creating campaigns for sports organizations and tourism brands, leading a global marketing and communications team for a billion-dollar medical device company through a full rebrand, and helping nonprofits raise millions by telling their stories well.

My path also wasn’t always easy. I have navigated cancer, divorce and more than one career change. Each of those seasons refined my brand rather than erased it. The athlete in me knew how to regroup, adjust the game plan and get back on the court.

Today I have watched both of my kids earn their own letters at Arizona. I see the same truth in them that I see in every team I speak to. The experience you are having right now is shaping who you will be for decades.

Your brand isn’t fixed. It grows as you grow.

Five ways to build a brand that lasts beyond the game

Be intentional. Think about how you show up. What colors feel like you? What words do you use often? What do you want people to remember about you when the season ends?

Know your story. What makes you unique beyond your position and your stats? Which experiences shaped you? Which values do you hold close? That story is what employers and partners will connect with.

Own your name. Whether it is your birth name, a nickname or a name you choose, let it reflect your strength, your creativity and your truth. Your name will open doors long after your number is retired.

Celebrate your roots. Your culture, your family and your hometown are part of your brand. Honor them. They are what make your story yours and no one else’s.

Stay curious. Ask questions, take the internship, meet the alum and try new things. The athletes who thrive after sport are the ones who keep learning about themselves.

Look pro before you go pro

Whether your next chapter is a professional contract, a career, a business of your own or something you haven’t imagined yet, the foundation is the same. Know who you are. Say it clearly. Show up the same way on and off the court.

The brand you are building today is only scratching the surface of where this experience will take you. Build it with intention now, and it will keep working for you for the rest of your life.