The NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) Era of college sports is fully upon us and while we've seen Iowa student-athletes dipping their toes into the NIL waters with things like social media sponsorships and personally branded t-shirts, we haven't seen commercials with Iowa athletes promoting things. Until now!
TGood, Dane Belton and their former All American teammate Keith Duncan in their own commercial together Airing now on the airways#blessings pic.twitter.com/0s86c8IRux
— Maurice Goodson (@mogoouchie) August 11, 2021
This is wonderful. It's everything we could have hoped for, honestly.
Are Belton and Goodson a bit awkward? Are the production values decidedly bare bones? Yes, of course. They're 18-22 year old college students, not professional actors. This is also a local ad for Carlos O'Kelly's, not a national advertising campaign.
But, look, we want the awkward dialogue and slightly stiff poses out of these things. Save your slick editing and naturalistic acting for big budget ad campaigns. Let my 20-year old star running back be a 20-year old who just wants to make a few bucks by telling me to go down to Carlos O'Kelly's and grab a nacho platter.
Also, it features wonderfully gratuitous dunking on Nebraska by Keith Duncan, which is just the cherry on top of this entire sundae.
/swoon
If NIL rules had been on the books in years past, what Iowa athletes would you have wanted to see doing ads? And what local businesses or products would you have wanted to see them promote? Robert Gallery promoting Panchero's burritos? Sam Aiello shilling for Mediacom? Drew Tate for Bentley Watch Repair? Let me know down below.
