#SMARTY STREETS FREE#

'My company has a slogan: Everyone needs validation,' he said. It also needed a deep-pocketed investor who wanted to give back to the community, but specifically the female athletes whose games, meets and competitions aren't broadcast every week through an exclusive contract with ESPN, or raking in millions of dollars in revenue to help fund the athletic department. Oliver admits that - like Built Bar's partnership with BYU football - his deal likely wouldn't have been possible were it not for a state like Utah that doesn't have legislation regulating name, image and likeness. 16, 2021 in the Smith Fieldhouse in Provo. 15 Cougars' women's volleyball match against No.

So instead, SmartyStreets donated scholarships in the form of $6,000 each to BYU to support female international student-athletes.īYU libero Madi Allen celebrates a point during the No.

#SMARTY STREETS FREE#

It's already gained some traction on social media, as well as in tech journals like Silicon Slopes, and several athletes have posted about the event - most are as excited for the free pair of Nike Air Jordans that Oliver brought to the ballroom in the downtown Provo Marriott to introduce himself than the long-ranging contract.īecause of NCAA rules and their impact on student visas, international athletes can't receive name, image and likeness endorsements. In total, the deal worth up to $6,000 each with more than 300 female athletes at BYU could surpass $2 million. 'But I quickly realized somebody should do something for the women athletes on campus, and then it hit me: It's going to be me I'm going to do it.' That was the precedent,' Oliver told KSL.com during a lengthy conversation in the startup's offices in south Provo. 'Built Bar was an inspiration to us first-mover advantage, they got out fast and made something happen. The father of five with four daughters - a proud #GirlDad in his own right - made at least the second-biggest move of BYU's NIL era Tuesday when he partnered with every BYU female athlete, from basketball and soccer to volleyball and cheerleading, on a deal that would pay up to $6,000 individually for promoting Provo-based SmartyStreets on social media and participating in various company events and promotions.

Specifically, he thought of the hundreds of female athletes at BYU playing sports like soccer, volleyball, basketball and cross country (among others) who worked just as hard as their male counterparts.Īnd then another thought hit him and his wife: this was going to be his job, as co-founder and CEO of Provo-based tech company SmartyStreets, wasn't it? Oliver applauded the move, but he thought there could be more.

And as he read about the groundbreaking deal between American Fork-based Built Brands and the BYU football program that offered to pay for every walk-on's tuition. That was the thought Jonathan Oliver had to his wife when he found out about name, image and likeness. PROVO - Why can't somebody do that for the talented young women on campus?

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