AZ Game Changers Summit addresses the future of college athletics

Government and Community Relations hosted a group of attendees at the Arizona Chamber of Commerce's second annual AZ Game Changers Summit, a half-day conference held last month that highlighted ways to advance Arizona's sports economy. 

One of the sessions featured an in-depth discussion about the impacts of the NCAA and its settlement with athletic conferences about the use of student-athletes' names, images and likeness, commonly referred to as NIL. A panel discussion was facilitated by Horizon Strategies Managing Partner and Arizona Regent Jessica Pacheco, and featured Mike Zavodsky with WME Endeavor, U of A Athletics Director Desireé Reed-Francois and her counterpart at Arizona State University, Graham Rossini. The general feeling among the panelists was that the NIL settlement is a good thing and will level the playing field.

Reed-Francois pointed out that college athletics generates incredible viewership, galvanizes our communities and is the best college investment. 

"The more we can invest, the better," Reed-Francois said, sharing the reciprocal impacts of athletics on enrollment, philanthropy and building emotional connections within communities.

The panelists agreed that an unintended, and positive, impact of NIL can be seen in the players and their actions. Francois said before they're posting something on social media, the athletes are taking time to think about their image and how they want to present themselves. 

"Students have an incredible branding arm," Reed-Francois said. "Our young people are genuinely connecting in an authentic way."