Kirby Porter shares the formula for using NIL to launch a winning career in business
Kirby Porter shares the formula for using NIL to launch a winning career in business
NIL and career advice from a former college athlete and current leader in the business of sports.
Kirby Porter, a former Harvard women’s basketball team guard, played college sports before the age of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL). When asked how she would approach NIL if she were a college athlete today, she replied, “I would probably be treating it like a career opportunity, for sure.”
Porter represented the Crimson on the court for four years, earning her bachelor’s in sociology and using the Ivy League networks and opportunities presented to her by Harvard. She held several marketing internships, including with the New England Patriots and Under Armor. After graduating, she spent two years at PepsiCo as a marketing analyst and over a year at Will Ventures.
Although Porter’s time in college athletics did not overlap with NIL, she has been involved with athlete empowerment and NIL campaigns, including Meta’s NIL Incubator and New Game Labs, a company she founded in Jan. 2022.
Based on her experience as an athlete and her current working proximity to college athletics, Porter has some advice for student-athletes to get the most out of their athletic and professional journeys in the age of NIL.
Take advantage of school networks and career development programs.
Porter chose Harvard because she wanted to take advantage of the Ivy League network. When choosing where she wanted to go to school, she made the decision off on more than just what team she was playing for.
“I think for me, it was definitely a space where I felt like I could get the D1 athlete experience, but also truly explore what I wanted to do outside of basketball.”
As a player, Porter was part of Management Leadership for Tomorrow, a national nonprofit geared to help Black, Latino and Native Americans find high-trajectory jobs. As a mentor in the Meta Incubator, she sees firsthand how these programs develop positive relationships and provide student-athletes access to business “information and expertise.”
Porter recommends that college athletes invest their time into their schools' opportunities and programs like MLT and Meta’s.
“I think that the most valuable thing that any college athlete can spend their time in is these communities or career development programs,” Porter said.
Learn how to market yourself effectively.
Porter recommends that athletes use NIL to bolster their brands and find a voice for themselves. Early in her athletic career, she started a podcast called Court To Corporate and found that media platforms like LinkedIn were key, participating in LinkedIn's Creator Accelerator Program.
“What do athletes need in this new era?” Porter asked. “The biggest thing is a voice to shape the future of college athletics.”
She encourages student-athletes to learn about the different platforms available for athletes to build their brands. TikTok, LinkedIn and Instagram, for example, should be used for certain audiences, including fans and professionals.
Porter learned how to use her platforms to generate audiences and make professional connections. She recommends that college athletes learn how to market themselves and use the tools at their disposal to do the same.
“I really like to encourage athletes to think about the business side of their brands and to also think about NIL as a career opportunity.”
Make the most of NIL’s career opportunities.
Finally, Porter wants athletes to understand the influence that sports have. With this influence and the opportunities allowed by NIL, student-athletes can create professional partnerships with the brands they like.
“Something I talk a lot about through my newsletter is the blurring lines between athletes as brand partners and athletes as equity partners,” Porter said.
As an entrepreneur involved in venture capital, Porter has watched startups and companies partner with athletes, like Major League Pickball’s partnership with Lebron James. In the age of NIL, she says that athletes have the ability to make career moves.
“NIL is impacting where the sports industry holistically is going,” she said, reflecting on the opportunities created by NIL for female athletes and big-name athlete’s involvement with venture capital and investment.
Porter says that, in its simplest form, NIL is “just another marketing opportunity.” “I hope that in two years, we don't say NIL athlete anymore because everyone's an athlete, some are younger, some are in college, but it's the same fundamentals,” Porter said. “You are partnering with athletes because they are great brand partners.”
Kirby Porter has a lot of advice for college-athletes in the age NIL. To hear it, watch her interview with Chase Griffin with The Athlete’s Bureau Podcast.
Griffin Uribe Brown, TAB Contributor, is a second-year student at Syracuse University from the Chicago area. He is a journalism and policy studies dual major and has spent the last few years doing a variety of coverage at SU, including the award-winning “Infodemic”, yearlong reporting project on misinformation. Griffin loves soccer more than almost anything and can be found on Instagram or X/Twitter.
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