There are a lot of “can and can’t-do’s” out there when it comes to athletes and their websites. We here at Brand5 know. We manage websites for two professional athletes (Matt Hasselbeck and Julie Wells).
Athletes are brands. Their names are no different than the name of a company. No one else can use them without the athlete’s permission. Seems like a simple rule, but that doesn’t stop every greedy hanger-on who wants a piece of the pie.
Things are seemingly much more complicated when it comes to college athletes. A recent story involving Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow recently caught our eye. Tebow’s school, the University of Florida, has stepped forward to say that no one can represent Tebow with out Florida’s permission. While it’s not surprising since the NCAA has infinite power, what would happen if Tebow stepped to the forefront and said that he owns his name, not the NCAA and not Florida?
Instances like this are happening more and more. Look for it to bubble over in the coming years as amateur athletes get more and more web savvy, entering college with their own established web presences.