Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) Requests
Are you a student-athlete interested in using the University of Cincinnati brand to support your name, image, or likeness? Below, you will find the latest information on UC policy and educational materials when it comes to incoporating the University's brand into your NIL.
NIL Brand Request Form
All requests to use the UC brand with any NIL activities must be submitted using the above Brand Request Form. Once the form is submitted, the request will be reviewed by the Trademark Licensing & Brand Engagement Office. Promotional uses that involve a business will be shared with UC Athletics and Bearcats Sports Properties for review and response. Requests for commercial use of UC's brand will be managed by the Trademark Licensing & Brand Engagement Office. Student-athletes will receive an email that provides information related to their request within 5 business days.
NIL Licensees
Below is a list of current NIL licensees with the Univeristy of Cincinnati. This is not a fully inclusive list and others may be added at anytime.
- Champion (t-shirts, fleece)
- Under Armour (replica jerseys, t-shirts, fleece)
- Knights Apparel (t-shirts, fleece)
- Follett (Under Armour replica jerseys, t-shirts, fleece)
- Fanatics (Under Armour replica jerseys)
- Cincy Shirts (t-shirts, fleece)
- Breaking-T (t-shirts, fleece)
- Wildcat Retro Brands (replica jerseys, t-shirts, fleece)
- Panini (trading cards)
- Topps (trading cards)
- The Players Trunk (trading cards)
- Rock 'Em Apparel (socks)
- Gametime Sidekicks (drinkware)
- Recur (NFTs)
- EP-AP (digital art/screen saver)
- The Athletic Collection (posters/art)
- ATH Posters (posters/art)
- Blue 84 (Merch by Amazon)
- Trevco (Amazon)
- FANGRAPHIX
- Outerstuff
- Rally House (apparel)
UC Corporate Partners
The brands listed below make substantial annual investments to the University of Cincinnati and it is possible that a conflict will exist if your proposed NIL agreement conflicts with a current University of Cincinnati agreement. Please note, this is not a complete list, but examples of partners include:
- AAA
- Aramark
- CBTS
- Cincinnati.com
- Cincinnati Bell
- Donatos
- Fifth Third Bank
- Follett
- Gatorade
- John Morrell
- Kroger
- Mellenium Business Systems
- NovaCare Rehabilitation
- Pepsi
- PNC Bank
- Skyline Chili
- Toyota
- UC Health
- Under Armour
- US Bank
NIL Tips
NIL activities: receiving compensation from providing services, selling goods, or licensing rights to/for others tied to your name, image, and/or likeness.
What You Can Do
You can post content from the university on social media as a personal post.
You can post sponsored content that does not contain the university's name, logo, marks, or official phrases.
What You Can't Do
You can't post content from the university on social media as sponsored content or as an ad.
You can't post sponsored content that contains branding marks, logos, or the university's name.
You can't endorse any company or brand that manufactures, markets, sells, or is associated with a controlled substance, marijuana product, medical marijuana product, alcoholic product, tobacco product, electronic smoking device, vapor product, or product or device that consists of or contains nicotine that can be ingested into the body.
NIL FAQs
Yes, with approval from the University of Cincinnati's Trademark Licensing & Brand Engagement Office.
Yes, student-athletes must request permission prior to engaging in any NIL activity that requires the use of UC Athletics uniforms, equipment, or gear.
All requests to use UC's brand must be submitted using the NIL Brand Request Form. Once the form is submitted, the request will be reviewed by the Trademark Licensing & Brand Engagement Office. Promotional uses that involve a business will be shared with UC Athletics and Bearcats Sports Properties for review and response. Requests to use UC's brand on a product will be managed by the Trademarks & Licensing Office. Student-athletes will receive an email that provides information related to their request within 5 business days.
A student-athlete need not obtain University of Cincinnati approval to identify her/himself in a factual manner as "University of Cincinnati [sport/player]", "Cincinnati [sport/player]", or [Bearcats sport/player]" in print, radio, and/or television advertising, so long as there is no other use of University of Cincinnati marks, jerseys, red and black colors, etc. Student-athletes will need to disclose the NIL details to Athletics Compliance through ARMS.
Requests to use photographs and video are evaluated and may require additional approval from copyright holders. This information should be provided in the NIL Brand Request Form.
Yes, see list of partners above. Please note, this is not a complete list but examples of partners.
A student-athlete may not enter into a contract that contains a provision that conflicts with the University of Cincinnati's own contractual obligations. Athletics will review student-athlete disclosures for potential conflicts. If a term of a proposed student-athlete contract conflicts with UC's contractual obligations, Athletics will instruct the student-athlete regarding required modifications. A list of current partners can be found listed above in the 'UC Corporate Partners' section.