Sports

FGCU Men's basketball gets NIL help via Lee Health sponsorship

WGCU | By Cary Barbor,

Published November 13, 2023 at 3:01 PM EST

Lee Health will sponsor Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) Men’s Basketball student-athletes through the SWFL Flight Crew, a community-driven Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) collective, which is organized independently of FGCU to advance the opportunities of FGCU Athletics. Lee Health is the first corporate sponsor of the NIL collective. The collaboration, which will be a first-of-its-kind in Southwest Florida, will support the student-athletes from a community and healthcare-perspective, especially when it relates to orthopedic care, through Lee Health Sports Medicine. Lee Health is focused on enhancing its state-of-the-art, nationally leading orthopedic program. — Lee Health will sponsor Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) Men’s Basketball student-athletes through the SWFL Flight Crew, a community-driven Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) collective.

Starting in June 2021, college athletes in Florida were allowed to earn compensation for their name, image, and likeness. A team at FGCU is getting some help with that.

The FGCU Men’s basketball team will receive support from Lee Health, the health system announced last week. It will sponsor the team through the SWFL Flight Crew, a community Name, Image and Likeness collective, whose aim is to advance opportunities for FGCU athletes.

Junior Dallion Johnson, who plays guard for the FGCU Eagles, says it’s a win-win.

“You get to support your community while also doing what you love, playing basketball,” says Johnson.

Partnering with the SWFL Flight Crew, Lee Health is helping foster growth and empowerment for student-athletes at FGCU

SWFL Flight Crew says it will work to create opportunities for the athletes to earn appearance and endorsement fees that capitalize on their name, image, and likeness.

Teammate Isaiah Thompson, a senior guard, thinks the collaboration will benefit the school as a whole.

“Having corporate sponsors for our NIL collective will also help FGCU to recruit the best athletes in the future,which benefits the university and the region,” Thompson said.

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