In a world where likes and follows translate to brand deals, women’s college athletics are rewriting the playbook norms with the rise of social media use in NIL.

Name, image and likeness is a concept that many are aware of when it comes to college athletics. At a university like LSU, NIL has been present in everything that the programs do. NILSU was specifically created to give athletes opportunities to profit from their brand, and it’s not slowing down any time soon.

Aly Kirkhoff, a defensive specialist for LSU volleyball, looks to shed light on the Tigers’ program and make a name for herself at the same time through her athletic lifestyle content on her personal social media platforms.

​​“We’re on a big pedestal with lots of spotlight on us, especially with volleyball growing so much,” Kirkhoff said. “There’s so many little eyes on us and so many people looking up, it’s a great way to kind of use that [NIL]. We worked really hard to be here, so it’s great being able to take advantage of all the hard work that goes into getting here and staying here.”

For most college athletes, their NIL deals stem from a social media presence. LSU’s associate athletic director of NILSU, Taylor Jacobs, believes the rise of athletic brand deals in women’s sports specifically is due to female athletes feeling more comfortable to post on social media.

“Female student athletes are naturally more comfortable creating content on social media, which I think has benefited them in this NIL era,” Jacobs said. “You’re able to say ‘I’m an LSU athlete.’ You’re drawing those followers into the world of LSU and those people are now becoming fans of LSU because that athlete is there.”

When Kirkhoff began creating content herself, she decided to simply jump into posting on social media and disregarded her level of discomfort. Before she got started with making content and uploading it online, Kirkhoff met with the NILSU team to discuss how to incorporate her personal interests in different styles of content creation.

“Something that I really focus on is, I’m not gonna do a deal or advocate for something that I’m not really passionate about, or that I don’t really know anything about,” Kirkhoff said. “If I’m not gonna actually use a product or [I’m] not really interested in a brand, why would I do a deal with them? How does that paint me to everybody looking, you know?”

Creating content isn’t necessarily easy in terms of being authentic to yourself and your brand, especially on a national athletic stage. When Kirkhoff began posting, she wasn’t entirely comfortable talking in front of a camera right off the bat. On top of that, the worry that people were going to view her differently was something that she often thought about, she said.

“You have to be able to be uncomfortable in those situations,” Kirkhoff said. “There’s so many people out there who you’re worried are gonna judge you on different things. You just kind of have to be like ‘It’s who I am, and I’m not going to be anybody that I’m not.’”

Another difficulty Kirkhoff was met with in content creation was the overall time management and commitment it took to post on a regular schedule. From practices to treatments, athletes have extremely busy schedules and it can be hard to work around producing content and participating in brand deals, she said.

At NILSU, the staff understands the challenges the athletes face and allows them to determine the length of their involvement in NIL opportunities, Kirkhoff said.

“Something they always say is you can do however much NIL you want to do, and it’s up to each individual person. All of the resources are gonna be there for you,” Kirkhoff said. “If you don’t want to dive into NIL at all and you just want to focus on volleyball and your academics, they’re completely behind that. If you want to dive into it and really grow your brand in different things, they’re 100% behind that.”

Being able to negotiate how and when an athlete can work with a specific brand is something that Kirkhoff has excelled at. She’s realized that sometimes she has to say no, and that’s okay. Kirkhoff reminds herself that little eyes are watching her and she’s going to stay true to her morals and her schedule, she said.

“I’m not gonna portray myself as somebody that I’m not, because I don’t want anybody to think that that’s the way to do it and that’s who people actually are,” Kirkhoff said. “If I am going to portray myself, I’m going to make sure that it’s entirely who I am.”

Reflecting on when she was a young athlete, Kirkhoff would watch college athletes on television and often look at their social media, thinking to herself that she would one day want to be just like them. With Kirkhoff now being in the position where she once envisioned herself, she strives to use her social media to reach a greater audience.

“Volleyball is growing, and it’s on the bigger networks more and more,” Kirkhoff said. “People are finally tuned in like, ‘Wow, this is a really amazing sport, I really like this and I’m really interested in that.’ My social media is [for] getting people to know who I am, but also getting people to know what volleyball is and getting people to know volleyball is a really interesting sport.”

While Kirkhoff hopes to share her personal journey at LSU through her content, she also seeks to promote a larger, overarching message: athletes are not defined by just their sports.

It’s common for fans and spectators to watch an athlete on television and at games, not considering that student-athletes differentiate their athletic abilities from their personal lives. Even for Kirkhoff, it feels as if athletics and academics encompass her life, she said.

“Especially with the mental health world, it can be so easy to identify people as just their sport,” Kirkhoff said. “As an athlete, it’s hard to kind of distinguish yourself and set your personal life aside from your athletic life and academic life of just everything that you have to do.”

The main purpose Kirkhoff aims to showcase with her content is that there can indeed be a separation from the student-athlete life and an athlete’s personal interests outside of that. This mantra is something Kirkhoff hopes other athletes use to recognize themselves, but also hopes young athletes who want to be in the position she’s in now recognize the message as well.

“Volleyball, my stats and my successes do not define me as a person,” Kirkhoff said. “I think that’s great for other athletes to know, but also young girls to know, because they’re dreaming to be at this platform too.”