ROCHESTER, Mich. – Announced by Director of Athletics Steve Waterfield on Tuesday and in partnership with Opendorse, Oakland University has created the "Gold Standard," a new and easily accessible online marketplace platform to support and promote Golden Grizzlies student-athletes as they pursue Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities.

A nationwide leader in the NIL and student-athlete endorsement industry, Opendorse has collaborated with student-athletes from over 100 colleges to help build and monetize their names and brands.

Student-athletes from all 19 Oakland varsity athletic programs will have the option to create and maintain a personalized Opendorse profile that showcases their unique interests, talents, and products and will allow interested third parties – such as fans and businesses – to smoothly and quickly browse, pitch, book and compensate these student-athletes for their time, products and/or services.

"The Gold Standard Marketplace provides Golden Grizzly student-athletes with a unique platform to engage in NIL opportunities while streamlining the process for fans, businesses, and organizations to present these opportunities to OU student-athletes," Waterfield said in a statement.

"The marketplace expands our already strong partnership with Opendorse and offers student-athletes another valuable resource to maximize their NIL opportunities."

As Waterfield referenced, Oakland embarks on the Gold Standard era with an existing relationship with Opendorse, as the University partnered with the company in 2021 and took this to another level when the Horizon League announced a conference-wide collaboration in June 2022.

ABOUT NIL AND COMPLIANCE
Effective July 1, 2021, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Michigan state law permit student-athletes to engage in these NIL activities:

• Use NIL to receive compensation from a business to promote their product or service
• Use NIL to promote their own business or promote a business that employs fellow student-athletes
• Receive compensation to sign autographs or appear at a business or private event
• Utilize an agent to assist with NIL activities, provided there is a written agreement between the student-athlete and agent that is specific to NIL activities and not for sport-related representation

Interested Oakland fans and supporters can visit this link to see the Gold Standard Marketplace in action.