COMMUNITY LEADERS LAUNCH “FRIENDS OF SPIKE” COLLECTIVE, PROVIDING GONZAGA UNIVERSITY STUDENT-ATHLETES WITH UNPARALLELED REVENUE EARNING OPPORTUNITIES
Spokane, WA (March 1, 2022) – Today, key community supporters of Gonzaga University
student-athletes unveiled “Friends of Spike,” the first significant Name, Image, and Likeness
(NIL) collective supporting men and women’s basketball and other sports. The initiative is made
possible by long-time Gonzaga University (GU) supporters Gee Automotive, Washington Trust
Bank, The Wolff Company and Dealers Auto Auction, along with former GU men’s basketball
player Matt Santangelo and former GU women’s basketball player Shaniqua Nilles.
On June 30, 2021, the Division 1 Board of Directors approved an interim name, image, and
likeness policy. This new policy allows all NCAA D1, D2, and D3 student-athletes to be
compensated for their NIL as of July 1, 2021.
“Friends of Spike” is the bedrock to providing a long-term and organized NIL program around
GU student-athletes. Supporters of the men and women who represent Gonzaga athletics as
student-athletes now will be able to engage directly with athletes for corporate advertising
campaigns, youth sports coaching sessions, brand representation, merchandising programs,
speaking appearances and more.
Powering “Friends of Spike” will be NIL technology and marketing agency, Blueprint Sports
(BPS), led in Spokane by Matt Santangelo and Shaniqua Nilles. “As former student-athletes here
in Spokane, we know firsthand how much of an impact we can have on the community and the
world,” agreed Santangelo and Nilles. “Whether a student-athlete goes pro or not isn’t the point
of participating in collegiate sports. Thanks to this long-overdue interim NIL policy by the
NCAA and now by the State of Washington, current and future student-athletes at Gonzaga have
the largest stage in history to share their favorite brands with fans and, most important, invest in
their own future. We were fortunate to represent Gonzaga on the court and worldwide as we
played professional basketball. We’re excited to watch the Zags community grow across the
nation and worldwide as these student-athletes continue to excel,” they added.
Gonzaga student-athletes have begun joining the platform to ensure they can participate in the
opportunities presented by the “Friends of Spike” collective.
About Friends of Spike
Friends of Spike is a collective connecting student-athletes at Gonzaga University with business
opportunities under the NCAA’s new Name, Image and Likeness rules. Businesses wishing to
engage and work with student-athletes at Gonzaga University are invited to visit
www.friendsofspike.com.
About Blueprint Sports
Founded in Las Vegas in 2020, Blueprint Sports (BPS) powers industry-leading name, image,
and likeness (NIL) collectives for Alumni, Fans, and Businesses around student-athletes at their
favorite university, with a management team possessing more than 50 years of college and
professional sports agency and digital brand experience. For more information on Blueprint
Sports, visit www.blueprintsports.com.
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