CONWAY, Ark. — July 1 marked the first time student-athletes had the ability to profit off of their name, image, and likeness.
Just over two weeks later and student-athletes at the University of Central Arkansas are at the forefront of a type of deal that hasn't been done before.
"I can't say that I expected to do something like this, but I'm really excited to do it," Jaxson Baker, a basketball player on the UCA Men's Basketball team said.
Baker is one of the first student-athletes to sign a NIL deal with the Conway Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), a public entity. It's the first of its kind in the country.
We've seen student-athletes sign deals with private businesses, but never one like this.
"For them to approach us and be like, 'Hey, we wanna work with y 'all,' that just validates everything I wanna be here for," Baker said.
For the Conway Convention and Visitors Bureau, who signed the athletes, this deal helps push Conway forward, they say.
"You know, I think being the first public entity to enter into a NIL agreement, it's really just another exhibit of this being an innovative and forward-thinking community," Jamie Gates with Conway CVB said.
Gates says as Conway continues to grow as a city, deals like this make sense.
"We've got a track record of being progressive, and the changes to the NIL rules were too good to pass up," Gates said.
In total, 30 student-athletes from UCA will sign deals with Conway CVB. They'll undergo training, and then work as brand ambassadors in the community.
"It just makes total sense, I mean, here we have some great representatives here in this community who can be paid now to advertise for the community in which they reside, so it's just smart," Brad Teague, Athletic Director at UCA said.
Teague says the deal is smart for all teams, not just a few.
"It's representing all sports, it's not just football or basketball," he said. "Every one of our sports has an opportunity to be a part of this group."
While the deal itself is barely younger than the NIL is, Baker says he's ready to represent the city that's become a second home to him in any way he can."
"I've definitely been overwhelmed by how much I've appreciated Conway, and by how much I feel like Conway has let me into the community," Baker said. "I just love it so much, I can't wait to start working with them and kinda getting the city around this whole idea."