As alumni, we all know WSU is a special place. The experience of being a part of the Coug family is something we want more students to experience – including the athletes we recruit to our sports teams!   But the athletic world needs money to stay competitive – so how can we step up our competition so WSU can remain relevant while funneling talented student-athletes into Pullman?   Having an organization like the Cougar Collective – working hard behind the scenes to raise funding for our athletes– is a great start!!    The Cougar Collective connects, facilitates, educates, and supports businesses, fans, and charities through NIL deals with Washington State Student-Athletes.   Let’s be honest here. NIL (Name, Image, & Likeness) is a part of every university conversation – including WSU – and it’s here to stay.   So we might as well leverage NIL and use it for two reasons:  1) To further connect WSU in this community  2) To reward players that will dedicate their time and talent and (hopefully!) get some wins for us    To explain all this and more, WSU alumni Robbie Tobeck (Class of ‘93) and Zach Thornton (Class of ‘22) are on the CougsFirst! Podcast to tell us all about NIL and the Cougar Collective.    Founding member and Co-Chairman (Robbie) and Development Director (Zach) of the Cougar Collective are telling us all about what NIL is, how the Cougar Collective is making an impact, what we can do to help open up opportunities for our WSU athletes, and so much more!    Through mutual partnerships, the team behind the Cougar Collective is keeping WSU competitive by winning all-star athletic recruits to our athletic rosters!    And it's time we learned more about it! Leave a 5 star review on iTunes or Spotify!   What we discussed: [3:36] What is NIL and how it affects WSU [5:35] How NIL has morphed [7:02] Why WSU is behind other colleges and universities when it comes to NIL [8:28] Why NIL regulations fall under a Washington state ethics law [10:24] How WSU athletics is feeling the implications of NIHL in sports recruiting [13:16] The importance of being competitive in sports and why money is necessary for this [14:50] What is the 1890 Club and how can people get involved [16:31] Business opportunities and campaigns that can come from donating to the Cougar Collective [17:42] Different ways to promote your business using Cougar athletes [20:14] How to select athletes to work with [23:29] The future of allowing university athletes to make money off their names [27:42] Why players appreciate monetary support through the Cougar Collective [29:20] How NIL deals can enhance the student-athlete experience at WSU   Links: Website: www.CougarCollective.org    Find out more about our community via the CougsFirst! website:  https://www.cougsfirst.org/    Want to find all of the CougsFirst! businesses? Checkout our directo

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