Top-level college athletes have some of the busiest schedules around, as they balance classwork with a Division I training schedule and frequent travel to away games. But while the universities they attend profit handsomely from their athletic programs, the players themselves have historically been banned from accepting any compensation outside of their scholarships. That’s why it was something of a game-changer when the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 2021 voted to allow those athletes to receive financial support from corporate sponsors by licensing their “name, image, and likeness” (NIL).
Once the rule change took effect, Delafield, Wisconsin-based third-party logistics service provider (3PL) Evans Transportation Services Inc. jumped into the game. In January, the company began sponsoring two athletes from the University of Wisconsin: football wide receiver Chimere Dike and softball player Molly Schlosser.
This decision was an easy one for Evans Transportation because two of its executives had been college athletes themselves. Company CEO Ryan Keepman played football at the University of Wisconsin, and the company’s president, Jason Mansur, ran cross country at the University of St. Thomas.
“We … know what these kids are going through and want to be there to support them,” Keepman said in a release. “Evans believes that there’s value in these kids having some money in their pockets, to help them live a healthy and productive college life. With as much as every college athlete gives to their university—and to those of us who are inspired by their performances—we want to do everything we can to help them succeed at even higher levels both on the field and in the classroom.”
